Very good sounding guitar!

Sounds great!

I've got a cousin to this guitar, a 64 D-21. Unfortunately, mine needs a TON of work to make it playable again.

One great guitar and great work on the bridge. I just love your creative approach to problem solving in general and especially when it is combined with your extensive knowledge of Martin guitars. I hope you can  do a comparison with your shop guitars (both your 72 D-18 and your 41 A). Thank you again for sharing your talents with us!

Last year I bought a 63 D21 and It had they wrong bridge on it. I also had a bridge doctor on it. I actually talked to you and sent you picture because someone had scalloped the braces. Long story short Nathan Wright of McMinnville Tennessee changed it out, reset the neck and compression fretted the fingerboard. In looking for an original new old stock bridge I contacted Wayne Henderson. Wayne told me about David Musselwhite. David worked for Martin and had lots of new old stock bridges and tuners. I the end I had Wayne make me one and eventually Wayne traded me a build for that 63 D21 and it now resides in Wayne personal collection. I miss the 63 D21 but a Wayne Henderson D28 Brazilian is a dream come true. Someday I’ll trade for another 63 D21.

I own this guitar now!

Interesting video, just like you said. With Martin having 3 bridge heights, it tells me they don’t want to have someone so skilled that they would have to pay them to be able to get the neck angle spot on with a .32” thick bridge. Or they don’t want to pay someone to take the time it takes to do what I described.  Nice bridge repair.

I have once had to shim a bridge up, as it was 1. too thin and 2. the guitar needed a reverse neck reset.   I took the bridge off, and put a .040 piece UNDERNEATH the bridge, then reglued it.   It saved the top of the original bridge.

Yeah you’ve got to keep that a couple of weeks my a*se 😂, you mean a coupe weeks more than normal , it does sound like a very clear straight braced D28/D21 should , although I do prefer the lushness from a scalloped guitar but this definitely has its place for that lead work, I’ve always said I judge a guitar on how it feels before how it sounds , no use sounding great if it fights me

The only way I could see shaving the bridge to be an option, is if Martin used one of their taller bridges. They have at least 3 different bridge thicknesses that they choose from when building the guitar. Depending on how the neck to body angle was, in the shop, they would choose one of those different hight bridges.

So if your guitar has a high bridge (I've if the taller ones) then shaving a little off the top, done  right, could give you a little time before having to re-set the neck.

Personally though, I would rather pay the money and have the neck re-set. But then again I have a guitar that could probably use a neck re-set, right now, and coming up with the money for that job is getting very hard these days.

Another awesome video..

Hey Bryan. I just received a new custom guitar that has waverlys and the high e string will not stay in tune. I’ve checked the wrap on the post and everything seems to be fine there. I can bring it to pitch then it immediate Drops to D. Doesn’t seem to be the nut, it’s a non wound string and I used construction pencil graphite during string change. I played it for a while, stretched the strings, all other strings are perfectly in tune and stable. Any ideas?

Hello Bryan. Than you for this most interesting dive into bridges. Can I please ask, I’ve found a 60s 000-18 that I really like. However it’s had a replacement bridge. Indian rosewood and quite pale in colour comparison to a period correct Brazilian. Guitar sounds and plays great. Would you think a newly made Brazilian bridge swap out might risk the guitar’s current great tone, or would that be a reasonable way to try and improve its appearance ? Thank you.

Brian, is that a water-source heat pump loop you've got with the frozen cooling tower? Any cooling tower used for winter operation should have an electric basin heater with a thermostat in the basin water set to turn on the heater if the water goes below 45 Deg.F.  It should also have heat trace wrapped around all the outdoor condenser and cold water make-up piping to the tower. Is it needed for cooling in winter? If it was not originally equipped as stated above it's probably not needed for cooling and should be drained down for winter. If you want I can answer any questions you have on that system - it's the least I could do for all your videos I have enjoyed so much!