white wood glue used on the production line . In short , the difference comes down to “ cohesion ” versus “ adhesion .” White glue creates a strong mechanical bond by penetrating the porous surface and solidifying at the point of contact . Hide glue , on the other hand , yields molecular cohesion , in effect becoming one with the wood . The result is increased resonance and energy transfer , imparting more of that reverberant quality so characteristic of older Martins .)
Custom Shop director Scott Sasser thinks of the differences between the modes as like having the AMG Group inside the Mercedes factory . “ All the vehicles built are spectacular ,” he explains , “ but if someone requests the
AMG-level of construction , that work gets done by a smaller , dedicated team . That ’ s exactly how it works at Martin .”
To get a better idea of how it works , we propose a straw man build . Imagine , if you will , a fingerstyle player who ( naturally ) already has a trio of OMs , a couple of 00s , and maybe a 000 for good measure — classic fingerstyle gear . What ’ s missing ? A Dreadnought ! So , our player decides to make this classic platform the basis of his “ Next One .” For starters , he ’ ll likely want a 1 3 / 4 ” nut , as opposed to the old 111 / 16 ” Dreadnought standard . He might want a slightly shallower body depth to help balance things out a bit . To further smooth out the low end and bring out more of the highs , he selects cocobolo over
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