5:39 PM
Wesman Todd Shaw
Dierks Bentley?
Over the years, and of my own volition, I have done very little in the way of listening to what is commonly thought of as new country music. Well, when there is work out there that needs doing this Fall and Winter, I've been working as aresidential electrician, and, and in the course of spending time with co-workers, I wind up listening to nothing BUT new country music, and strangely enough, I've come to find that I actually can and do enjoy some of it.
Well, who the heck is Dierks Bentley? He's a modern country star, and enough of one to have a rather substantial Wikipedia page dedicated to him. Of course he also has his own website, but I'd say it's more impressive when you've got a nice large Wikipedia page. Over the past few months I've become familiar with some of the man's music, but even before then I'd become familiar with his name, and the reason for that was - he's an official C.F. Martin & Company Ambassador.
What is a Martin Ambassador? Well, when you're probably the most renowned and respected acoustic guitar manufacturer on the entire planet, you don't exactly need any major advertising, but suffice it to say, getting your own signature series instrument designed for you over in Nazareth, Pennsylvania at the Martin factory means you've made a name for yourself in music, and it also means you're doing a fine job of bringing the tradition of fine Martin guitars to the younger generations.
Dierks Bently, and His Signature Series Martin Acoustic Guitar.
Dierks Bentley With His Martin Dierks Bentley Guitar!
The Martin HD Dierks Bentley Guitar!
Dierks Bentley, The Music, The Guitar.
How would I describe the music of Dierks Bentley? Well, the first thing that came to my mind was the legendary country rock of the band,The Eagles. Of course the music of The Eagles is all over the place, and so is the music of Dierks Bentley, some of it is more pop, and some of it is more country, but I'd say Dierks Bentley takes his music a bit more in the direction of Southern rock.
Did I just say Southern rock? Well yes, yes I did, and Dierks doesn't just play acoustic, he's also well known to play a Fender Telecaster, the ultimate electric guitar for country and western music, and doubling just fine for rock and roll music. This article, however, is going to focus not on electric, but on the fine acoustic guitar by C.F. Martin & Company that is endorsed, and designed in collaboration with Mr. Dierks Bentley.
So what is a Martin HD Dierks Bentley?
Well, to cut to the chase, the Martin HD Dierks Bentley is really a customized Martin D-28, that is really exactly what it is, it does, however, feature some very nice upgrades from the standard issue D-28, or even the very very nice Martin HD-28VR. Now there is no bones here in regards to what is most important regarding the upgrades the HD Dierks Bentley has to offer, all day long and every day of the year, the Adirondack red spruce top wins the day, and is the singular specification that makes this guitar a cut above the norm.
Why is Adirondack Spruce so special? Well, it is largely believed by all to provided a louder, a clearer, and a longer sustaining tonality to the instruments so lucky as to be graced with it as a top, or soundboard. You'll run into very few people who don't think of Adirondack spruce as special, that isn't to say that other particular spruce soundboards aren't just as wonderful, but by and large, Adirondack spruce is a holy grail sort of wood in acoustic guitar building, and it always will be.
There are two other attributes that make this guitar a cut above a standard HD-28, and those two points of hot rodding of acoustic guitars are the bone nut and the bone saddle. Whenever a bone nut and saddle are combined with an Adirondack spruce top, and forward shifted, scalloped, high X bracing, what you are dealing with is an instrument built to provide a VERY loud and clear tonality, and instrument built to not sit in the background of a studio mix, but to shine, and to sing to the listener, and to the player. This guitar is just such a guitar, and besides all of that, there is the nice bit of abalone inlay, a phoenix at the twentieth fret, and then the lovely and patriotic red, white, and blue, in what is being described as bold herringbone, and in place of the standard rosette of a HD Martin guitar of the D-28 style. A very beautiful and lifetime guitar, priced to sell at four thousand dollars, and with the traditional limited lifetime warranty to the original owner.
Specifications:
- Model: * HD Dierks Bentley
- Construction: * Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint
- Body Size: * D-14 Fret
- Top: * Solid Adirondack Spruce
- Rosette: * Style 28/Red, White, and Blue Herringbone
- Top Bracing Pattern: * Standard ''X'' Scalloped, Forward-Shifted (Golden Era Style)
- Top Braces: * Solid Adirondack Spruce 5/16''
- Back Material: * Solid East Indian Rosewood
- Back Purfling: * Bold Herringbone - Red, White & Blue
- Side Material: * Solid East Indian Rosewood
- Endpiece: * none
- Endpiece Inlay: * none
- Binding: * Grained Ivoroid
- Top Inlay Style: * Bold Herringbone - Red, White & Blue
- Side Inlay: * none
- Back Inlay: * Black/White Boltaron
- Neck Material: * Select Hardwood
- Neck Shape: * Modified V
- Nut Material: * Bone
- Headstock: * Solid/Long Diamond/Square Taper
- Headplate: * Solid Madagascar Rosewood
- Heelcap: * Grained Ivoroid
- Fingerboard Material: * Solid Black Ebony
- Scale Length: * 25.4''
- Number of Frets Clear: * 14
- Number of Frets Total: * 20
- Fingerboard Width at Nut: * 1-11/16''
- Fingerboard Width at 12th Fret: * 2-15/64''
- Fingerboard Position Inlays: * Style 28 - same size dots, Phoenix inlay @ 12th fret - MOP
- Fingerboard Binding: * none
- Finish Back & Sides: * Polished Gloss
- Finish Top: * Polished Gloss w/ Aging Toner
- Finish Neck: * Satin
- Bridge Material: * Solid Black Ebony
- Bridge Style: * Belly
- Bridge String Spacing: * 2-1/4''
- Saddle: * 16'' Radius/Compensated/Bone
- Tuning Machines: * Waverly Nickel Open-Geared w/ Butterbean knobs
- Recommended Strings: * Martin SP Lifespan Phosphor Bronze Medium Gauge (MSP7200)
- Bridge & End Pins: * Bone w/ Tortoise Color Dots
- Pickguard: * Delmar Tortoise Color
- Case: * Geib style
- Interior Label: * Signed by Dierks Bentley. Numbered in Sequence w/o Total
- Electronics: * Optional
- Other Options: * Available left-handed at no additional charge
- Other Comments: * All prices & specifications are subject to change without notice.
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