Update 2021: this guitar's come back here for consignment so I've shot new pictures, recorded a video, and updated the description.
Fiberglass body! Modernity! Semihollow design! I like.
This Martinique is from '61 and it's a much nicer guitar than your average National/Valco design from the time because of its upscale place in the product line. The neck is faster, more nicely-cut, and straight and it has enough knobs to get you into the space program.
It was initially in for service and return to its owner, but as you might expect with an oddball build, it means some sussing-out of interesting design "features" and adjusting it to be a little more practical. Have you spotted the coolest modification to it yet, though? I'll let you look for a sec...
...and yes! It's the "patent-applied-for" early-'60s Gibson mini-humbucker that someone installed in place of the original bridge pickup. The warm, wooly neck pickup is stock but that Gibson mini-bucker is a perfect counter to it with its crisp, clean, snarky sound. The in-between position even sounds delicious.
Other things -- someone had installed a useless downpressure bar at the headstock -- so I removed that. Initials of a prior owner were also removed from the headstock. I'm guessing that it had a refret at some point, too, because the binding at the fretboard has slots cut into it that I can only assume were added when new frets were put in.
Neat extras? The board has bold, thick binding and giant white-block inlay. It has its cool oversize "keystone"-button Kluson tuners. The three-way switch has a nicely-decorated control plate.
This guitar's original pickup assortment was two "normal" National-style magnetic pickups and a piezo/in-bridge "acoustic" pickup. That acoustic pickup no longer functions (bog-standard for most old Nationals fit with them) and so the three-way switch on the upper-bout no longer functions as it should (mag/both/piezo), though the "piezo" position acts as a kill switch in a pinch. There's no reason one couldn't fit a modern acoustic pickup into this rig if desired. I always suggest K&Ks...
While the string-to-string balance on most old National pickups is hard to get perfect (due to the outer two poles also being the height-adjustment mechanisms), the original neck pickup works great as a rhythm unit and blends beautifully with the mini-bucker. The neck pickup also sounds absurdly-good when hit with some drive.
At any rate, after my work on it, it plays on-the-dot and fast. It's also ready to go.
Repairs included: fret level/dress, minor alterations/repairs to the wiring, minor alterations to the bridge pickup height adjustment (it'd been "blocked" previously), cleaning, and setup.
Condition notes: two knobs are older replacements (master volume under 3-way lower switch, chickenhead knob for piezo tone control). The bridge has a hairline crack in its saddle/upper part but it's stable and hasn't moved or mucked-about in the 2 years I've known it, so I don't think it's an issue. The frets are likely replacements. The bridge pickup is missing and has been replaced (in the past) by a genuine Gibson PAF mini-humbucker from the early '60s. The piezo pickup in the bridge does not work and so its controls also do not work (as noted above).
Also: the body shows plenty of wear and tear in light scratching and usewear throughout. There are a few small spots where the finish has crackled and the finish itself is discolored here and there throughout in the body. The rubberized "seam strip" on the middle-side has some areas that do not fit perfectly anymore but overall it's not ugly or weird. It does terminate just-shy of the tailpiece area, though. Also, two of the back mounting-screws are replacements. Also, the inserts that would normally cover the neck attachment bolts are missing.
I got mine from John Dopyera back in 1972 when he had the Fiddle Fret Shop in Escondido. Contrary to what most people say on the internet, the "Bridgetone" pick ups used on the "Val-Trol" guitars were magnetic, not piezo. My Martinique has been my favorite electric guitar for almost 50 years now, and I think they sound better than many of the "map" Res-O-Glas" models.
Comments
Contrary to what most people say on the internet, the "Bridgetone" pick ups used on the "Val-Trol" guitars were magnetic, not piezo. My Martinique has been my favorite electric guitar
for almost 50 years now, and I think they sound better than many of the "map" Res-O-Glas"
models.