1975 Walt Marston Fancy Cutaway Jumbo Guitar

The builder, Walt Marston, currently crafts gun holsters. Before that he made guitars and before that he was known for making superb carved rocking-horses. When he made this one he was living in New Hampshire but these days he appears to be a Carolina man. It seems he might be the same Walt Marston who played in surf band "The Tidal Waves" in the '60s, too, out of Maine but playing in NH. Anyone know for sure?

This guitar is a "one owner" affair that has been used since new by the same fella. It's had various repairs done in the past (crack repairs on the top and back with kinda-cute heart cleats) and it arrived here in decent shape but needing a setup-side sprucing-up.

My own work included a level/dress of the frets to eliminate a few odd high spots here and there, a recut/modification of the bridge to get the saddle wide enough for proper compensation, a new bone saddle, and setup work. This got it dialed-in intonation-wise and got the playability spot-on.

It handles a lot like a '50s Epiphone flattop, to be honest, and in tone it's got a ton of sustain, great mids and treble punch, and an airy, sweet bass. It's like a hybrid between a '60s Ovation sound, '50s Epiphone sound, and maybe a bit of a modern Taylor's string balance.

It's fan-braced with a few angled cross-braces and has curious and interesting construction besides -- the top and back are "domed" over the braces and the whole instrument is quite curvy. The back, sides, and neck are all figured maple (solid) and the top is spruce. There are a couple back cracks and a pickguard-area crack at the top. These have all been fixed in the past.

The flamed-maple bridge and pickguard are unusual an interesting, I think -- it's a nice "artist statement" and contrasts beautifully with the rosewood fretboard and binding. I added rosewood pins to match that, too.

The weirdest "feature" of this instrument is that it has two scale lengths! The frets on the treble side spell-out a 25 1/4" scale while the bass side is 25" -- so it's slightly fanned. That made me scratch my head a tiny bit when cutting the saddle and it looks a little quirky when you see the frets at slight angles, but as far as playability goes one can hardly tell. I think it probably does give the top-end a little "lift" though, in punch. I have 54w-12 lights on the guitar at the moment but I can see how it would be even more satisfying rocking 56w-13, perhaps.

So -- yes, it's a lush-looking, handmade guitar. It has quirks and bizarre features but handles like a modern, workhorse kind-of instrument. I love the almost-psychedelic headstock shape and inlay and the nod to 1800s-style inlay themes at the soundhole.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, saddle-slot recut/new saddle, string ramps for the bridge, replacement bridge pins, cleaning, mild seam repairs, and setup.

Weight: 5 lbs 10 oz

Scale length: 25" bass 25 1/4" treble

Nut width: 1 3/4"

Neck shape: slim-med C

Board radius: 10"

Body width: 16 3/4"

Body depth: 5"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid flamed maple

Bracing type: fan

Bridge: flamed maple

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: multi-piece maple

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-narrower

Condition notes: aside from a few top and back cracks, it's in great shape save minor playwear/usewear throughout in small scratches, nicks, and dings here and there. There's a hairline heel-cap separation at the back of the neck. I can fill it or not as desired (it's pictured) as it's not structural in nature. There are a few old repairs in evidence but everything is tidy, now. The string ramps, bridge pins, and saddle are not original to the guitar but the rest is. I'm not sure if the Grover Imperial tuners are new additions or old but I'm assuming they may be unoriginal. They look nice on it, though!

It comes with: a nice old hard case which I forgot to photograph.