Mario Martin Guitars Honcho, Swamp Ash, Roasted Flame Maple Neck – Carolina Blue

Information

Brand New w/ Warranty. We are an authorized Mario Guitars Dealer.

All photos are of the exact instrument you will receive.

Mario Martin guitars are hand built in Murfreesboro, TN just 40 minutes down the road from us! Undertaking the entire build process from cutting the body blank to spraying the final touch of nitro, Mario Martin achieves a level of guitar making well beyond partscaster builders who may look alike on the surface. These guys maintain one of the best collections of tonewoods around, and every neck/body/pickup combination is chosen carefully to amplify the personality of the guitar as a whole. Whether you crave an S-style guitar straight out of 1958 or the unique Tele-Strat mashup that is the Honcho, we are confident you’ll find what you’re looking for in a Mario Martin.

What Do We Think?

A true master of many trades, this Honcho starts with a lively one-piece Swamp Ash body and is completed by a one-piece Roasted Maple neck and custom-tailored Fralin pickup set. Unique to this hybrid model are a Tele-style bridge plate and a Strat-style Wilkinson tremolo. The comfortable arm contour is a notable and welcome carry-over from the Strat as well.

The neck position is all about glassy ‘60s S-Style tones, colored subtly by the “rounded” tonal profile inherent of the roasted maple neck. The low end is bold and hits you in the gut on a compressed tube amp. The upper register is smooth yet defined, and you’ll find a midrange that can go from throaty to crystal clear depending on your amp and touch. This pickup doesn’t get fizzy or strident when you turn up the drive or volume and get that amp singing.

The bridge pickup retains a Strat-inspired jangle but with a beefed up midrange and has a body that handles gain very nicely. It even maintains its punch and clarity if you choose to roll the tone down for rounder, thicker bridge position tones. Or just keep it up rolled full up for your Tele twang à la Brad Paisley, or for an all-around vintage bite. This pickup loves an AC amp just as much as a Blackface.

And no stranger to hard work, the combined pickup positions deliver that phasey quack you crave from an SSS configuration. The neck/middle approaches SRV’s “Lenny” or John Mayer’s “Belief” with ease. In the bridge/middle position, your funk gets a welcome midrange bump from the bridge plate. This position works equally well for bringing lead lines to life in a full band mix.

How Does It Play?

Mario guitars are dialed in perfectly by the builders. We’re just 30 miles up the road from them so we have the privilege of stopping by to pick these fine instruments up in person. But we still do our due diligence here at the shop just as on every other guitar we sell, making sure we are familiar with the guitar on a personal level and giving one more test of every component and a final check on the setup before shipping. This one sets up at a very nice 4/64” on the low E at the 12^th fret and very nearly down to 3/64” on the high E, all without buzz.

Weight: 6lb 4oz

The Mario Martin Deluxe padded gigbag is included.

Specifications

Model: T-Style

Body: 1-pc Swamp Ash

Neck: 1-pc ¼ Sawn AAA Flame Roasted Maple

Nut Material: Bone

Nut Width: 1.65”

Fret Size: 6150

Fingerboard Radius: 9.5”-12”

Neck Shape: C

Top/Side Dots: Black

Strings: String Joy Balanced Light

Tuners: Gotoh Staggered

Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment

Hardware:  Standard Vintage

Pickups: Fralin Honcho Set

Finish: Nitrocellulose

Body Color: Carolina Blue / Closet Clean Relic

Neck Color: Gloss / Closet Clean Relic

Accessories Included: Deluxe Embroidered Gig Bag and Certificate of Authenticity  / Dated & Hand signed By Mario Martin

Total Weight of Guitar: 6lb 4oz

Serial Number: 621568

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