Commerative Martin 1T IZ to be unveiled at NAMM.

$1495 may well be MAP, but I know several Martin dealers that give 35-40% off of the MSRP (which would put it at $1200-$1300).


Scooter

ScooterD35 said:

$1495 may well be MAP, but I know several Martin dealers that give 35-40% off of the MSRP (which would put it at $1200-$1300).


Scooter

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Even with that price, not interested.
Sorry I'm not a Martin fan at start, and not impressed by their commemorative "product".

Like others said previously, I would find a good vintage martin tenor if I really want one.

The sad thing is, I AM a Martin fan--but this uke has no interest for me. Too many things missed, IMHO. Pass.

The Great IZ loved his tenor Martin for a reason. It would have been nice for Martin to build that tenor for us as a way to honor him. This may turn out to be a great uke, but for me--no interest.

ScooterD35 said:

$1495 may well be MAP, but I know several Martin dealers that give 35-40% off of the MSRP (which would put it at $1200-$1300).


Scooter

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That'll be changing this year. Martin got tired of certain dealers doing that & changed some policy. They're saying that will be happening less and less this year

Well lookee there! A signature ed uke!

Anyone that plays guitar is familiar with signature edition models. (Fender's Clapton, SRV, Mayer, etc. Gibson Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Tal Farlow, Wes Montgomery...list goes on).

Some of these are amazing instruments, some are literally a model with a few unique features and an upcharge. One thing remains...they all find a market and an audience. In my experience, the best of players generally don't want someone else's name/model guitar. I don't think the IZ Martin will sway anyone away from a Kamaka or Koaloha. I think it's a different type of customer that will purchase the IZ Martin uke. Nothing wrong with it all. It's not that it's an inferior instrument. But generally anyone buying this is buying it strictly for the name, either to collect or just to have something tied to a favorite artist. Because for the same money you can buy a hand built Koa from nearly any of the big builders.

All this being said, it's dang cool to see a signature uke. Seriously! How many truly famous ukulele players are there? By famous I mean a household name even amongst the casual listener of music. I think it's a beautiful gesture to the ukulele playing public. It pays homage to IZ in a way that allows musicians specifically to show new enthusiasm for his playing.

If I had the money I would be buying one for sure. If I could only afford one 1300.00 tenor I would probably go for a K brand. But if I had enough money to own a few, this would definitely be in my stable. Without question he is probably the most famous and possibly the most commercially successful ukulele player alive or dead. How cool it would be to have one of these.

And good points brought up about "commemorative" vs. "replica." This comes up a lot in the guitar world many times. One that comes to mind is the Fender SRV model. Run of the mill, mass produced, generally about 1700.00 new. And then the limited edition, custom shop built "replica" SRV model...sold out before it went for sale and fetches an easy 24,000.00 if you want one.

Would be really cool if Martin took this one step further and possibly chose that route. Get Iz's actual uke (I know nothing about it, for all I know it's gone), measure everything, neck shape, weight, tuners...even replicate any possible wear on the instrument. With the goal to be purchasing an instrument that would literally pass as the original. Now THAT would be great. It would also be a bit more than 1400.00. But it would sure cause a stir in the ukulele world. Best advertising you can get for Martin.

That's my .02. I run off at the keyboard every time I post to a thread it seems. lol I just happen to think the IZ model is pretty darned cool if you're in the market for something like this. And the headstock logo is really quite cool. More often than not I think a signature instrument is ruined when the artist's name is too prominently featured on the instrument. But Martin pulled it off here. Very classy IMO.

I would by a Martin Ohta-San replica.....

http://puapua-ukulolo.blogspot.com/2009/07/ohta-sans-black-martin-3m-standard.html

I think the new model looks great! I would love to own one if it was in my price range. Right now it isn't.

Mad Hatter I like the idea of an exact replica however I think whent hey cremated Iz they threw his Martin ukulele in with him.

The other thing I noticed is the back and sides are quilted mahogany. Weren't the old Martins solid mahogany?

Anyway I like it a lot, but I love new Martins

PedalFreak said:

That'll be changing this year. Martin got tired of certain dealers doing that & changed some policy. They're saying that will be happening less and less this year

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Then I expect they will be seeing a sharp drop in sales. Not a particularly good business decision if you ask me.


Scooter

Mad Hatter said:

Would be really cool if Martin took this one step further and possibly chose that route. Get Iz's actual uke (I know nothing about it, for all I know it's gone), measure everything, neck shape, weight, tuners...even replicate any possible wear on the instrument. With the goal to be purchasing an instrument that would literally pass as the original. Now THAT would be great. It would also be a bit more than 1400.00. But it would sure cause a stir in the ukulele world. Best advertising you can get for Martin.

That's my .02. I run off at the keyboard every time I post to a thread it seems. lol I just happen to think the IZ model is pretty darned cool if you're in the market for something like this. And the headstock logo is really quite cool. More often than not I think a signature instrument is ruined when the artist's name is too prominently featured on the instrument. But Martin pulled it off here. Very classy IMO.

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From the article:

"For much of his career, Israel or IZ, as he is affectionately known cherished a vintage Martin tenor ukulele, which he played at recording sessions and in concert. After he died, his body and his treasured uke were cremated together, and their ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean off Oahu in a ceremony attended by thousands.
To honor Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and his musical legacy, C. F. Martin & Co. introduces the Martin lT IZ Commemorative Custom Signature Edition tenor ukulele. Inspired by Martin 1T tenor ukes from the 1940s and 1950s, the 1T IZ features rare tonewoods, handsome inlays and distinctive appointments that capture the unique spirit of the man whose name it bears."


That answers your question about where his Uke is, it was cremated with him. I certainly agree that this is a cool and classy tribute to a great man and musician and I love that his wife was involved and has signed the labels. It gives it that much more credibility. I plan to be at the Martin factory next Friday to check out the new models so if there is a 1T IZ there i'll post a report.


Scooter

ScooterD35 said:

From the article:

"For much of his career, Israel or IZ, as he is affectionately known cherished a vintage Martin tenor ukulele, which he played at recording sessions and in concert. After he died, his body and his treasured uke were cremated together, and their ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean off Oahu in a ceremony attended by thousands.
To honor Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and his musical legacy, C. F. Martin & Co. introduces the Martin lT IZ Commemorative Custom Signature Edition tenor ukulele. Inspired by Martin 1T tenor ukes from the 1940s and 1950s, the 1T IZ features rare tonewoods, handsome inlays and distinctive appointments that capture the unique spirit of the man whose name it bears."


That answers your question about where his Uke is, it was cremated with him. I certainly agree that this is a cool and classy tribute to a great man and musician and I love that his wife was involved and has signed the labels. It gives it that much more credibility. I plan to be at the Martin factory next Friday to check out the new models so if there is a 1T IZ there i'll post a report.


Scooter

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If there is, maybe there's still time to convince them to add bridge buttons. In my mind that makes this a much classier tribute piece.

MY IZ Tribute Uke

Here's my IZ tribute uke:

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/40081/index.php

:drool:

pdxuke said:

Here's my IZ tribute uke:

http://www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/40081/index.php

:drool:

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IZ played a 60's Martin 1T. Look at all the photos of him with it. Not sure how Martin could've missed that. His was 14 frets to the body, which started in the 60's

For $1500 street price I can get a pretty swell Pohaku or Mya Moe, and I can call it "Iz".

It is a nice idea. I just don't understand why Martin would not want to go the extra mile in this great uke man's memory and give the darn thing bridge buttons! Would it really have cost that much more? Heck, charge $50 more and put them on! I've been ragging on the new Martin concerts and tenors having those dreaded (to me) geared tuners, and they finally at least get the look right with peg heads, and then do this ugly classical guitar bridge tie. One reason I buy Martin is for its tradition and heritage. How can they honor their own heritage when not one tenor uke from their past has this style of bridge? I simply don't understand this decision making. Perhaps it's based on their market research of what customers want, but it pretty much assures that if I buy Martin new builds they will all be sopranos that look like the Martins of old.

(Grumbles about tradition and slinks out the door...)

+Iz played low G. This looks to be strung re-entrant. Commemorative? I don't think so.

ScooterD35 said:

Then I expect they will be seeing a sharp drop in sales. Not a particularly good business decision if you ask me.


Scooter

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It's going to be great. Taylor, Martin and other companies have changed their policies this year. Several stores, you and others probably know who, have really devalued their product, which is even worse for business.

I'm not sure where you come up with the Martin brand being "devalued". It's my understanding that overall sales (and high-end sales in particular) are better than ever, in spite of the lingering difficulties in the economy. How exactly does that devalue the brand?


Stores have a right to set their own profit margins. Last time I checked, price fixing was still illegal in America. If Taylor, Martin and other companies are simultaneously "changing their policies" to increase profits, then they will be guilty of price fixing.


We went through this a few years ago:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...-berman-sobol-shapiro-announces-60752177.html


So, what exactly are these policy changes you're talking about?



Scooter

ScooterD35 said:

I'm not sure where you come up with the Martin brand being "devalued". It's my understanding that overall sales (and high-end sales in particular) are better than ever, in spite of the lingering difficulties in the economy. How exactly does that devalue the brand?


Stores have a right to set their own profit margins. Last time I checked, price fixing was still illegal in America. If Taylor, Martin and other companies are simultaneously "changing their policies" to increase profits, then they will be guilty of price fixing.


We went through this a few years ago:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...-berman-sobol-shapiro-announces-60752177.html


So, what exactly are these policy changes you're talking about?



Scooter

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I haven't heard 100% yet. Just have been told by them both that things will be changing. Some of these stores have people going around and blasting all over the net to call this or that store for an immediate 40% off price.

I've heard Taylor is going to be changing policy on who can sell online, similar to what Gibson does. Haven't heard exactly what Martin's plans are yet, other than a couple stores aren't going to be able to get away with the way they've been selling their guitars.

As far as devaluing, Martin says that their X model is worth $4000, but we have MAP policy, so they say you can advertise that product for $2999. Now you have stores putting up "hidden" sites that are going against that MAP policy with guitars at $50-150 over cost. Which is basically telling customers that the product isn't worth $4000, or even $2999, which devalues the instrument or even the brand. It hurts their own store, most all stores that do this do not stay in business long, and it hurts other stores as well.

I don't know anything about "hidden" sites. The dealers I know follow all of the rules with regard to MAP and publicity.

They do encourage you to "call for more information and to order" at which point they can negotiate any deal they wish. The customer service is extraordinary and the deals are very fair. I understand that there are some dealers that don't want to do the work necessary to cultivate a broad customer base and make their profit from high volume and custom orders but that is certainly their prerogative.

There are also dealers that use surrogates to get around the rules against selling new-with-warranty Martins on eBay. My friends and I have been able to blow the whistle on some of these over the years and our friends at Martin have been very grateful for the help.

While I would applaud Martin taking steps to stop dealers from cheating the internet rules, I can't see them trying to force any dealer to sell only at MAP.


Scooter

pdxuke said:

It is a nice idea. I just don't understand why Martin would not want to go the extra mile in this great uke man's memory and give the darn thing bridge buttons! Would it really have cost that much more? Heck, charge $50 more and put them on! I've been ragging on the new Martin concerts and tenors having those dreaded (to me) geared tuners, and they finally at least get the look right with peg heads, and then do this ugly classical guitar bridge tie. One reason I buy Martin is for its tradition and heritage. How can they honor their own heritage when not one tenor uke from their past has this style of bridge? I simply don't understand this decision making. Perhaps it's based on their market research of what customers want, but it pretty much assures that if I buy Martin new builds they will all be sopranos that look like the Martins of old.

(Grumbles about tradition and slinks out the door...)

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Since all of Martin's current Tenors have tie bridges, it's very likely that there are no jigs/fixtures to make one with a pin bridge. That means that to make one with a pin bridge, they would have to make the fixtures, reprogram the CNC (for the bridge) and re-tool the line for one model. They would also need to rewrite their care and feeding pamphlet to explain how to install strings with no ball-end into a bridge with pins. All of that would likely bump the price up by a few hundred dollars.



Scooter