ELLIO MARTINA
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GUITARS

# Philosophy #

It is obvious that sound is the guiding principle when it comes to building basses or guitars. I strive for bringing out the full resonance qualities of the woods that I use into the completed instruments. A bass or guitar should have a transparent sound with a natural warmth and respond dynamically when played.
If a Bass or Guitar-player picks up an instrument, he or she should feel at home immediately. Therefore I take great care in things like shaping the neck and fretboard, the overal feel and balance of the instrument rather then focusing on fancy looks. Playing a warm and nice sounding perfectly finished instrument lets you focus on what you bought it for,.....making music!!

The acoustic quality of wood is an important factor affecting the sound of both solidbody and acoustic basses and guitars. Better woods result in a better sound.
The way I build my instruments is focused on preserving the tonal qualities of the woods and to ensure their long term stability. I am convinced of the fact, that it requires a certain amount of time for seasoning between each step in the process of building a guitar or bass. Woods that have been glued together, will first have to settle and accomodate to each other before further shaping.
Climate conditions are known to change suddenly and sometimes drastically. Woods of different species and dimensions absorb or release moisture from the air at a different speed. When putting an instrument together under un-controlled conditions, there is a risk of creating unpredictable tensions in the instrument. One of the woods might have reached its moisture balance with the surrounding air while the other wood is still far from reaching it. It is obvious that these differences will tend to stretch out after the instrument has been finished.
Therefore, controlled climate conditions are important to minimize unpredictible tensions between the different woods that are glued together. You should not encounter tangible glue-joints due to unequal shrinkage or frets cracking through bindings because of shrinking of the fretboard.

Being on the road as a bassplayer from time to time, I can check the sound results of using different species of wood against live playing situations. This helps me to advise you as a customer with choosing the right wood species to be used in an instrument that will meet your requirements towards its sound character. Besides that, I evaluate the valuable input from professional top-players using my instruments both live and in recording sessions.

I choose to make a limited number of instruments annually, with no sacrifice in any respect towards quality. Each individual instrument is truly handmade by myself, thus making it a true Ellio Martina bass or guitar


Ellio Martina Guitars
Almenseweg 29
7211 MD Eefde - the Netherlands
Phone/Fax: +31 (0)575-511006
E-mail: ellio@elliomartina.com