MT-2

[Shaneface]

So! My first time posting here. This is my one and only guitar, purchased for $60CDN. I lovingly refer to it as "Old El Paso", a name which it's had since I got it when I was a kid. In short, I'm curious about info on it, types of wood, that sort of thing. I have video of myself playing it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/T3hShaneface?feature=mhw5
It wasn't in the best condition when I got it, so yeah. Those bumps and nicks and scrapes = not me.

[charles]

That's a copy of a Martin acoustic. Which one, I can't really say.

The woods on these models tends to vary from model to model, and there is possibly a discrepancy between woods used from the MIJ (Made in Japan) models to the MIK (Made in Korea) ones.

If you are able to post higher-quality shots of the back of the neck & body (as well as the side of the body) someone might be able to make an educated guess as to the woods used.

[Shaneface]

I'll get on that tomorrow, in the daylight with my good camera. (Hopefully I can find it)
And it is an MIK, of that I'm sure from the label and the sticker on the back.

[charles]

I'll get on that tomorrow, in the daylight with my good camera. (Hopefully I can find it)

Thanks, look forward to seeing them.

And it is an MIK, of that I'm sure from the label and the sticker on the back.

Yeah, I saw the Made in Korea marking on the sound hole label. Thought I'd just mention that there might be differences in this one vs. another MT-2 that's a MIJ model (although it might be hard to tell any of those differences).

[Shaneface]

And here they are :3

[Barry]

Hello Shaneface. It's still hard to tell from these pix but the back and sides might be mahogany but the grain looks a bit too open, unless it's a lower grade of wood. It's certainly stained mahogany. Judging by the small chip on the bottom edge, it looks like your top is a laminate/plywood construction, likely made of the same wood as the rest of the guitar but with a spruce veneer cap.

As for the scratches and scuffs, those are fairly easily removed or lessened using a fine quality rubbing compound followed by a good quality polishing compound, then a good guitar polish or clear paste wax. In other words you have to dull it down a bit, then gradually buff back to a shine. Any serious dings or chips can likely be repaired using the "super glue" (cyanoacrylate) drop fill method. Do a search on Google for info on all this stuff.

Enjoy!

[charles]

Yeah, I was trying to figure out the back - I always want to say mahogany but same as Barry, the grain looks too open for me to say it.
It might be some other species of wood readily available at the time that would seem to mimic mahogany... padauk? another species of mahogany? not sure...

The back does appear, as Barry says, to be a good polish away from being pretty again.

[Barry]

... padauk?

Not very likely. Padauk is a high quality wood (read "expensive") and wouldn't be found on a lower end MIK model. You're more apt to find this as a cap or veneer on a solid body.

...another species of mahogany?

More probable; a coarser grade from somewhere in SE Asia? Possibly also a plywood judging by the top.

[charles]

Not very likely. Padauk is a high quality wood (read "expensive") and wouldn't be found on a lower end MIK model. You're more apt to find this as a cap or veneer on a solid body.

Yeah, padauk is just the only wood I know off the top of my head that looks a bit like mahogany.

A funny thing I've sometimes seen on old copies is that since wood was plentiful and cheap back in the 70s there can be some pretty nice stuff in older MIJ copies from time to time. I'm never sure about the MIKs though.

[Barry]

Here's an example of Padauk on an 80's Westone model, which is, oddly enough called a Paduak! Seems like the two spellings are interchangeable. Very confusing.
http://www.westone.info/cats/81/02.html

[charles]

Wow, it's even done in matt natural colours - I never knew what the natural color of Matt was before

[Barry]

Uncle Mat was a "natural" kinda guy!