Martin - Bechtel letter 6/29/29

Gentlemen:

      In the course of Mr. Perry Bechtel\'s visit with us we worked out a plan for a special Guitar for his personal use. His requirements are rather special because of his great skill, particularly in his left hand technique, and because of the fact that he is used to Banjo construction and finds the regular Guitar neck rather too short for best results. Accordingly we agreed to design a special body for a style 000-28 guitar; this body will be considerably smaller in the upper bout above the sound hole but will not be changed in the lower part. This enables us to assure Mr. Bechtel that the tone will be up to the Martin standard. A special long neck will be provided with fourteen frets clear of the body and Mr Bechtel will furnish us with a pattern showing the neck width and the fingerboard shape he desires.

      These special features, together with pick guard, will be supplied without charge. Extra ornamentation in the form of Ivory-Celluloid binding on fingerboard and head, the same as we use on our Style 45 Guitar, is desired by Mr Bechtel and for this we will make...