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Martin Medalist

4K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  carl3 
#1 ·
I was researching the IMO most undocumented Martins of all, the Medalist under RMC, and I came across a Bob Ackerman video on Youtube where he says that the Medalist Alto he was selling was made of Martin parts from the 1940s onwards. That would explain the one I'm looking at which has what looks like the body of an Indiana/Committee 3, the Nickel Silver keywork of a Comm2, the RH movable thumbrest of a Comm3 and it has the heart shaped LH thumbrest of a Comm2. The neck is like an Indiana's. A real mongrel. It also makes sense because I'm guessing that when RMC took over Martin they ended up with a lot of inventory which they had to put to use one way or the other and I'm also guessing the Medalist is the outcome of that inventory reduction. I might be completely wrong so please enlighten me if you have more information on this.
 
#2 ·
The Medalist came about at the beginning of the Richards era and appears to have been only made in 1961. It seems to be quite similar to the Indiana Deluxe and I haven't seen any Indianas built concurrently with the Medalist.

Richards used "Medalist" as the model name for most or all of Reynolds' student-line instruments (and there were at least a few Reynolds Medalist saxes made by Martin) so I can only surmise that there was some plan to standardize on one model name. Either that or Richards just had no clue what they were doing, which is quite possible given how mismanaged they were. But the above tells me that the Medalist was supposed to be a student-line horn just like the Indiana.
 
#3 ·
There was a lot of cross pollination among the Martin models. I always felt that the 30s Handcraft Standards were similar to or exactly an Indiana. The Medalist seemed to be an Indiana too. These are so similar that I would just get one in good condition. Right now you can get nice Committee I or II models in good playing shape for under $1,000 so I would go that route unless you find one of the other models for in the $500 range. It costs the same to redo a Comm III as it does an Indiana.
 
#5 ·
The ones I have done are basically Indianas. Maybe some parts here and there do seem to be a grab-bag of details, but everywhere it counts they apprared to be Indianas.

$550 for a Tenor is a good price if she has no significant issues. If it needs more than a few tweaks, not a particularly good price.

If it's an Alto, it's way overpriced...I can sell you an Indiana for $450 refurbed...

Definitely worth a blow. Good luck...
 
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