Mario Martin Guitars Honcho Swamp Ash Body w/ Spitfire Pickguard – Olympic White

Information

Brand New w/ Warranty. We are an authorized Mario Guitars Dealer.

Like what you see? All photos are of the exact instrument you will receive.

Mario Martin guitars are hand built in Murfreesboro, TN just 40 minutes down the road from us! Undertaking the entire build process from cutting the body blank to spraying the final touch of nitro, Mario Martin achieves a level of guitar making well beyond partscaster builders who may look alike on the surface. These guys maintain one of the best collections of tonewoods around, and every neck/body/pickup combination is chosen carefully to amplify the personality of the guitar as a whole. Whether you crave an S-style guitar straight out of 1958 or the unique Tele-Strat mashup that is the Honcho, we are confident you’ll find what you’re looking for in a Mario Martin.

What Do We Think?

We’re thrilled to get another Honcho in the shop! We waited for this one a long time and it was truly worth every minute. It features a lively Swamp Ash body, maple neck with dark rosewood fretboard, and custom-tailored Fralin pickup set. Unique to this hybrid model are a Tele-style bridge plate and a Strat-style Wilkinson tremolo. The comfortable arm contour is a notable and welcome carry-over from the Strat as well.

This Fralin set is on the lower-wind end of the spectrum, giving a nod to glassy ‘60s S-Style tones and letting the guitar really breathe through the pickups. The low end is confident and punchy. It provides a visceral connection with the amp, pushing back with a dash of compression in response to heavier pick attacks. The upper registers are sweet and open.

The neck position has a very transparent air until you start to dig in. A heavier hand adds some punch and bite in your midrange. The bridge pickup hints at Strat-inspired jangle, but the bridge plate beefs it up with a Tele-inspired midrange. This added “body” allows it to handle gain very nicely, with plenty of clarity but no unwanted sizzle. The rear tone knob is exceptionally usable as well. You can roll all the way back to three, and anywhere in between, to get thicker, rounder tones without losing volume or transparency.

The combined pickup positions are fantastic, just how you want to hear them in a great SSS configuration. The low end stays nice and taught underneath the phasey quack. The bridge/middle position gets a nice bump from the bridge plate. All positions balance very nicely in volume, and it’s difficult to want to sit in any one spot for long with the variety of options at your fingertips!

The Spitfire Tort pickguard is an absolutely showstopper on the aged Olympic White finish. That’s really enough said!

How Does It Play?

Sweet and low. The string action hovers around 4/64” at the 12^th fret without any fretbuzz. Mario’s Classic C neck profile measures around .830” at the 1^st and .900” at the 12^th, really a breeze to play. The fretboard is nicely rolled, the frets ends perfectly dressed and rounded.

Weight: 6lb 14oz on the Mario spec sheet. We actually weighed this one in at just 6lb 10.6oz.

The Mario Martin Deluxe padded gigbag is included.

Specifications

Model: Honcho

Body: Swamp Ash

Neck: Maple / Rosewood

Nut Material: Bone

Nut Width: 1.65”

Fret Size: 6125

Fingerboard Radius: 9.5”-12”

Neck Shape: C

Top/Side Dots: Clay

Strings: String Joy Balanced Light

Tuners: Gotoh Staggered Vintage

Pickguard: Spitfire Tort Pickguard

Pickups: Fralin Honcho Set

Finish: Nitrocellulose

Body Color: Olympic White / Relic

Neck Color: Gloss w/ Vintage Tint / Relic

Accessories Included: Deluxe Embroidered Gig Bag and Certificate of Authenticity / Dated & Hand signed By Mario Martin

Total Weight of Guitar: 6lb 14oz

Serial Number: 322649

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