Mario Martin Guitars Honcho Swamp Ash w/ Rosewood – Coke Bottle Green Flake

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 Does Josh Think?

The Honcho is an incredible platform for tones that are S-style at heart but have more to explore in the bridge and bridge/middle positions. This isn’t the lightest Swamp Ash body ever to be found in a Mario guitar, but in my opinion it is just the right weight to give it guttural attack and big resonance. Even so, it weighs a total of just 7lb 2oz *with* the trem arm in.

The Fralin pickup set is voiced slightly on the vintage side in terms of output, leaving room for very dynamic playing. This is a guitar that just keeps giving more the harder you dig in, especially on the outer pickups. The neck is wonderfully throaty, but not congested. It responds to your touch with immediate response and varying degrees of color in the midrange as you vary from a light to a heavy hand.

The bridge position is firm and full-bodied, lower output than a P-90 but sharing some characteristics. The bridge plate grants it a bit more “focus” than a standard Strat bridge position. The clean tones are indeed suggestive of a good Tele but also share the extended tonal register of the afore-mentioned P-90. Suffice it to say, this is a position you’ve probably not heard yet in any other guitar, but will bond with quickly.

Position two is a perfect mix of quack and twang. Again thanks to the bridge plate, it is a more sturdy version of position two than what you get on a Start. It punches a little harder and rounder. Consistent with every other position on this guitar, it can handle quite a lot of gain and never gets hairy.

Position 4 is particularly rich, with a little bit of scoop to keep things cleaned up in the upper midrange. It retains all the warmth of the neck position but carves out a wonderful spank in the upper mids. It’s juicy and just the right bit phasey, without the volume drop of many “in-between” positions.

How Does It Play?

Mario’s Soft V neck is really pleasing in the hand. I found this V to be very complementary of my affinity for C necks. It just felt a little faster and I genuinely enjoyed it. It’s a profile I’d be happy to have on my #1. The string action measures just 4/64” at the 12^th fret across all strings. The frets are beautifully dressed and polished from end to end.

Weight: 7lb 2oz

The Mario Martin Deluxe padded gigbag is included.

Specifications

Model: Honcho

Body: Swamp Ash

Neck: ¼ Sawn Maple / Rosewood

Nut Material: Bone

Nut Width: 1.65”

Fret Size: 6125

Fingerboard Radius: 9.5”-12”

Neck Shape: Soft V

Top/Side Dots: Clay

Strings: String Joy Balanced Light

Tuners: Staggered Vintage Style

Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment

Pickups: Fralin Honcho Set

Finish: Nitrocellulose

Body Color: Coke Bottle Green Flake / Relic

Neck Color: Gloss w/ Vintage Tint

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

Total Weight of Guitar: 7lb 2oz