Tradition MTL 750

The MTL 750 is Traditions answer to the large body (17" lower bout, 3 3/4" body thickness) Jazz guitar. The top is laminated spruce, back and sides are laminated flame maple. Florentine cutaway. All gold hardware. My guitar is finished in a beautiful tobacco sunburst. (I have played an all natural version of this guitar that was equally visually stunning!) (As on all Tradition guitars, the "F" holes are more stylized "T" holes. The position markers are also stylized "T"s.) 20 fret neck. 1 11/16'' at the nut. The neck on this guitar (as on my Tradition SP 1) is flawless. Very flat, rosewood, medium frets that are well seated and filed. An absolute joy to play! Tuners are nameless, but perform well. Electronics are: 2 - Tradition Gold humbucking pickups, two volume knobs, two tone knobs, and standard three way switch. Tune-o-matic bridge and trapeze tailpiece.

I play predominately solo fingerstyle guitar. I am currently playing this guitar through a number of different amplifiers, including a pair of Roland Cube 30's in stereo, a Polytone Maxi Brute, a Mesa Boogie Studio Caliber DC 2, and a Fender Acoustasonic SFX. This guitar sounds great, although obviously different, through all of them.

I would say that this is one of the most balanced archtop guitars that I have ever played. I use it to play jazz chord melody, open tuned guitar pieces, classical pieces, and even Chet type tunes. (I own a number of other archtop guitars as well, including a Gibson ES 125, Guild CE 100, Gretsch Single Anniversary, and Cort Joe Beck Model. This is certainly the most versatile of the group.) As other have noted, the pickups on Tradition guitars really are exceptional.

This is the second Tradition guitar that I have purchased. The quality on both of these guitars have been very high, with no flaws to speak of.

I purchased this guitar from Mc Vay Music in Cranberry Township PA. Bill Paganie, the owner, does all of the set-up work on the instruments. This guitar was set-up perfectly prior to my purchasing it.

Seems very solidly built. No concerns about live applications.

Never dealt with Tradition, but have heard good things about them.

I have been playing guitar for 35 years. I currently own 30 guitars, a habit that I picked up from my father who is a fine player and collector, with over 70 instruments. The Tradition SP 1 guitar (see my review on this guitar also) that I purchased has become one of my primary live playing instruments. I am looking forward to using the MTL 750 in similar applications. It really is a well made, great sounding instrument.

I would also like to thank Bill Paganie at Mc Vay Music for having the patience to allow me to constantly wander through his store to play the wide range of Tradition guitars that he stocks. I would highly recommend contacting Bill if you have any questions about these instruments.