Gator, your DR12-7 has the older 1970-79 logo: a pearl greek letter sigma ("sideways M") and the word "SIGMA" in gold, apparently. If so, it probably has a solid rosewood body and solid spruce face. At least all the 70's ones I've seen do, unless it's a 52S DR12-7. Great guitars, built like a tank and very resonant. Go way upstream in this thread to my short history of Sigma for more information.

    Jerry, is it solid rosewood? First, compare the grain pattern on the inside of the guitar with what appears at the same spot on the outside of the guitar. (It helps if the grain is pronounced or stripey.) If they're the same, it's solid woods (one piece).

    If the guitar has a traditonal endpin (not a screw-in strap button) on the butt end, carefully remove the endpin and you can look at the edge of the sidewood and the endpin hole. Very easy to tell if it's one solid piece or a layered laminate.

    To tell if a spruce face is solid, examine the soundhole edge nearest the bridge with a magnifying glass and a strong light. If it's solid, you can see the grain lines run all the way across the edge and disappear onto the underside of the face. If it's a laminate, the grain lines will not match across the edge or not even be visible. You will also be able to see the seam(s) between the layers.

    But the important thing is how the guitar sounds, not the construction details. Yes, as a very general rule, solid is better, but the very best sounding guitar I own has a solid rosewood body and a bi-layer spruce face. It's a hand-built from 1974, made by one of the original luthiers at what became Taylor Guitars, Bob Mossay. After listening to it, old Martins crawl off in a corner and sob uncontrollably...

    Yes, I have other guitars besides Sigma's: Yamakis, Daions, Harptones, G. J. Goulds, assorted Japanese made oddities, a couple of unidentifible guitars, two Harmony's, a pre-war Regal, a few Dobros, Kronbauer, and two of Ted Thompson's wonders, one banjo, and a partridge in a pear tree. I think know a good guitar when I hear it. And like people, they're all different.

    I just bought a Sigma DR-15 like the one described (above) by Bob Spradlin, on eBay (naturally). I just got it today and even with black and ancient strings, it sounds good. In virtually mint condition. It has the GenII logo, so it must be 1980-84, but the serial number is lower than Bob's 1978 model! That's the kind thing that drives ya crazy about Sigma's...

    I can hardly wait to get new strings, ebony pins, and a bone saddle made for it. Drool. Unlike Bob's, it doesn't have an abalone rosette, but does have the herringbone bindings and backstripe, pearl snowflake dots, solid body and solid face, and what looks to be a one-piece neck. It came with the original case which is wood covered in real leather.

    One really odd thing: it has modern sealed tuners (original, not replacements) but instead of cylindrical bodies and caps on the gear drives, they have hexagonal bodies and caps. Very strange. Never seen hexagonal tuners before anywhere.

    CLM, the "N" on the end of your DM-2 interests me. In the older Sigma's the "N" meant a model that was actually assembled in the Martin factory at Nazareth! Look inside on the neck end-block to see if there is anything stamped on it. I had (sold) a DR-35N that had a Martin logo there, with "Made in USA" and a 6-digit serial number. These older "N" models were re-labeled Shennandoahs.

    How'd I learn so much about Sigma's? The hard way. I've bought about 40 Sigma's on eBay. (Yes, 40; fix their problems, set them up, send them on their way again.) Er, some I kept -- too nice, or too much money invested. I also buy up old Sigma catalogs for information, and I scrounge the net for data, too. The really good (rare) Sigma's are possibly the most undervalued high-quality guitars around.



Sterling Webb