REVIEW > MARIO GUITARS
MARIO GUITARS
SERPENTINE 2
BY CHARLES SAUFLEY
Paulownia body
Anyone who says there aren’t any new moves left to put in Leo Fender’s solidbody electric concept hasn’t played a Mario
guitar. Based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee,
Mario Guitars is run by Mario Martin, who
worked in the Fender Custom Shop for five
years and knows what makes a good T-,
S-, or J-style guitar tick. Indeed, Martin’s
guitars are some of the snappiest-sounding,
smoothest-playing solidbodies you could
hope to encounter.
With the Serpentine, which debuted as
a single-pickup guitar at Summer NAMM
152 PREMIER GUITAR FEBRUARY 2012
T-style bridge with
compensated
brass saddles
2010, Martin revealed his willingness to
dabble with some less-explored Fender-style
design templates, combined with tonewood
and pickup configurations that resulted in
a unique sonic signature. The newest two-pickup version, the Serpentine 2 is Martin’s
most complete realization of the design, and
the sounds you can extract from the hyper-light, super-playable, and sweet-sounding
guitar can range from beautifully familiar
to revelatory—and just might change the
way you see and hear the potential in short-scale, Fender-style solidbodies.
TV Jones
Power’Tron
pickups
Featherweight Frequencies
While the Serpentine’s body profile differs subtly, it’s clearly inspired by Fender’s
Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic student models
on which about a gazillion aspiring rockers
cut their teeth in the late ’50s, early ’60s, and
beyond. It’s a pleasing, well-proportioned
shape that looks as sharp as a little hot rod in
candy apple red. Another nice touch is the
pickguard that extends along the upper bout
in the fashion of an early Precision bass.
One of the most important—and
perceptible—differences between the
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