Martin introduces the 2016 Limited Edition Cowboy Guitar, featuring cowboy themed artwork by William Matthews.
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William Matthews is an artist known for his watercolor artworks that feature working cowboys from the great ranches of the American West. As such, his works match the Cowboy Guitar theme from Martin Custom Shop, resulting in a premium instrument that doubles as an art piece.
Although the press release says that this guitar is a limited edition instrument, there has already been a number of Cowboy guitars released, so it’s not a rare piece per se. Many who bit the bullet on the first release thought that they are getting an exclusive one-of series, but Martin eventually released other versions of the instrument, including this one. Still, the label limited edition is justifiable because the artwork for this version is only be available for this year.
While I’m not really a fan of the painting on a premium solid sitka spruce top, there are those who appreciate these types of artistic endeavors. To be fair, I find the guitar shape quite cool, especially since it has parlor guitar elements that include the smaller body, 12 fret neck joint and slotted headstock.
As mentioned, the top is crafted from solid sitka spruce, which also serves as a canvass for William Matthews’ cowboy artwork. Note that this top goes through Martin’s VTS (Vintage Tone System) which is their version of precisely heating wood to give it the feel and appearance of age. The back and sides are crafted from mahogany following traditional guitar builds.
The neck is also crafted from mahogany and topped by an ebony fingerboard. It has total of 20 frets, with a nut width of 1.75″ and scale length of 25.4″. It follows a modified low oval shape with standard taper. Abalone inlays serve as fret markers, while the heel cap i crafted from grained ivoroid. The slotted headstock has a custom inlay that matches the old school cowboy theme of the instrument.
Other features include slotted headstock, ebony bridge, abalone inlays, relic nickel side mounted tuners, bone nut and compensated bone saddle. Registered owners of the 2016 LE Cowboy Guitar will also receive a special package including a copy of Matthew’s hardcover book, “Working the West” and a feature length DVD called “Drawn to Paint”.
William Matthews concludes, “It is such an honor to collaborate once again with Martin Guitar on the LE Cowboy Guitar, 2016 Edition. Tapaderos are the stirrup covers of a Spanish saddle, and are symbolic of the rich Buckaroo culture of the Great Basin in Nevada, where I have painted for many years. I feel that the painting and headstock inlay design perfectly enhance the craftsmanship of Martin’s Custom Shop. I am very proud of this partnership and I know this guitar will be appreciated by guitar enthusiasts everywhere.“
The new 2016 LE Cowboy Guitar is only available for those who order within the 2016 calendar year, with an MSRP of $4,999. For further details, you can head over to Martin Guitars.
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