This week, Martin Guitar is set to unveil loads of new products at the 2010 NAMM Show and GuitarSite gives you the details!
THE D-18 DEL MCCOURY 50th ANNIVERSARY CUSTOM EDITION
“True to its inspiration, the Martin D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition features exceptional premium tonewoods. The Adirondack spruce top and scalloped braces are crafted with early ‘40s era placement, to produce a powerful, balanced tone. Back and sides are genuine mahogany, which imparts midrange “punch” and clarity. The genuine mahogany neck features a rounded, full thickness “V” profile and 1930s style heel.
The body appointments are pure, traditional Style 18: classic Old Style 18 rosette, Style 18 five-element black/white fine line top purfling, Delmar tortoise-brown top, side and back binding, Delmar tortoise-brown end piece, Style 18 back strip, and classic beveled and polished Delmar tortoise color pickguard. Only time can produce the rich patina of the top on Del’s ‘47, but aging toner gives the D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition a good start in that direction. The neck’s polished headplate is Madagascar rosewood and the Golden Era® C.F. Martin decal and nickel Waverly™ tuners with oval buttons closely replicate the vintage original. The unbound black ebony fingerboard features Old Style 18 abalone pearl position markers and is matched by the black ebony heelcap. The belly bridge likewise is black ebony. Both the vintage-style angled nut and compensated saddle are crafted from genuine bone. Ebony bridge pins and end pin are topped with abalone pearl dot inlays.”
THE M-30 JORMA KAUKONEN CUSTOM ARTIST EDITION
One can appreciate Jorma’s selection of Martin’s M body style (jumbo width, 000 depth and 25.4” scale) for his Custom Artist Edition; it handles everything from fingerpicking to flatpicking with ease. The M-30 Jorma Kaukonen Custom Artist Edition features a top of rare Italian Alpine Spruce and forward-shifted scalloped braces for full, saturated tone and impressive dynamic range. The top is paired with East Indian rosewood back and sides for rich, warm bass and strong projection, with an enlarged soundhole for enhanced midrange and treble response.
The Modified V neck with diamond volute is carved from genuine mahogany. “As much as I love my Bromberg, my aging hands need a somewhat wider neck. This works beautifully for my style of playing.”
In complement to its unique design, the Martin M-30 Jorma Kaukonen Custom Artist Edition showcases handsome vintage Style 30 appointments, the first time they have been used with the M body style and only the second time they have appeared on a modern Martin. A Style 45 rosette in select abalone pearl (with the inner ring eliminated) encircles the large soundhole and a vintage-inspired polished and beveled Delmar tortoise-color pickguard protects the top.
The polished East Indian rosewood headplate frames an abalone pearl version of the familiar “C. F. Martin” logo, which arches over a slightly modified Martin “torch” inlay, also in abalone pearl. Nickel Waverly tuners with oval ivoroid buttons complete the headstock. The African black ebony fingerboard features rare Maltese “diamond and squares” position markers in abalone pearl, with a Maltese cross at the 3rd fret, two diamonds at the 5th fret, a square at the 7th fret, two diamonds at the 9th fret, a square flanked by cats eyes at the 12th fret and a cats eye at the 15th fret, and culminating in his “Jorma” signature – no last name needed here – inlaid between the 19th and 20th frets. Both the headstock and fingerboard are bound in grained ivoroid, and inset with mitered black/white fine line inlays. Black/white fine line inlays also accent the grained ivoroid heel cap and end piece.”
LAURENCE JUBER’S NEW OMC-LJ PRO CUSTOM ARTIST EDITION
'Impressive tone and understated elegance of the OMC-LJ Pro Laurence Juber Custom Artist Edition features a graceful rounded cutaway, and scalloped Adirondack spruce top braces to assure impressive resonance and dynamic range. The Adirondack spruce top, providing the full bottom associated with vintage Martin tone, combined with flamed big leaf maple back and sides, the bass is much more defined and the midrange more prominent and complex. Deftly accented by a Style 28 wood fiber rosette, fine herringbone top inlay, fine black/white wood fiber back inlay, HD-style zigzag center strip purfling, and grained ivoroid binding. The grained ivoroid endpiece is framed by fine black/white wood fiber inlay. The ebony belly bridge is fitted with a compensated saddle
The two-piece maple neck, like that on many archtop guitars, contributes generous sustain and features a “Modified V” profile and a diamond volute at the base of the headstock. The handsome black ebony headplate bears the classic Old Style gold “C.F. Martin & Co.” decal and nickel Waverly tuners with butterbean knobs. The ebony fingerboard is unadorned – with no position markers. A grained ivoroid heelcap and chrome strap button complete the neck. In the fingerstyle guitar tradition, this Custom Artist does not have a pickguard. Aging toner on the body and neck, and Martin’s polished lacquer finish give this guitar unique, vintage-style patina.'
000C-MR STEVE MILLER CUSTOM ARTIST EDITION
Why a red guitar? “I’ve always been bothered by the need to have blemish-free, ‘perfect’ looking spruce for guitar tops,” Miller commented. “It seems wasteful and I’ve found some of the less perfect-looking wood sounds better than perfect, fine-grained spruce. With that thought in mind I wanted to choose a color for this guitar that would mellow with age and become truly beautiful to look at and play, and that color is blood red.”
The 000C-MR Steve Miller Custom Artist Edition’s stylish appointments look spectacular against its deep red hue. A Style 45 rosette with a center ring of select abalone pearl is matched by a colorful Style 45 wood mosaic back strip. Intricate multi-layered black/white fine line purfling encircles the top and black/white/black fine line purfling accents the sides and back: all are protected by grained ivoroid binding.
The Modified Low Oval two-piece maple neck is topped by a polished ebony headplate that features the exquisite and rarely offered “alternative” torch inlay from 1902 that has been featured on every Steve Miller guitar, and nickel Gotoh open-back tuners. The fingerboard also is ebony and is absolutely plain – without position markers or a signature. Both headstock and fingerboard are bound in grained ivoroid, and elegantly accented by mitered black/white fine line inlays.
THE LX JIMMY BUFFETT
As Buffett recently pointed out, the one namesake guitar Martin hadn’t yet built for him was a “beach” guitar; a small, sturdy guitar to play at beach with friends and one that would bring that fun, carefree “beach” spirit wherever it went. So under Jimmy’s guidance – Martin Guitar is pleased to introduce the LX Jimmy Buffett.
The Martin LX Jimmy Buffett guitar features the same “go everywhere” design and materials as the popular and fine sounding LXM “Little Martin;” a modified 0 14-fret shape and short 23-inch scale, with an HPL body matched to Sitka spruce top bracing, a modified low oval Stratabond neck, tropical hardwood fingerboard and Micarta belly bridge. The LX Jimmy Buffett is fitted with chrome tuners, a Corian nut and a compensated Tusq saddle.
It truly is the eye-catching appointments that give the Martin LX Jimmy Buffett beach credentials. Koa Wood-pattern back and sides are reminiscent of Martin’s early Hawaiian guitars and ukuleles. With graphic artwork created by artist/designer and Jimmy Buffett’s friend Dan Rizzie, the top’s handsome dark brown-to-light bronze sunburst silhouettes a tropical island waterfront scene of palm trees, gentle swells, a moored sailboat and a seaplane heading home at sunset. On the headstock, the black headplate highlights the familiar “C.F. Martin” logo, the windswept palm logo (similarly used on the two Jimmy Buffett Signature Edition guitars) and a reproduction of Jimmy Buffett’s signature.
THE OXK UKULELE (No Picture)
'Martin has long been renowned for its ukuleles, but this is the first uke we've offered in the X-Series. The Soprano-size body is fashioned from HPL (high pressure wood laminate) in a Koa-like finish as is the one-piece top. Features include Sitka spruce bracing, Mahogany end blocks and bridgeplate, cedar ribbons, Morado bridge, bone nut and saddle, Grover tuning machines and a new dove tail joint similar to that used in traditional Martin uke construction. With its strong Stratabond neck and durable HPL body, the OXK-Uke is perfect for moonlight serenading on the beach. Comes with a handy carrying bag, too. Aloha.'
THE X SERIES “ORIGINS” DREADNOUGHT
Martin Guitar has introduced a unique X Series Dreadnought paying homage to the heart and soul of the Martin company – the skilled craftsmen who meticulously build the world-famous Martin guitar. You may recognize some of them if you have ever taken our factory tour. They are: Gregory Dillard (top left), Joel Toth (center left, hands only), Larry Fehnel (bottom left), Joe Silvius (top right), George Savercool (center right), Karen Kuntzman (bottom right). Their combined experience totals over 118 years. The artwork, created by Chris Martin’s cousin and artist extraordinaire, Robert Goetzl, is carefully imbedded into the HPL material of the guitar top, closely replicating Goetzl’s original hand-painted watercolor. The guitar, by the way, sounds as beautiful as the painting looks.
For more information please visit www.martinguitar.com
This has been derived from Press Releases
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