New Martin Guitars at Summer NAMM 2006

Press release
Source: The Lippin Group

HD-35 Nancy Wilson “Heart” Signature Edition (photo)
After more than 30 years as guitarist, songwriter and singer for Heart, Nancy Wilson knows fine acoustic guitars. Much of the credit for the beauty and tone of the Martin HD-35 Nancy Wilson Signature Edition guitar goes to Wilson herself, who collaborated closely with Martin on the design. A rare combination of premium solid tonewoods gives the HD-35 Nancy Wilson Signature Edition distinctive tonal character. The top of beautiful Engelmann spruce – a tree that grows in the Northwest, where Heart got its start – combines with forward-shifted scalloped braces for full, powerful tone. The sides and the three-piece back wings are East Indian rosewood, while the center wedge is “heart” bubinga, a beautiful and unusually hard African tonewood that provides outstanding projection.

A Pisces fish Yin Yang design is inlaid in rare pink heart abalone, mother of pearl and red composite beneath the Old Style “C.F. Martin” decal on the polished black ebony headplate, and a winged heart insignia in red composite and mother of pearl at the 12th fret honors Wilson’s band. Small abalone dot markers at the other positions lead to Nancy Wilson’s signature in mother of pearl between the 19th and 20th frets.

The big sound of Nancy Wilson’s namesake dreadnought comes from her being an acoustic player in a rock and roll world. Nancy began playing in folk-rock groups with her sister Ann while still in junior high. After playing solo at coffee houses during college, she rejoined Ann as a member of Heart and helped create its signature electric/acoustic sound. Heart’s 1976 debut album, “Dreamboat Annie,” yielded a hit single in the title song, and the band proved both a consistent hit maker and a role model for women in rock.

Delivered in a vintage-inspired Geib™ style, each Martin HD-35 Nancy Wilson Signature Edition guitar bears an interior label personally signed by Nancy Wilson and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin, IV, numbered in sequence with the total number of guitars in the edition. www.martinguitar.com.

JC Buddy Guy Blues Signature Edition (photo)
Buddy Guy is a musician’s musician. Not only has he had a fundamental impact on the blues and on rock and roll, but he’s influenced new generations of artists. Known for his showmanship, playing guitar with drumsticks, walking into the audience while performing, picking the guitar with his teeth and playing it over his head (influencing a young Jimi Hendrix), Guy performed flamboyant live concerts, predating the 1960s blues rockers.

In addition to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Buddy has received five Grammy awards, 23 W.C. Handy Awards (more than any other blues artist), Billboard Magazine's prestigious Century Award, the title Greatest Living Electric Blues Guitarist, and the Congressional Medal of Arts awarded by the President. Still, when it came to creating a Martin Signature Edition with his name on it, Buddy Guy showed himself to be anything but traditionalist. The JC Buddy Guy Blues Guitar may well be the most distinctive Signature Edition Martin ever.

The JC Buddy Guy Blues Guitar combines Martin’s J (jumbo) body style with a cutaway for big sound and easy access to the upper frets. The guitar features an Adirondack spruce top; the sides and three-piece back are richly colored East Indian rosewood. The low profile neck is carved from genuine mahogany. But it is the appointments that really set the JC Buddy Guy Blues Guitar apart. Buddy likes polka dots on his guitars and polka dots he got. The unique rosette features a ring of turquoise composite dots. Turquoise composite dot inlays also accent the black ebony belly bridge and the ebony bridge pins. The black ebony fingerboard provides the palette for a random “splash” of turquoise composite polka dots. Buddy Guy’s “BG” initials serve as the position marker at the 12th fret. The black ebony headplate showcases the block letter “C.F. Martin” logo, also inlaid in turquoise composite.

The JC Buddy Guy Blues Guitar is factory-equipped with Fishman VT electronics. To simplify “on the fly” adjustments in the tradition of electric blues, the volume and tone knobs are mounted on the top, just below the bridge and the polished and beveled black pickguard. Buddy Guy is as unique as the Martin guitar that bears his name. Delivered in a Geib™ style hardshell case, each Martin JC Buddy Guy Blues Guitar bears an interior label individually signed by Buddy Guy and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin. IV and numbered in sequence with the edition total.

M-42 David Bromberg (photo)
After several years away, David Bromberg is back making American music, to delight both those who have loved him since the 1970s and those who are just discovering his unique brand of magic. Famed for his inimitable mix of blues, jazz, western swing, Dixieland, Cajun, bluegrass, and genres in between and beyond, Bromberg’s singular playing and witty stage presence remain as brilliant as ever.

To guitar aficionados, David Bromberg also is known for his unusually modified Martin guitar, an instrument that became so famous Martin created a new size flattop - the M (or 0000) - in 1977. Tonally powerful, balanced and well-defined, the Martin M went on to become a favorite among folk and studio musicians. To honor David Bromberg’s musical contributions and his influential guitar, C.F. Martin is proud to introduce the M-42 David Bromberg Signature Edition.

In keeping with the archtop features on Bromberg’s original guitar, the M-42 David Bromberg Signature Edition features solid premium tonewoods throughout: a top of rare – especially in this width - Italian alpine spruce with back and sides of East Indian rosewood, a low-profile neck of genuine mahogany, and fingerboard and bridge of African black ebony. The guitar is finished in polished gloss lacquer, with aging toner on the top to enhance the vintage vibe. The M-42 David Bromberg Signature Edition’s East Indian rosewood headplate bears a 1930s style “C.F. Martin” block letter inlay in abalone pearl. David Bromberg’s signature is inlaid between the 19th and 20th frets.

Delivered in a vintage-inspired Geib™ style case, each M-42 David Bromberg Signature Edition guitar bears an interior label personally signed by David Bromberg and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin, IV and numbered in sequence together with the edition total. Left handed instruments may be ordered for no additional charge and factory-installed electronics are an extra-cost option.

D-42 Peter Frampton “Frampton’s Camel” Signature Edition (photo)
Martin booth appearance Friday, July 14th from 11:00am – 1:00pm #2402
Peter Frampton, one of popular culture’s most enduring and talented personalities, wrote and recorded his legendary “Frampton’s Camel” album with his Martin D-45. Subsequently, the instrument was stolen. Now, Martin is creating a new Martin for Peter, while simultaneously paying tribute to his talent and influence, with the introduction of the D-42 Peter Frampton “Frampton’s Camel” Signature Edition.

Peter Frampton’s spectacular career is marked by his role as co-founder of the incendiary band Humble Pie, the unprecedented success of his live solo milestone Frampton Comes Alive, guest appearances on albums by David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, the George Harrison masterpiece All Things Must Pass, and countless sold-out concerts around the world. Peter’s Martin guitar features an Adirondack Spruce top, two-piece back and sides of East Indian Rosewood, and a low profile genuine Mahogany neck. The solid, square, tapered headstock features an ebony headplate with a camel inlay in mother of pearl beneath the old style Martin decal logo.

Each D-42 Peter Frampton “Frampton’s Camel” Signature Edition guitar comes with a Geib™ style hardshell case and bears an interior label personally signed by Peter Frampton and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, numbered in sequence together with the edition total. Left handed instruments may be ordered for no additional charge and factory-installed electronics are an extra-cost option.

000-40S Mark Knopfler “Ragpicker’s Dream” Signature Edition (photo)
Most musicians who participate in Martin’s Signature Edition program consider their personal Signature Edition guitar a prized possession. For Mark Knopfler, it became much more: his muse.

When C.F. Martin introduced the HD-40MK Mark Knopfler Signature Edition back in 2001, the sound of the instrument he took home inspired a burst of songwriting. All the songs on “The Ragpicker’s Dream,” his well-received, mostly acoustic 2002 album, were written on that guitar, as were several songs on 2004s “Shangri-La” and his new album with Emmylou Harris, “All the Roadrunning.”

Seeking fresh inspiration, Mark asked C.F. Martin to undertake a second collaboration; a guitar with many of the same appointments as his original Signature Edition, but one designed for his incredible fingerstyle playing. The fruit of this new collaboration is the 000-40S Mark Knopfler “Ragpicker’s Dream” Signature Edition, a fingerstyle dream that even strummers will love.

For this new Signature Edition, Mark selected Martin’s traditional 000 12-fret body style with the long 25.4-inch scale, considered by many to be among the most beautiful and best sounding designs Martin ever made. Many of the elements that make the Martin 000 12-fret guitars from the late 1920s so prized are here. In ornamentation and premium solid tonewoods, the new Mark Knopfler Signature Edition 000 bears a striking resemblance to his Signature Edition dreadnought. The body combines a top of rare Italian alpine spruce (the same wood used by Antonio Stradivari) with back and sides of beautiful East Indian rosewood. The neck is carved from genuine mahogany, while the fingerboard and bridge are crafted from African black ebony. Both body and neck are protected by Martin’s beautiful polished gloss lacquer finish. Mark Knopfler’s signature is inlaid in mother of pearl between the 18th and 20th frets.

The 000-40S Mark Knopfler “Ragpicker’s Dream” Signature Edition is delivered in a Geib™ style Vintage Series hardshell case with plush Cabernet interior. Left-handed instruments may be ordered without additional charge: factory-installed electronics also are available. Each 000-40S Mark Knopfler “Ragpicker’s Dream” Signature Edition bears an interior label personally signed by Mark Knopfler and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin, IV and numbered in sequence with the edition total, as well as a special “Ragpicker’s Dream” designation laser-etched on the neck block.

D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative (photo)
When he died on September 12, 2003 at age 71, Johnny Cash passed from icon to legend. In a singular career that spanned six decades, more than 1,500 songs, 48 hit singles and 11 Grammy awards, the “Man in Black” showed unique power and passion in his music. Even today, with the success of the movie “Walk the Line,” the musical “Ring of Fire” on Broadway and the huge success of the five albums he recorded in the last decade of his life, it is clear Johnny Cash matters, and no artist could wish for a better legacy.

C.F. Martin produced a total of 80 black D-42JC Johnny Cash Signature Model guitars in 1997, #1 of which Cash played for the rest of his life, except for a short period when it went back to Nazareth for repairs after an onstage mishap. But for years prior to the arrival of his D-42JC, Johnny Cash’s favorite Martin was a D-35 Custom, his – and Martin’s - first with an original polished black finish. It was this guitar that Cash played on stage for nearly 20 years. Now Martin pays tribute to Johnny Cash with a close facsimile of that instrument: the D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative.

The D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative’s polished black gloss lacquer finish allows its appointments to shine. Because it’s a Martin, the D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative sounds as good as it looks. Combining an Engelmann spruce top with back and sides of East Indian rosewood add warmth and projection. The neck is carved from genuine mahogany and a polished and beveled black - of course - pickguard protects the top. Johnny Cash’s signature in pearl appears between the 19th and 20th frets.

This black guitar deserves a black case, specifically a Geib™ style case with special black hardware and a black interior. The D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative may be ordered as a left-handed instrument at no additional charge: factory-installed electronics are optional. The D-35 Johnny Cash Commemorative guitar comes with a special interior label in tribute to the “Man in Black,” each personally signed by Cash’s son, John Carter Cash and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence. www.martinguitar.com

CUSTOM ARTIST EDITIONS:

OMC-28M Laurence Juber Custom Artist Edition (Madagascar Rosewood) (photo)
Fingerstyle guitar wizard Laurence Juber has a knack for creating impressive namesake Martins. In 2002 he began his winning streak with the Laurence Juber OMC-18VLJ Signature Edition, a superb Adirondack spruce/mahogany cutaway OM that sold a respectable 133 instruments. He came back in 2004 with two OMC-28 Laurence Juber Signature Editions: The OMC-28 Laurence Juber in Indian rosewood yielded an edition of – coincidentally – 133 guitars, while the very limited OMC-28B Laurence Juber, in rare Brazilian rosewood, sold all 50 guitars offered and became one of the most coveted Martins of recent years.

Now he returns with yet another winner: the Martin OMC-28M Laurence Juber Custom Edition. Following in the tradition of its predecessors, the new guitar features classic OM appointments, a smooth Venetian cutaway and a focused, resonant Adirondack spruce top with scalloped Adirondack spruce braces, but this time matches them to a back and sides of beautiful Madagascar rosewood.

In appointments, the OMC-28M Laurence Juber Custom Edition continues the vintage elements that made the OMC-28 Laurence Jubers such hits. The modified V-shape neck of genuine mahogany is carved with a 1930s-style diamond volute and solid square tapered headstock. The polished headplate of Madagascar rosewood sports the tradition gold foil C.F. Martin decal as well as Waverly nickel plated open geared tuners with “old style” nickel butterbean knobs.

Martin’s famous flawless gloss lacquer finish protects the body and neck, accented by aging toner on the top to enhance the OMC-28M’s vintage style. In keeping with Laurence Juber’s fingerstyle playing, no pickguard sullies its beautiful face. The OMC-28M Laurence Juber Signature Edition may be ordered with a sunburst finish and factory electronics as extra-cost options: Left-handed instruments are available by special order at no additional cost. Delivered in a vintage-inspired Geib™ style hardshell case, each Martin OMC-28M Laurence Juber Signature Edition guitar bears an interior label personally signed by Laurence Juber and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence.

HD Elliot Easton Custom Artist Edition (photo)
Anyone who has heard Elliot Easton’s inventive hooks, imaginative arrangements and melodic solos knows he is a gifted guitarist with impeccable taste and tone. Easton established his reputation as lead guitarist for The Cars, one of the world’s most popular bands of the late 1970s and 1980s, but his playing over the years has demonstrated an impressive stylistic range. He also is among the most recognizable left-handed guitarists playing today.

Like many electric guitarists, Easton has an acoustic side that doesn’t get a lot of exposure. That acoustic side has been expressed almost exclusively on a Martin (his guitar collection includes several) which he primarily uses for songwriting and studio work, but also occasionally takes on stage. So when he and C. F. Martin collaborated on a custom edition guitar that would bear his name, Easton proved ready for the challenge and very definite about how “his” guitar would sound and look.

Easton asked Martin to build his dream guitar: dreadnought body, Adirondack spruce top, scalloped Adirondack spruce braces, rare quilted mahogany back and sides, fine herringbone trim around the top and rosette, modified “V” neck with diamond volute, gold Waverly™ tuners with butterbean knobs, ebony bridge and fingerboard, long pattern “diamonds & squares” position markers, the “Old Style” Martin decal on the headplate and polished gloss lacquer finish throughout. He also wanted the guitar with “stage ready” electronics, so as requested, the Fishman Ellipse Aura™ system (release date of August 2006) will be available as a factory-installed option. Mounted inside the soundhole, it eliminates the need to cut into the side of the guitar and allows the instrument to retain all of its aesthetic charm.

The HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition may be ordered as a left-handed or right-handed instrument with no additional charge. Packed in a vintage-inspired Geib™-style case, each Martin HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition guitar bears an interior label individually signed by Elliot Easton and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence. The HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition is open-ended and authorized C.F. Martin dealers have already begun accepting orders. www.martinguitar.com

00-18H Geoff Muldaur Custom Artist Edition (photo)
Geoff Muldaur ranks as one of the great musical forces to emerge from the folk, blues and traditional music revival of the 1960s. In addition to his one-of-a-kind voice, his encyclopedic knowledge of American music, immaculate guitar playing, and impressive songs and arrangements have captivated two generations. Perhaps most exciting of all, his recent musical forays are among the most inventive of his career.

For several years, Geoff’s guitar of choice has been a 1930s Martin 00 12-fret, one originally made for Hawaiian playing (with a raised nut and flush frets) and later converted to standard configuration. C.F. Martin is pleased to honor Geoff Muldaur by updating this elegant design, considered by many to be among the best sounding Martins ever made. The Martin 00-18H Geoff Muldaur Custom Edition takes the elements that make the originals such classics and adds some very tasty touches. The result is a modern classic, like the man it honors.

The Custom Edition features superb tonewoods and premium appointments throughout. The top of prized Adirondack spruce, the back and sides are crafted from genuine mahogany; the genuine mahogany neck is a traditional - but an untraditional and very comfortable low profile shape. While set-up for standard playing, this guitar showcases many of the appointments of the original Hawaiian model that inspired it. A spectacular soft sunburst graces the top, like the original, the 00-18H Geoff Muldaur Custom is a short (24.9”) scale instrument, allowing easy fretting and easy “reach” for difficult chords. The headstock features tapered square slots and the back of the headstock bears the original “C.F Martin & Co., Nazareth, PA” pressure stamp.

Each 00-18H Geoff Muldaur Custom Edition guitar bears an interior label personally signed by Geoff Muldaur and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence. www.martinguitar.com

NAMM SHOW SPECIAL:

OM-42 Flamed Mahogany (Dealer must be at show to order) (photo)
In addition to the Quilted Mahogany, Koa and Amazon Rosewood editions, Martin Guitar now introduces the OM-42 Flamed Mahogany. The guitar features an Adirondack top, a two-piece solid flamed mahogany back, an ebony headplate on the solid diamond volute square tapered headstock, a genuine mahogany low-profile neck with a Vine of Harmonics design inlaid in the ebony fingerboard. Each OM-42 Flamed Mahogany guitar bears an interior label personally signed by Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence totaling 30 guitars.

X SERIES:

OMCXK2E (photo)
Martins’ new 000-14 Fret Cutaway features a top, back and sides of Koa wood pattern HPL with factory installed Fishman Classic 4T electronics, which includes a chromatic tuner. Sitka spruce braces for the top and back, a modified low oval Stratabond neck, Morado fingerboard and bridge, a 1 ¾ inch nut (a first for the x-series), solid tapered headstock and printed C.F. Martin logo.

Cowboy V Limited Edition (photo)
The new Martin Cowboy guitar is here, the fifth in the series of Martin’s unique Micarta guitars with the painted cowboy scene. The Cowboy Limited Edition series showcases original western art by illustrator Robert Armstrong on sturdy HPL (high pressure laminate) Martin guitars that sound as good as they look. The Cowboy V Limited Edition’s colorful top features C.F. Martin Chairman Chris Martin, wife Diane Repyneck and young daughter Claire Francis Martin on horseback in a western landscape near sunset, with Chris serenading his wife and daughter on guitar while their trusty dog, Buddy, trots alongside. Although Chris Martin appears on previous Cowboy Limited Editions (he is the man with the branding iron on Cowboy IV), this is the first time the entire family has been portrayed.

Only 500 Martin Cowboy V Limited Edition guitars will be produced. Each will be delivered in padded gig bag and each will bear a special interior Cowboy V Limited Edition label that will be numbered in sequence with the edition total.

LXM Java Mahogany (photo)
The “Little Martin” X-series travel guitars - affordably priced, tonally viable, environmentally responsible, and compact. The latest LXM has all the same features as its wildly popular predecessor, but with a new rich and dark Java Mahogany finish!

The LXM combines a modified 0-14 fret tenor Martin shape, one panel back and sides are crafted from a Java Mahogany Pattern HPL with Sitka Spruce back bracing. The top is cut from Spruce Pattern HPL, adorned with a Herringbone decal rosette. The natural Stratabond modified low oval neck is adjustable and shaped for quick and comfortable playability. The neck to body joint is constructed with Martin’s patented neck mortise. Black Morado is utilized for both the bridge and fingerboard. The solid headstock is veneered with matching Java Mahogany Pattern HPL with an imprinted C. F. Martin script logo. Ping chrome enclosed tuning machines adorn the headstock. A true Martin original.

STANDARD SERIES:

D-45K Flamed Hawaiian Koa (photo)
The new Style 45 Martin guitar is a Sitka Spruce top, rosewood body Martin guitar that has been the flagship of the Martin guitar line since the early-1900s. This famed Martin D-45 is made with beautiful flamed Hawaiian Koa wood. A two-piece back and sides of highly flamed Koa, Sitka Spruce back braces, a genuine Mahogany low-profile neck. A solid diamond volute, square tapered headstock with an East Indian Rosewood headplate and a full gloss finish throughout.

DC-28E (photo)
Since 1931, the Martin D-28 has been standard by which all acoustic guitars are measured.. Striped ebony is used for the fingerboard and bridge. Additional features for the D-28 include solid spruce top, back and sides of solid East Indian rosewood, and a polished gloss finish. The DC-28E is highlighted with a cutaway and new factory installed Ellipse Aura electronics.

OMC-28E (photo)
The OM-28 was Martin's first model offered with a 14-fret neck, produced from 1929-1933, this guitar is widely considered as the original modern flat-top steel-string. Today, Martin offers this one-of-a-kind with a cutaway and factory installed Ellipse Aura electronics. Features include a solid rosewood 000 body, solid Sitka spruce top with scalloped bracing, white body binding, black pickguard, striped ebony bridge, a low profile neck, striped ebony fretboard, and Style 28 pearl dot inlays. Chrome tuning gears, white bridgepins with black dots, bone nut & TUSQ™ saddle with natural gloss finish.

For more information, please visit www.martinguitar.com.