Martin Stephen Stills D-45SS Signature Edition Guitar
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July 10, 1998In honor of his stellar career and his passion for Martin guitars, C. F. Martin & Company is pleased to announce the D-45SS Stephen Stills Signature Edition. As one of rock music's pre-eminant singer/songwriter/guitar players, Stephen Stills has been one of most loyal fans of Martin guitars throughout his extraordinary career. In 1997, Stills became the only artist ever inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the same day (once with Buffalo Springfield and again as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash). Whether performing with Buffalo Springfield ("For What It's Worth") with Crosby and Nash ("Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"), or as a solo artist ("Love The One Your With"), Stills played his Martins. Just 91 of the D-45SS Signature Edition Martin guitars will be offered for sale. "Ninety-one" is the number of original D-45 guitars produced in the pre-WW2 era between 1933 and 1942.
Stills, who owns a dozen vintage Martins, bought his first Martin, a vintage herringbone D-28, with money he earned as a coffee house performer. The guitar, used on most of the Buffalo Springfield and early CS&N recordings, was joined by a 1939 D-45, purchased as soon as CS&N signed their first record deal. The Limited Edition D-45SS Stephen Stills Signature Model Martin Guitar is a replica of Stills' now priceless D-45.
"They're works of art," stated Stills about his Martins. "They're the Stradivarius of American musical instruments. The best Martins that I've heard -- with dense Brazilian rosewood and cross grain ripple to the top, lightly braced - - sound better than anything else ever made. There's an artisanship in them that just can't be replaced...The craftsmanship, and the handmade-ness of things, you can tell the love and care the guys put into those things...You can really feel someone's spirit in them." - Martin Guitars by Jim Washburn and Richard Johnston
A 14-fret dreadnought, the top of the D-45SS Signature Model is bookmatched from European Alpine spruce. Selected strips of highly colored abalone pearl adorn the perimeter of the top, the soundhole rosette, the tongue of the fingerboard, back, sides, end piece and neck joint. The fingerboard of the D-45SS will be offered in two options: with the Style 45 Snowflake fingerboard pattern or with the Style 45 Hexagon inlay pattern. Stephen Stills' artistic signature is inlaid in the last frets of the fingerboard. The sides and back are crafted from rare pre-CITES Brazilian rosewood. The top bracing pattern is 5/16" forward shifted scalloped X-bracing and the sides are reinforced with antique linen cloth strips, one of the many features derived from vintage Martin instruments of the pre-World War II era.
One striking aspect of this guitar is the pickguard, which is shaped from tortoise colored material and inlaid in abalone with the six stars of the Southern Cross. The Southern Cross is a constellation well known to the sailors of the southern seas of Australia and New Zealand, and the title of one of Crosby, Stills and Nash's more recent hit songs.
An interior label inside each of the instruments in the edition will be personally signed by Stephen Stills and C.F. Martin, IV, and individually numbered in sequence with total (i.e. #1 of 91, #2 of 91, etc.). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each of the D-45SS Signature models will be donated to The Stephen Stills Project of The Tides Center Foundation, a San Francisco based charity that focuses on environmental and social justice issues.
Martin Guitar dealers will take orders for the D-45SS Stephen Stills Signature Model immediately. Due to heavy demand for Martin instruments, this edition will not appear in stores until the early months of 1999. As with all Martin guitars, the construction process takes both time and expertise. The Martin Guitar company dates back to the 1830s when Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. moved to the United States from Europe. The guitar shop he set up over 160 years ago has been continuously family owned and operated. Current Chairman and CEO Chris Martin, IV, is the sixth generation Martin to head this venerable company. For more information, visit their web site at www.mguitar.com. |
