Martin Unveils New Limited Edition
July 10, 1998
C.F. Martin & Co., the world's oldest and finest guitarmaker, is proud to announce
new Limited Edition Guitars.
Stephen Stills D-45SS Signature Edition
In 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. Stills is the only artist ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice on the same day (with Buffalo Springfield and with Crosby, Stills & Nash). The Limited Edition D-45SS Signature Model is a replica of Stills' now priceless D-45, an instrument he purchased after CS&N signed their first record deal. Just 91 D-45SS Signature Edition guitars will be offered for sale. A 14-fret dreadnought, one striking aspect of this guitar is the tortoise colored pickguard inlaid in abalone with the five stars of the Southern Cross, a constellation well known to sailors of the South Pacific and the title of one of CS&N's hit songs. An interior label in each of the instruments will be personally signed by Stephen Stills and C.F. Martin, IV, and individually numbered in sequence.
Willie Nelson N-20WN "Trigger" Guitar
The Martin Guitar Company is honored to announce the N-20WN Limited Edition Signature Model guitar, a collaboration with country music hero Willie Nelson. Nelson, one of the most distinctive and popular musicians in the world, plays a unique Martin guitar known as "Trigger." The Limited Edition N-20WN is a replica of Nelson's beloved guitar, one of the most famous and recognizable in existence. C. F. Martin & Co. will make up to but not exceeding 100 Willie Nelson N-20WN Limited Edition Signature Models, offered in two configurations (up to 30 in rare Brazilian Rosewood and the remainder in East Indian rosewood). The scale of this unusual model is 25.4" and the fifth fret bears a Mother Of Pearl inlay image of the state of Texas with a "lone star" in the middle. "TRIGGER" is inlaid at the 12th fret. The guitars will be offered with a state-of-the-art pickup system custom fabricated by Fishman Transducers, Inc. Each guitar in this special edition will bear an interior label, numbered in sequence, and personally signed by Willie Nelson and C.F. Martin, IV, Martin's chairman and CEO.
Don McLean D-40DM "American Pie" Limited Edition Signature Model
Don McLean's legendary "American Pie" is one of the most famous songs of all time. In commemoration of the year in which "American Pie" was written, Martin is proud to present the D40DM Don McLean Limited Edition Signature Model, limited to no more than 71 instruments. In order to yield optimum tone, the top braces of this 14-fret Dreadnought have been scalloped and shifted forward to a position one inch from the soundhole. Other unique features are the innovative abalone pearl inlays on the genuine ebony fingerboard. Each of the hexagons has been routed with lettering, filled with crimson, and coated with a durable clear acrylic to reflect (literally) the images of the song, including "King" (on the 1st fret), "Queen" (3rd fret), "Jester" (5th fret), "Father" (7th fret), "Son" (9th fret), "Holy Ghost" (12th fret), "Jack Flash" (15th fret) and "American Pie" (17th fret). Don McLean's signature will be inlaid between the 19th and 20th frets. The interior label of each instrument includes Don McLean's hand colored "thumbs up" logo and each numbered label will be personally signed by Don McLean and C.F. Martin, IV.
Lester Flatt Commemorative D-28LF
The Martin Guitar Company is honored to announce the Limited Edition Lester Flatt D-28LF Commemorative Dreadnought acoustic guitar. Years ago, Lester Flatt, one of America's greatest bluegrass stars, gave his priceless and legendary Martin D-28 to a 14-year-old mandolin prodigy named Marty Stuart. The Limited Edition D-28LF Commemorative is a replica of Lester Flatt's original Brazilian rosewood Martin guitar (Serial #114855) made in 1950. A maximum of 50 limited edition instruments will be offered for sale worldwide. The unique inlays on the original Lester Flatt D-28 were done by Mike Longworth long before his illustrious career with The Martin Guitar Company. The "L*5" inlay at the 17th fret indicates "Longworth Professional Inlay Job #5." Flatt's first name is engraved in block letters into a Mother Of Pearl panel between the 14th and 15th frets. The Lester Flatt D-28LF Commemorative model includes an optional oversized tortoise colored pickguard, a pattern that appeared on virtually all of Lester Flat's Martin guitars. Each guitar in the limited edition will bear an interior label individually numbered in sequence and personally signed by C.F. Martin, IV.
OM-45 Deluxe with Golden Era(R) Edition
In 1930, C.F. Martin & Co. offered the OM-45 Deluxe. Just 14 of these instruments were originally made. Priced at $225, the Deluxe was the most expensive flat-top Martin guitar available at the time. Leonard Slye (aka Roy Rogers) played a Deluxe. These highly collectible vintage Martins serve as the inspiration for the Limited Edition OM-45 Deluxe Golden Era(R) Model. No more than 14 of these instruments will be made, with the construction following the original specifications as faithfully as possible. The Limited Edition OM-45 Deluxe Golden Era(R) model features an Adirondack spruce soundboard with matching braces, an abalone inlaid tortoise color "teardrop" pickguard (unique to this model), hand-engraved banjo tuners with genuine Mother-Of-Pearl buttons, and a replica of the old style 45 mosaic back inlay strip.
Martin Guitar dealers will begin to take orders for these limited edition guitars immediately, though, due to heavy demand for Martin instruments, these guitars will not begin to appear in stores until 1999. For more information, visit their web site at www.mguitar.com. |
