C.F. Martin & Co. Honors Jonny Lang
with Limited Edition Signature Model GuitarLang is Youngest Artist Ever Selected For A Martin Signature Edition August 2, 2000Nineteen year old Jonny Lang is an extraordinary talent. His first A&M CD, "Lie To Me," released in 1997, debuted at #1 on Billboard's New Artist Chart. He was listed in Newsweek's Century Club of the 100 Americans expected to be influential in the next millennium. He swept the category for Best New Guitarist in Guitar Magazine's readers poll and made a cameo appearance in the film "Blues Brothers 2000," performing with Wilson Pickett and Eddie Floyd. He also appeared at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony with Jeff Beck. And, after B.B. King invited Lang to perform with him at the White House, B.B. said, "He's got youth and talent. [He is] starting at the height that I've reached. Think what [he] might do over time." Lang's second A&M CD, "Wander This World," has already sold over a million copies worldwide.
In honor of this exceptional, up and coming blues guitarist, Martin's Contemporary Artist Task Team coordinated the JLJCR Jonny Lang Limited Edition Signature model guitar. Jonny Lang is the youngest guitarist to be selected by Martin for a limited edition, and he offered his direct input into the design of his affordable yet professional signature model. The edition will be limited to a maximum of 111 instruments.
The JLJCR is a jumbo 14-fret full access Venetian cutaway equipped with a state-of-the-art Fishman(R) Prefix Onboard Blender system. This system enables the combination of an under saddle pickup to be blended with an internal condenser microphone, making it perfect for onstage or studio use.
The most striking aspect of this instrument is its color. Martin's "Vintage" toner is applied to the top to give the face of the guitar an aged amber hue. The bold black/white rosette and inlay lines around the perimeter of the top are unscraped after the application of the toner yielding the same deep amber color, and pearlescent amber hollow hexagons mark the playing positions with stark contrast to the genuine black ebony fingerboard. Jonny Lang's unique freeform signature is inlaid between the 18th and 20th frets. The bridge, also of genuine ebony, is fitted with a genuine bone saddle to match the nut.
The soundboard of the JLJCR is bookmatched from solid Sitka spruce and lightly braced with Martin's hybrid scalloped "X" pattern to achieve optimum tone. The back and sides are constructed from laminated East Indian rosewood for a projective yet warm tonal response. A solid genuine mahogany neck is shaped to Martin's comfortable low profile and fitted with chrome enclosed tuners with ebony buttons. For the first time ever, a silver version of Martin's gold foil logo graces the headstock. In keeping with Jonny Lang's wishes, the instrument is offered without a pickguard.
Each JLJCR will bear an interior label that is personally signed by Jonny Lang and Martin Chairman and CEO C. F. Martin. Each instrument will be individually numbered in sequence with the edition total (i.e. 1 of 111, 2 of 111, etc.).
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each JLJCR Jonny Lang Limited Edition Signature model will be donated to Camp Heartland, a charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the life of children affected by HIV and AIDS. Martin dealers will begin to take orders of the JLJCR Signature Edition immediately, though the edition will not begin to appear in stores until the summer of 2000. For more information, visit their web site at www.mguitar.com. | 
