Sting Inspires A Forest Friendly Size 5 Mini Terz
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(Click for a close-up) |
July 26, 2005
Sting has stayed very busy in the six years
since C.F. Martin introduced the Sting SWC
Signature Edition classical guitar and SWB
Signature Edition acoustic bass. Since 1999 he's
released three albums, three DVDs, earned his
seventh solo Grammy Award and published his
memoir, "Broken Music," which reached #6 on the
New York Times Best Sellers List. He's also toured
extensively during this time and recently completed
the Broken Music Tour, a stripped down and raw rock
show.
He also discovered a small acoustic treasure: the
Mini Martin Size 5 "terz" guitar. Just when he first
encountered one of these little wonders is unknown, but
he was among the first to order a Mini-Martin, similar to
a 5-28, when it was introduced as a Special Edition in
1999. He clearly loves the instrument's 12-fret (to the
body) design and bright, chime-like "terz" tuning and
tone, which is a minor third above standard pitch. In
2003 he purchased a second Size 5 that he used to
record the beautiful song "Dead Man's Rope" on
"Sacred Love." He also acquired a rare Baby Ditson built
by Martin in 1916 and played it on stage and on
television appearances during the "Sacred Love" tour.
He enthusiastically suggested a Size 5 when
approached regarding a new namesake Martin
and played an integral role in creating the
Size 5 that now bears his name: the
Sting: Mini Signature Edition.
An ardent conservationist and co-founder of The Rainforest Foundation,
which works to preserve the world's
threatened rainforests and to protect
the rights of the indigenous peoples,
Sting asked that the guitar be built with
tonewoods managed and harvested
with forest preservation in mind. In
keeping with Sting's commitment to
ecology and rainforest protection,
77% of the wood utilized in the
construction of the Sting: Mini
Signature Edition guitar
originated in forests managed
in a sustainable and
ecologically responsible
manner. In addition, the guitar
utilizes spruce braces from
reclaimed sources constituting
8.4% of the utilized wood.
While some of the tonewoods
are non-traditional, they blend
together to form a beautiful
looking and sounding instrument
with tremendous professional integrity.
The Sting: Mini features a top of western red
cedar and scalloped
1/4" top bracing. The
back and sides are Soloman padauk, a
red-orange tonewood similar in sound to
mahogany. The neck of genuine mahogany is
harvested from sustainable sources, and the
fingerboard and straight line (non-belly) bridge are
crafted from katalox, a beautiful wood with a density
and color similar to rosewood.
A generous 1-3/4" at the nut, the neck features a
very comfortable semi-V profile, diamond volute and
solid squared, tapered headstock. The headplate,
also of Soloman padauk, provides a handsome
backdrop to the old style C. F. Martin & Co. gold
logo and Gotoh nickel vintage-style tuners. Long-pattern abalone pearl diamonds and squares
position markers on the fingerboard lead to Sting's
signature in pearl between the 17th and 18th frets.
The body of the guitar features a distinctive mix
of appointments that show off the tonewoods to
advantage. Fine herringbone purfling around the
top and a Style 45 rosette with a center ring of
"Ablam" abalone pearl accentuate the handsome
color of the red cedar. A Style HD zig-zag
back strip divides the Soloman padauk
back. Tortoise-colored binding on the
top and back are matched by a
tortoise-colored end piece and tortoise-
colored dot inlays on the white bridge
pins and end pin. In the tradition of
parlor guitars, the Sting: Mini does
not come with a pickguard. Finishing
touches include a lustrous polished
gloss finish on the guitar body and
headplate, satin finish on the neck, and
bone nut and compensated bone
saddle. Per Sting's request, each
instrument is set up with ultra-low
action and equipped with custom
gauge "terz" strings with high-octave basses to facilitate
"Nashville-style" tuning that is
often used in recording
studios to add high treble
brilliance to the mix.
Only 100 of the Martin
Sting: Mini Signature Edition
guitars will be produced. Each
bears two interior labels: a
Signature Edition label personally
signed by Sting and Martin Chairman C. F. Martin IV
and is numbered in sequence with the edition
total, plus a Sustainable Wood Series label that
explains the wood content percentage.
A fitted vintage Geib-style hardshell case
protects each guitar: factory-installed electronics
may be specified when ordering at an additional
cost. Martin will accept orders for the Sting: Mini
Signature Edition until it is fully subscribed, with
the names of participating dealers to be posted
on the Martin website.
List Price: $3,999.00.
For more information, visit their web site at www.martinguitar.com. | 
