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Based on a "Presentation" grade instrument built by C.F. Martin sometime in the 1830s (7), this guitar pulls out all the stops. No expense was spared, then - or now. The original was featured in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts "Dangerous Curves" exhibit and was an important piece of the Chinery Collection.
Materials include a true Master grade Red Spruce top, hand split and resawn by me personally, and a gorgeous rosewood body with all the tonality associated with that combination. This is a guitar that sounds as good as it looks. Of course, with all the detail on this instrument, what do you look at first? The Mother of Pearl and Paua Abalone border is made of half circles inlaid and bordered by fine black lines, a detail difficult to execute and very unique to C.F. Martin I. The original ivory fingerboard and headplate have been replaced with white Linen Micarta - a proven fingerboard material that is ideal for this application. The fingerboard is bordered by hundreds of small pearl diamonds, and bound in white. The rosette features a pearl moon motif with small paua flowers. This particular bridge is made of antique elephant ivory - but there are other alternatives available upon request. More choice abalone is inlaid in the bridge, and the bone pins feature oversized paua dots. Compared to the front, the back of this guitar is fairly sedate - but still exquisite. You'll find multi-hued, spiderwebbed rosewood and an ebonized mahogany neck with brass plate. A special touch is a custom fit "instrument grade" Walnut coffin case lined in the finest velvet. Lighter and more durable than you might imagine, it makes a beautiful home for a truly unique guitar.
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