John Mayer and I seem to share an affinity for small-bodied acoustic guitars, as he has teamed up with Martin to create the Custom 00-45SC John Mayer Limited Edition Guitar:
“There’s something about a smaller-bodied acoustic guitar that has always appealed to me. In one glance it inspires me to write, travel, perform, and age along with it,” said John Mayer. “Not very long ago I was inspired to return to a completely natural way of writing and recording music, and at the center of that vision were the Martin 00-sized guitars that defined an era of brilliant songwriting in the ’60s and ’70s. The 00-45SC John Mayer Edition is my vision of the ultimate 00-45 come to life. It’s simply perfect.”
“There is no better ambassador for our custom guitars than John Mayer,” said Chris Martin, Chairman and CEO, C.F. Martin & Co. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with such a singular talent on such a unique instrument.”
Based upon requested 12-fret 00 specifications and design concepts from the artist himself, the 00-45SC John Mayer Edition is constructed with back, sides and head plate of select premium quality cocobolo wood, a strikingly beautiful member of the genuine rosewood species prized for its’ rich reddish-orange and black grain striations. The soundboard is book matched from Martin’s highest grade of Adirondack spruce, prized for crystalline clarity and powerful projection. The slotted tapered headstock with hand-squared slots is equipped with premium Waverly Sloane bronze engraved side-mount tuning machines with ivoroid buttons. Style 45 vintage appointments are executed in rare richly-colored blue paua shell, with delicate snowflake fingerboard position markers. The tastefully ornate 1902 alternate torch design graces the headstock, also executed in blue paua.
Martin’s standard 00 12-fret body size has long been revered for its’ sweet airy depth of tone, but this special model has an even deeper sound. Aside from its vintage hide glue Custom Shop construction and hand sculpted Adirondack spruce bracing, the 00-45SC John Mayer Edition bears unique attributes never before seen on a Martin guitar. Style 45 top inlay typically circumscribes the tongue of the fingerboard as it extends toward the rosette. This new design provides for pearl edging along the sides of the fingerboard that extend directly with miter joints into the rosette. The inlay motif of the three-ring Style 45 rosette is perfectly continued as a matching inlay on the higher surface of the fingerboard, giving the illusion of complete contiguous circles. This unusual design is so unique, it is difficult to describe in words and must be seen photographically or held in one’s hands to be fully comprehended.
Each 00-45SC John Mayer Edition will be personally signed by John Mayer and numbered in the sequence of the 25 total edition guitars. This special model will be introduced at the Anaheim Winter NAMM Show in January of 2012 and will subsequently be available from participating Martin dealerships in early 2012.
Most of us will have to admire this guitar from afar, as it has a suggested price of $13,999 and will be limited to just 25 guitars.
