by Whitney Phaneuf
Martin went bold directions for its newest guitars — devoting one to iconography from the California marijuana legalization movement and going ornate on its watch-inspired 2-millionth Martin (which readers had a lot of opinions about). Watch above as artist-in-residence Robert Goetzl and Martin historian Dick Boak unveil 5 new acoustic guitars at Winter NAMM 2017.
1. D-420 ($2,999): Inspired by Prop. 64, which passed in November and legalizes marijuana in California, the D-420 features a Sitka spruce top printed with a custom illustration by Goetzl, mahogany back and sides, a modified low oval neck with high performance taper, simple dovetail neck joint, bone nut and saddle, ebony bridge, and an ebony fingerboard.
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2. D-28 John Prine ($6,999): Limited to 70, this D-28 is a replica of the 1960’s D-28 John Prine has played his whole life. The D-28 John Prine is crafted with an Engelmann spruce top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides. The Madagascar rosewood headplate is inlaid with pearl angel wings, a nod to Prine’s song “Angel from Montgomery.”
3. Dwight Yoakam DD28 ($5,999): Inspired by a 1972 D-28, the guitar Dwight Yoakam has played his entire career, the Dwight Yoakam DD28 features a Sitka spruce top, East Indian rosewood back and sides, an ebony fingerboard with casino-themed inlaid mother-of-pearl and recon stone playing cards, and a bull horn shaped pickguard.
4. Custom Shop George Bauer Style 30 conversion (one-of-a-kind): Boak calls this guitar — a circa 1910 Style 30 guitar by Philadelphia luthier George Bauer — “the very best of what the Martin Custom Shop does.” When Martin bought the Bauer it was in bad shape, but the Custom Shop retained its Brazilian rosewood back and sides, then re-topped it, re-necked it, and added replica tuning machines.
5. D-200 Deluxe ($149,999): Limited to 50 and created as an ownable version of Martin’s 2-millionth guitar, the D-200 Deluxe is a classic 14-fret Style 45 dreadnought crafted from highly-figured bearclaw Engelmann spruce featuring an aluminum rosette with guilloché engraving and back of rare pre-CITES Brazilian rosewood inlaid with watch gears cut from reconstituted stone, mother-of-pearl, bloodwood, Hawaiian koa, and ebony. The soundboard inlay depicts a minute track in mother-of-pearl, birdseye maple, flamed Hawaiian koa and ebony, and the pickguard has pearl inlaid watch gears.