Martin Grand Concert 12-fret slothead fancy guitars are few and far between, you may recall that Joan Baez used an original 1920s pearl inlaid Grand Concert in much of her early recorded work. These guitars – the style -42 -- are tastefully beautiful, abalone inlaid around more than just the border of the top – with a classically inlaid fingerboard – in total its superlative description very nearly exceeds the capability of the normal spoken vocabulary; i.e., it is both charming and disarming.
Ordered through the C F Martin Custom Shop, this guitar has a fancy abalone polished ebony, torch inlaid headplate – and said slotted headstock plate is bound in crème-black and with crème binding outermost. The nut width is 1 ¾” and the string spacing at the bridge is 2 ¼”. Its scale length is 24.9" - making it short scale. The neck shape is "modified V." Being a Style -42 the top is bordered in a wide swath of colorful abalone bordered on each side by crème and black, and this trim extends around the border of the fingerboard peninsula, and also forms the center of the three rings around the soundhole. The sides are bordered in crème and black and so is the back, the heel cap and the end graft. The backstripe is made up of multicolored wood marquetry and measures 19 ¼” in length; the headstock is squared at the top and houses slots that are likewise squared at the top. The scale length is 24.9” nut to saddle. The interior neck block is stamped “Custom” along with the serial number and Martin logo. The back of the neck is modified V in shape and glossy-finished - many will find it exceedingly comfortable - and on the back of the headstock is pressure stamped the “C F Martin & Co. Nazareth, PA” logo.
This guitar is in excellent condition showing a few small and light scratches, some tiny dings and scuffs. Our shop will have performed its earth-renowned set-up and when you play it you may be inspired to say “Oh. Wow.” But, for this occasion, saying it just the one time is sufficient. We note that the top seam below the bridge (centered) is palpable (it can be felt with the fingertip) but as a guitar ages this sort of this can sometimes be observed. A black over-the-finish pickguard has, after market, been added to this guitar’s top. On the bottom side of the guitar, on either side of the tailpin, there are two horizontal lines – on the bass side it begins 2 ¼” from the tailpin, and on the treble it begins 2 ¾” from the tailpin. Our repair shop has anointed them with glue (just in case) but we made sure that our cup did not runneth over. They are tight and strong and much less visible.
This beautiful Custom Shop 00-42 Martin guitar just today came up from our workshop, all set-up, and ready for 250 years of continuous use. Its sound is strong, clear, loud, full, well-balanced, dark, rich for a Grand Concert sized instrument, and it has a long sustain. I was thinking as I just played it that if I had to summarize the sound in one word that word would be “silky.” It plays silky and it sounds silky too. Harmonics and overtones overlap in a mosaic waterfall of notes.
We present to you a (probably one of a kind) Custom Shop guitar made near the top end of the Martin line (only the -45 is more elevated in the conventional hierarchy). It is in remarkably clean condition and sings with the voice of the most fluent, lyrical and colorful birdies. It will be a pleasure to own on so many levels, not the least of which is that you will be the one that owns it.