Here we have one of the most unique guitars I've had in a long time, and from a highly-esteemed, elite builder. Let's go ahead and acknowledge the elephant in the room - that inlay on the headplate. I mean, holy cow. It's made of copper, gold mother of pearl, abalone, and paua shell. I've never seen anything like that. This one also has Brazilian rosewood from the 60's that was purchased from Mike Longworth when he retired from Martin. So there's some pretty cool provenance there too. It plays fantastic, and has a deep, rich voice. This is a "custom" model, but it's basically like a deep-body 0000 or M model, or that's how it feels in the lap. Comes with original Ameritage case.
Brazilian rosewood back/sides (acquired from Mike Longworth, originally from the 60's Martin factory) Bear-claw Sitka top 16 1/8" lower bout "Bathing Beauty" headplate inlay - copper skin, gold mother-of-pearl hair, pale red abalone hat, red abalone heart bathing suit, rippled abalone and blue/green paua shell reflection Ebony bridge, fretboard, headplate Indian rosewood binding Rippled abalone rosette and trim Bone nut/saddle Chrome Schaller mini tuners 1 3/4" nut, 2 3/16" spacing, 25 7/16" scale
Cosmetically, this guitar is in very good condition, with only minor signs of handling. There's a small spot of finish lifting on the back of the neck, but it's smooth to the touch and you can't feel it while playing.
