1991 Martin 000-45

By Martin
£8,495.00 £8,750.00
Description

Wonderful Martin 000-45 from 1991 in wonderful condition. A very rare model with Shipping records showing only 341 produced in nearly a 100 years production and this particular instrument is one of three shipped out in 1991. This guitar is in great original condition and sounds every bit as good as it looks. Historically the first Martin 000-45 appeared in 1906 when it was still a 12 fret model evolving to 14 fret construction by 1933. The Style 45 was discontinued by Martin in 1942 and was only reintroduced in 1968 with the D-45. Production numbers for the 000-45 remained low throughout the seventies and eighties as Martin concentrated on Dreadnought production primarily leaving only 341 000-45 produced between 1906 and 2005.

The guitar features a tight grained Sitka Spruce top with straight-grained Indian Rosewood back and sides, master-grade tone woods that were selected for their tonal properties as much as their appearance. The appointments are befitting of a Style 45 instrument with a white bound body with solid Abalone pearl inlays to its top, back and sides and continuing around the heel of the neck and then onto the fretboard and headstock all hand cut and inlayed in the same labour intensive and highly skilled manner as the craftsmen and women would have when original Style 45’s were produced. The bound headstock has the iconic C.F.Martin logo inlayed into the rosewood veneer, a feature of the Style 45 from 1934. The Ebony fingerboard is punctuated with the equally iconic Hexagon pearl inlays, a feature first introduced in 1939 on the D-45 before being introduced on all body sizes with the reintroduction of the Style 45 instruments in 1968. Internally the guitar is finished as impeccably as the exterior and features features Scalloped X bracing with a small maple bridge plate.

Free of cracks or repairs, the guitar is in great overall condition for a 30+ year old guitar. The lacquer has naturally aged giving the guitar a wonderfully honeyed appearance, the Indian Rosewood back and sides are straight grained with just the right amount of figuring. The guitar has an adjustable truss rod, the saddle has plenty of height with the action sitting comfortably at 2.75mm at the 12th fret. The neck has a comfortable medium depth with a contemporary oval profile, the nut measures 43.26mm and the depth at the 1st and 12th fret are 20.64 and 22.63 respectively. The original frets are in good condition with little wear. There are no signs the guitar has had a neck reset previously and it currently plays well with a saddle height of approx 1.5mm and an action of between 2.75mm and 3mm at the 12th fret.

Strung with D’Addario EJ-26 strings the the guitar plays nicely, there is an ease to the string tension and notes ring cleanly. Sonically the guitar is a fine example, it has all the attributes you could want from the classic Spruce and Rosewood combination with a sweetness and delicateness with plenty of volume and harmonic content. The bass is warm and deep and the treble has a pleasant presence suited to either the finger or the flat pick.

The guitar comes in its original Martin Case.

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