Martin has teamed up with David Gilmour to create a new signature custom D-35 acoustic guitar.
Available in 6- and 12-string versions, the guitar is based partially on the Pink Floyd legend's 1969 Martin D-35, which sold at auction for $1,095,000 in 2019. Heard most famously on "Wish You Were Here," it was Gilmour's number one stage and studio acoustic for over four decades.
Though Martin initially thought Gilmour would want an exact replica of the guitar, he instead wanted to create something "unique and special to this moment in time," according to Fred Greene, Martin's VP of Product Development.
The result is a custom D-35 model whose back, sides, neck, and neck block are all made of solid sinker mahogany, a first for a three-piece back D-35.
The top of the 6-string model is Adirondack spruce – chosen by Gilmour due to the Adirondack spruce top found on an early ’40s vintage D-18 that he also owns. The 12-string's top, meanwhile, is Carpathian spruce, grown in the mountains of Romania and often prized – according to Martin – for its "best of both worlds" properties.
The 6-string's top is torrefied using Martin's Vintage Tone System, a process that "ages" the wood, giving it a vintage look, sound, and feel.
The 6-string also boasts a unique neck shape, designed specifically for Gilmour. Though it began as a modified low oval, it's now more rounded and slightly fuller below the 5th fret, for more comfortable and easy playing. It also packs a a carbon fiber bridge plate, for greater volume and clarity.
The Gilmour D-35 features a unique inlay pattern as well, with a scaled-down dot size and inlaid abalone.
Both the 6- and 12-string D-35s boast custom head stamps, a first for a Martin signature guitar.
The Martin David Gilmour D-35 Custom Signature acoustic guitar will be produced in a run of 250 – split between the 6- and 12-string models – and sold for $5,499. They will come in a late-60s era slate blue case, and feature a custom internal paper label signed by Gilmour. Proceeds from the sale of the instruments will benefit the David Gilmour Charitable Foundation.
For more info on the acoustic, stop by martinguitar.com.
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