2016 C. F. Martin 00-41 Natural

SN 1997790. Here is an immaculate Martin Custom Shop limited edition build for Elderly Instruments for the 2016 NAMM show. It’s one of only five or six made to these specs. It brings together traditional Martin workmanship, very high quality but readily available tonewoods and some fun design choices. It features prewar specs; scalloped bracing, small maple bridge plate, 1-3/4” nut and wider string spacing at the bridge. It’s an excellent fingerstyle guitar and loud and dynamic when flat picked.
The top is Italian Alpine Spruce with really nice grain, select abalone trim and excellent vintage repro pickguard. The back is two-piece, book-matched Guatemala Rosewood with multi-color center strip. Top and back are bound with grained ivoroid. The neck is mahogany with a comfortable “modified-V” profile, volute, ivoroid heel cap and bone nut. The fretboard is ebony bound in ivoroid and 45-style position markers with pearl borders only (see photos). The face plate is rosewood and has a borders-only inlay of “CF Martin”. Tuners are gold-plated Grover butterbeans. The back of the headstock is stamped “Elderly Instruments, Est. 1972 Lansing, MI”. The bridge is a vintage repro in ebony with a through bone saddle. Bridge pins are 45-style; white with pearl dots. The overall presentation is traditional but the inlays make it unique and give it a contemporary custom look.
Condition is nearly new – just a few swirls on the pickguard. It comes with the original Geib-style case with the “Cabernet” interior. It feels and plays like a high end prewar reproduction yet is very affordable.
CONSIGNMENT
Specs:
Top: Italian Alpine Spruce
Band & Sides: Guatemalan Rosewood
Bridge & Fretboard: Ebony
Appointments: 45-style, border only
Nut width: 1-3/4”
String spacing: 2-3/16”
Body width: 14-1/4”
Depth: 4”
Scale length: 24.75”
Case: OHSC