With all of the craziness of NAMM and SXSW, we sometimes overlook Musikmesse in Frankfurt. It’s described as the world’s most important fair for musical instruments, sheet music, music production and marketing, and has been the foremost meeting place for the musical-instrument industry for nearly 30 years. While we didn’t attend the show, we will try to catch up on some product releases that happened there including some new acoustic guitar models from Martin Guitars.
There are two new retro-inspired models, the 000-18 and OM-28, both highlight distinct vintage design and include features that can be found on coveted Martin pre-war era guitars. Additionally, two new cutaway models are being introduced, the DC-Aura GT and GPC-Aura GT, both of which will come equipped with Fishman F1 Aura Plus electronics.
The 000-18 (pictured above), which has a beautiful aging toned top in Sitka spruce with ¼” scalloped “X” bracing, is married with mahogany back and sides. The body is edged with tortoise color binding and complemented with a polished finish. The 24.9” short scale model’s neck features a modified low oval profile with Performing Artist taper, with a width of 1-3/4” at the nut and 2-3/16” string spacing for easy playability. Nickel open-geared tuners with butterbean knobs are found with a rosewood headplate, which displays a large old style Martin logo.
The OM-28 (pictured above) is constructed with all the features of the OM-28E Retro without the electronics package. Aging toner and a polished gloss finish are applied to the Sitka spruce top which features ¼” “X” scalloped bracing. The polished gloss East Indian rosewood body is edged with ivoroid binding. Like the 000-18, the model’s neck features a modified low oval profile with performing artist taper with a width of 1-3/4” at the nut and 2-3/16” string spacing for easy playability. The 25.4” long scale produces powerful notes which are great for a variety of playing styles. Nickel open-geared tuners with butterbean knobs are found with a rosewood headplate, which displays a large old style Martin logo.
DC-Aura GT (pictured above) and GPC-Aura GT (pictured below): The new Dreadnought and Grand Performance are special models consisting of East Indian rosewood bodies with a satin finish and a polished gloss Sitka spruce top featuring a two ring pearl rosette. Added features for both models include certified African blackwood bridges and fingerboards with hexagon pearl inlays. The chrome ratio tuners with skeleton knobs allow each string to have its own gear ratio, making tuning easier. The skeleton button adds a jewel like appearance and lessens the weight of the tuners. Both models come equipped with Fishman F1 Aura Plus electronics and a hard shell case.
For more information, please visit www.martinguitar.com
