Martin Guitars D-42 Special

If it Ain't Boak, Don't Fix it

Wildwoodians, the guitar you see before you is the culmination of a two-and-a-half decade-long journey. Years ago, when Martin got a fancy nmew laser engraving machine, legendary former Martin luthier Dick Boak thought it would be fun to put it through its paces. So, using pen and ink, he illustrated an amazingly intricate floral design with hopes that it would look cool engraved on a tortoiseshell pickguard. Alas, there was no safe way to engrave the material, so the project stayed on the shelf for more than two decades. When going through some old paper, Mr. Boak found his old drawing and thought "I bet this would look if we inlaid it with pearl!" So, with Bill Seymour and Jeremy Chism at Pearlworks, they made it happen after soem slight modifications.

It looked so cool that when the trio showed martin CEO Chris Martin IV, he asked them to go even further and adapt the design for the fingerboard and headstock inlays. Naturally, they added all the other glorious cosmetic appointments from a 42-style guitar, including abalone inlays, rosette, and top trim. Of course, they also used the highest-graded spruce they had for the soundboard, and the back and sides are premium-grade East Indian rosewood. All in all, it's a magnificent piece of Martin history that begs the question "Is it art or an instrument?"

Sonic Evaluation

Of course, all of that means nothing if the guitar doesn't sound amazing, but thankfully this serial is a magnificent example of Martin tone. It definitely fits the "wooden cannon" archetype of dreadnought, as it is loud, proud, and supremely robust-sounding. In fact, one of my coworkers walked across the store just to say "WOW! That's LOUD!" after I played a little single-note run. It has tons of headroom and a springy, piano-like attack that responds to your right hand with lightning speed. The bottom end is deep and warm, and it has a vintage-style woody character that I adore. The midrange packs a walloping punch, and the highs are laden with sweet, glassy, glistening overtones. It's also quite dynamic, and when you dig in, more and more chiming, bell-like overtones ring out as the volume goes up. If you're looking for a Martin that goes to 11, check this 000-42 special out!

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