Details
There's Hawaiian koa, then there's figured/flamed Hawaiian koa, but the kind of highly figured koa on this Custom Shop Martin is rarely seen these days. C.F. Martin apparently found enough of the koa seen here about a dozen years ago to make three guitars, and this is one of that trio. It was purchased from a Bay Area Martin dealer by the original owner, a devoted Martin fan and Gryphon pal, because of how it looked and sounded, but he failed to take into account the neck width and as a result it rarely got played.
It's essentially a 00-28 VS but with koa instead of rosewood back and sides, from Martin's discontinued Vintage Series. Along with the flamed koa, another upgrade was the bronze Waverly tuners, which have aged gracefully along with the finish on the guitar. The Custom Shop guys at Martin chose an especially nice spruce top, and thanks to the light, scalloped top bracing this is one of those Martin 00 models that sounds much bigger than it looks. There are only a few of the very slightest little signs of use you'll have to look carefully to find, and the case is equally clean.
Specs
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Back sides
Figured Koa
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Binding
Grained Ivoroid
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Bracing
X-Bracing, Scalloped, Sitka Spruce 1/4"
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Bridge
Ebony
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Finish
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
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Frets to body
12
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Neck material
Mahogany
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Neck shape
Modified V
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Nut width
1 7/8"
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Rosette
Style 28
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Saddle spacing
2 5/16"
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Scale length
24.9"
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Top material
Sitka Spruce
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Total frets
20
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Tuners
Waverly Side Mount w/ Ivoroid Buttons
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Year
2009
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Case type
Original Hardshell
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Serial number
1369236
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SKU
MAR0028VSK-1369236
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UPC
120132
