Martin Guitar Partners with Joe Bonamassa for His First-Ever Limited-Edition Signature Acoustic Guitar
NAZARETH, PA, November 12, 2024 - Martin Guitar is proud to introduce the limited-edition Martin 000-45 Joe Bonamassa, a meticulously crafted recreation of the revered guitarist’s 1941 000-45 – an instrument that has weathered the decades in pristine condition.
With only 45 of these models available, each one echoes the legacy of a golden era on which Martin built its reputation. One of the standout features of Joe’s original guitar is its figured Adirondack spruce top. With Martin’s Vintage Tone System® (VTS), this recreated pre-war top captures the tonal essence and achieves the visual character of a well-aged instrument, giving it that sought-after warmth and resonance that defines a vintage guitar.
Its unique neck shape is a faithful reproduction of the neck on Joe’s 1941 000-45, just as it came off the workbench in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, over 80 years ago. The period-correct gold enclosed gear tuners – a Martin exclusive – also provide a touch of vintage charm. Even the snowflake inlays on the fingerboard are crafted to match the original model. A certificate of authenticity, vintage hang tag, and period-correct hardshell case add to its authentic appeal.
The story of Joe’s pre-war 000-45 is just as captivating as the guitar itself. A beloved instrument passed down through three generations, the guitar had never left Southern California since it was first purchased in 1941. Many years later, it ultimately found its way to Joe at a moment when its sale helped save a woman’s home.
“I don’t collect guitars, I collect stories,” says Joe. “I don’t collect instruments because I want a deal on them. I want to collect instruments because I want to help a family out of financial trouble, and they have this one item that could be sold for lots of money... It was the last thing of value that she had, so it saved her house, and I got a wonderful guitar and a hell of a story.”
After acquiring the guitar, it was carefully hand-delivered back to its birthplace in Nazareth, where the expert product team at Martin pored over every detail. Still in mint condition with the original price tag, showing a retail price of $225, Joe’s guitar – serial number 76993 – is a living testament to its era, now faithfully replicated for this limited edition.
“It's really important to me that the new guitar stayed true to the old one, because there's no other reason to do it,” says Joe. “It gives people an opportunity to feel what it's like to hold a Golden Era 000-45... I'm not redesigning a Martin guitar. I'm just sharing 45 times over a glimpse into a guitar that I own, that most people will never get to play, or see.”
Only 265 pre-war 000-45s were ever made, and with just 45 of these models available, the 000-45 Joe Bonamassa is a true collector's dream. Whether you're a collector or a player, it promises to be a treasured heirloom for generations to come.
For more information about the Martin 000-45 Joe Bonamassa, visit martinguitar.com.
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ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA
Blues-rock superstar Joe Bonamassa is one of the most celebrated performing musicians of today. As a three-time GRAMMY®-nominated artist and 15x Blues Music Award nominee (four-time winner), he achieved his 28th No. 1 album on the Billboard Blues Chart with his most recent live album and concert film, Live at the Hollywood Bowl With Orchestra. Only in his mid-40s, Bonamassa has become a living legend with an astounding multi-genre catalog and is highly regarded as one of the world’s greatest guitarists of his generation. He has released more than 50 albums, including studio and live recordings, as well as collaborative albums with his adventurous side projects: Black Country Communion and Rock Candy Funk Party.
A prolific writer who is always on the hunt to expand his eclectic musical horizons, Bonamassa has a limitless work ethic whether it’s in the studio, on the road, or working with other artists to spur new music. In recent years, he has produced an immense number of albums including Joanne Shaw Taylor, Marc Broussard, Larry McCray, Jimmy Hall, and others for his independent labels KTBA Records and Journeyman Records, and has also launched Journeyman LLC, a full-service artist management, record label, concert promotion, and marketing company that builds awareness for independent artists worldwide. Joe’s nonprofit Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation provides funds and resources to schools and artists in need and has positively impacted more than 100,000 students to date while raising over $2.7 million in donations. Visit jbonamassa.com and KTBA.org for more information.
ABOUT C. F. MARTIN & CO.®
C.F. Martin & Co.® has been making the finest handcrafted acoustic guitars for nearly two hundred years. For some of the biggest names and the most revered musical legends across every genre and every decade. And we’ve been doing it with pure artistic passion, a deep love for all things music, and an unwavering commitment to our community and the environment.
But most importantly, we’re still doing it... for you. For current and future generations of pioneers, rebels, and dreamers. For the beginners, the pros, and everyone in between. We believe music is an unstoppable force. It raises us up. Tells our truths. Gets us on our feet. Expresses our deepest heartaches. And our greatest joys.
So, we’ll continue to make the very best acoustic instruments and strings for as long as there are people like you who love music and love making it. We want to be there to help you tell your story. To help you share your music with the world. To help unleash the artist within.
We’re ready for the next two hundred years. Want to come with us? Visit martinguitar.com.