Martin D-12 David Crosby Special Edition Vintage Amber (2009)

David Crosby, founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, can certainly be described as an icon of music history. And his 12-string Martin is one of the most famous “modified” Martins ever. When Crosby first wanted a 12-string guitar in the early 1960s, Martin did not yet make one. So he had his six-string D-18 converted into a 12-string in Jon Lundberg's guitar store in Berkeley, CA. Lundberg replaced the original neck with a 12-fret neck made of Macassar ebony with a long scale length (25.4 inches) and moved the bridge to the center of the top. About this Crosby said: "The bridge is in a different place than on a 14-fret guitar. That's one of the reasons the thing sounds so good. The other reason is that it has a spectacular top." It also features a special six-string bridge with two outlets at each bridge hole, which keeps the strings at a distance from each other. In 2009 Martin launched a strictly limited edition replica of Crosby's 12-string on the market and equipped these exclusive guitars with high-quality, solid tonewoods throughout. The back and sides are made of rare quilted mahogany, the soundmighty, amber-colored top is made of Carpathian spruce and in combination with the non-curved bracing provides impressive power and fullness. The 1 7/8" (at the nut) flat neck is carved from genuine mahogany and stained black to match the Macassar ebony of the original. The neck itself is really easy to play with its Jumbo frets and the medium profile sits perfectly in the hand. Other special features include a 45-style rosette with a ring of bright blue paua shell and tortoiseshell-colored binding around the top, back and sides. The attractive “C.F. Martin & Co.” headstock decal, Grover mini tuners with ebony buttons and Crosby's signature between the 16th and 17th frets round off the special look. And the sound? Pure chorus! This acoustic is loud, voluminous and well-balanced, it convinces across the board with wonderfully floating effects as well as warm, focused basses, singing mids and shimmering highs. Simply a true sound experience! We are therefore extremely pleased to be able to offer you this exclusive acoustic, which you really can't tell whether it is a rare collector's item or an absolute top player, in top condition and with the original signature of David Crosby in the sound hole.

• Including original case, hang tags, end pin, "The Sounding Board" magazine 07/2009