Martin HD Elliot Easton Custom Signature Edition with factory install Fishman Ellipse Aura System

This fine guitar would be rated in excellent to mint condition if not for some slight lacquer finish wear on the edge of the black African ebony fretboard, between the 2nd and 3rd frets on bass side and nut and 1st fret on treble side (see the last 2 photos of both places).  It does not take much playing time at all to wear away at the high gloss lacquer finish on the edge of the fret board and in time this actually creates a very played in patina that most consider appealing, like a players buff shine on a dull satin neck finish - a players badge of honor so to say!

The rest of the guitar is extremely clean without the typical dings, nicks, and scratches found on most guitars of this age (circa 2008).  The first impression the guitar makes on the beholder is that it has been extremely treasured and lovingly cared for and once you play it, you will instantly understand exactly why!  The guitar plays extremely well with a wonderful action that has been professionally setup for a easy and forgiving medium low action with no buzzing and tons of volume.  The frets are in excellent condition and the pickup system is just crazy good on this guitar as it is a very high end factory installed Fishman Ellipse Aura System that Elliot uses in his own guitar. 

For what we love in excellent dreadnoughts - this one is highly recommended.  Only a very limited run of 40 have been built to date.

The HD Elliot Easton Custom Signature Edition Gives Mahogany and Lefties Respect with forward-shifted, scalloped Adirondack spruce braces, rare quilted mahogany back and sides, fine herringbone trim around the top and rosette,
grained ivoroid binding, modified “V” neck with diamond volute, gold Waverly tuners with butterbean knobs, ebony bridge and fingerboard, long pattern “diamonds & squares” position markers, the “Old Style” Martin decal on the head plate and polished gloss lacquer finish throughout. In reference to the build, Elliot said:
“I also wanted the guitar to have ‘stage ready’ electronics, so I requested the Fishman Ellipse AuraTM system be available as a factory-installed option. Mounted inside the sound hole, it eliminates the need to cut into the side of the guitar and – because it is virtually invisible – allows the instrument to retain all of its aesthetic charm.  The resulting guitar has more than exceeded my admittedly high expectations.   This is my perfect Martin! From conception to completion, it has been a labor of love. I am donating my “artist’s proceeds” from sales of the Martin HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition to the Nordoff-Robbins and the Music Therapy Center for autistic children.  This new Martin – the HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition – is my bid to elevate the mahogany guitar to the status it so richly deserves" 

In addition to the elements already noted, the HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition features a TUSQTM nut and compensated TUSQTM saddle, white bridge pins and end pin topped with “red eye” tortoise dot inlays, and subtle aging toner on the top. 

Packed in a vintage-inspired GeibTM-style case, each Martin HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition guitar bears an interior label individually signed by Elliot Easton and Martin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered in sequence.

ELLIOT EASTON CUSTOM SIGNATURE EDITION – SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL: HD Elliot Easton Custom Signature Edition - Right Handed Model
CONSTRUCTION: Standard Series, Gloss Lacquer Complete
BODY SIZE: Dreadnought 14-fret
TOP: Adirondack Spruce
ROSETTE: Style 28 with Fine Herringbone Center Ring
TOP BRACING PATTERN: Forward Shifted
TOP BRACES: Adirondack Spruce, Scalloped, 5/16” Width
BACK: Quilted Mahogany, 2 Piece
BACK PURFLING: HD-28 Style Zig Zag
CAUTION STAMP: None, “C. F. Martin & Co., Nazareth, PA”
Stamping Between 1st & 2nd Back Braces BLOCK TO READ: (Laser Etched Martin Logo)
CUSTOM Elliot Easton Serial Number
SIDES: Quilted Mahogany With Side Reinforcement Strips
RIBBON: Spanish Cedar
END PIECE: Grained Ivoroid
END PIECE INLAY: .0325” Black/White (Black Faces Ivoroid) BINDING: 6/32” Grained Ivoroid, Fine Pattern Herringbone Top Inlay BACK INLAY: Grained Ivoroid With .0325” Black/White Inlay
NECK: Genuine Mahogany, Gold Strap Button On Neck Heel, Modified V Adjustable Truss Rod
HEELCAP: GrainedIvoroid
NUT: GenuineBone
FINGERBOARD: African Black Ebony SCALE LENGTH: 25.4”
# OF FRETS CLEAR: 14
# OF FRETS TOTAL: 20
FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT NUT: 1 11/16”
FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT 12th FRET: 2 1/8”
FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Diamonds & Squares, Long Pattern SIDE POSITION DOTS: White, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, double at 12th, 15th, 17th. FINGERBOARD BINDING: Unbound 
Solid Square Tapered With Diamond Volute East Indian Rosewood, Old Style Decal Logo
BRIDGE: African Black Ebony, Belly Bridge BRIDGE SPACING: 2 1/8”
Polished Gloss Lacquer, No Stain, Dark Filler Like D-18GE 

See the conclusion (below) of the guitar's release review from the GuitarPlayer Magazine (April 2007), as it conveys our impression of the guitar perfectly: 

Attacked with a pick, the HD Elliot Easton has enough guts and punch to be the rhythm cannon that many players seek in a Martin dreadnought, while possessing the clarity and definition required for lead work. Strum it with some force, and chords boom out with loads of ring, and a long, balanced decay. Individually picked strings in transitional runs and bass lines have enough clarity and sparkle to stand out amid sustained chords. You can whack the strings mighty hard before even a hint of significant compression or top distortion creeps in, yet the HD lends itself to fingerstyle playing surprisingly well for a large-bodied acoustic, and it doesn’t seem to require much muscle to elicit sweet, round tones. It doesn’t have quite the bovine richness in the lows and lower mids that you hear in some great rosewood-bodied dreadnoughts, but such guitars often risk being too boomy in certain applications anyway. This great mahogany creation offers a smooth, rounded, balanced, and yet attention-grabbing voice that should prove extremely versatile.

From tip to tail, the HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition exhibits considerable attention to detail, along with a subtly thoughtful redraw of traditional mahogany dreadnought design. This modern classic oozes Martin tradition while embodying some effective new twists, and it is everything a proud owner would hope to acquire in a guitar from this storied American maker. Most of all, it’s a lot of fun to play, and it sounds extremely good. Like most fine acoustic guitars made from solid tonewoods, the HD Elliot Easton should blossom and mature over the years, but as it stands right off the line, it’s already an enormous pleasure for the ears and the fingers.