Martin Thomas Humphrey CR1 ~ Secondhand

Martin Thomas Humphrey Classical

A rare and unusual guitar featuring a solid Cedar top with laminate Rosewood back and sides, radiused and elevated fingerboard with 2" nut width and a tapered body complete with Martin case. Built in 2001 the guitar is in fairly good condition, plays really well and sounds fantastic, however the lacquer has cracked and is missing on some areas of the guitar especially the lower side (see pictures) and the neck has alot of small marks in the finish from the previous owner probably wearing rings.

    Model 2001 Martin Thomas Humphrey C1R Millenium Finish Color Natural Top Wood Western Red Cedar Bracing Hybrid "X" and Humphrey lattice bracing Finish Type Satin Finish Neck Wood Mahogany Headstock Material Slotted with rosewood peghead overlay Fingerboard Material Rosewood Fingerboard Inlays Side dot markers at frets 5, 7 and 12 Frets 19 fret radiused ebony elevated fingerboard Fingerboard Radius 17" Binding Rosewood Bridge Rosewood Tuners Gold engraved tuners with amber buttons Nut Material Bone Scale Length 25.5" Nut Width 2" Rosette Rose Pattern Mosaic Rosette side dot markers at frets 5, 7 and 12

Built from 1997 to 2001, the Martin Thomas Humphrey C-1R offers a Humphrey element normally found primarily on high-end classicals – an elevated fingerboard.

Thomas Humphrey was an American luthier who apprenticed for a year with Michael Gurian around 1970, and then opened his own shop. In 1985, after many experiments with increasing power and sustain, he conceived what became his ‘Millenium’ guitar. This model used the elevated fingerboard, which really thins the body at the neck block, with the effect of raising the fingerboard. This can provide improved access to the upper frets, and increase the upward angle of string tension at the bridge. Thomas Humphrey died in April of 2008 at his home in Gardiner, New York.

Humphrey was not precisely the first to use this design as it was used for different reasons by Stauffer in the first part of the 19th century, and is found on Stauffer-style guitars built by C. F. Martin himself in the mid to late 1830s. Here, there is also a lock and key neck angle adjustment mechanism. Seeing the elevated fingerboard on a modern Martin is a reflection of Martin’s earliest days!