In the mid-'80s, a young Chris Martin wondered why his company didn't build a jumbo, so he asked the crew to design an M-body with the depth of a dreadnought. Right off the line, it sounded like it should, but Chris realized this was a "front" guitar—that is, a guitar that would be out in front of the band with the lead singer. As the center-piece of the stage, it needed to sound good, but look good, too. With an abalone rosette, hexagon fingerboard inlays, and the iconic "C.F. Martin" vertical inlay, the J-40 was born!

"That's my guitar," says Chris. "That's the guitar that someday people are going to say, 'What did Chris do for the company? Chris put together the J-40.' It wasn't rocket science, it was just let's mix and match. And it worked."

Classic styling with a tight-waisted jumbo body shape, the Martin J-40 is constructed from East Indian Rosewood back and sides, a solid Spruce top, and a hand-fit dovetail neck joint. This relatively rare body size produces enormous tone that is beautifully balanced with powerful response and projection, enhancing the art of the singer-songwriter or session player. Boasting gold open geared tuners and Martin’s most comfortable high performance neck, the Martin J-40 is Jumbo that sets you apart from the rest!

• Top: Solid Spruce
• Back & Sides: Solid East Indian Rosewood
• Bracing: Forward-Shifted, GE Scalloped 5/16″ X-Bracing
• Nut: Bone, 1-3/4″
• Neck Profile: GE Modified Low Oval Profile w/ High Performance Taper
• Fingerboard & Bridge: Solid Ebony
• Saddle: Compensated Bone, 2-5/32″ string spacing
• Top Rosette: Abalone w/ Multi-Stripe
• Fingerboard Inlay: Abalone Hexagon
• Peghead Logo: Vertical "C.F. Martin" Abalone Inlay
• Tuning Machines: Gold Grover Open Back w/ Butterbean buttons

This Martin J-40 sounds enormous, but its tone is nicely balanced. Throaty, powerful, and also lush complex overtones. This is a proper jumbo that looks just right in front of the band.