Martin D-45 John Mayer 2018

I can't verify the "Beach Guitar" name anywhere — the documented story is that Mayer bought a 1970s D-45 in Japan, and that guitar became the design reference point for this edition. I don't want to include the nickname if it can't be confirmed. Here's the listing with the Japan story integrated:

C.F. Martin D-45 John Mayer Custom Signature Edition — 2018 — #9/45

There are exactly 45 of these in the world. Not 45 in this finish, not 45 at this price point — 45 total. The D-45 John Mayer Custom Signature Edition is the rarest production acoustic Martin has made in recent memory, and the most significant collaboration in the company's long relationship with John Mayer.

The story behind it starts in Japan. Mayer found a 1970s D-45 there — Japan being the one country where the D-45 has always commanded a near-religious following — and that guitar became the design reference point for everything that followed. The full thickness neck profile is taken directly from it. From there, the project became a genuine research exercise: multiple wood combinations, multiple bracing iterations, Mayer and Martin's team working through prototypes until they landed on Engelmann spruce over Guatemalan rosewood — a pairing that had never appeared on a D-45 before and has not appeared on one since. The hybrid Adirondack/Sitka bracing system was the result of the same obsessive refinement. Nothing here was an off-the-shelf decision.

The D-45 is already Martin's pinnacle — Style 45 abalone treatment from soundhole to headstock, full circumference abalone rosette, bound headstock, grained ivoroid binding throughout. This edition adds a tonewood combination of genuine depth and character. Engelmann spruce brings warmth and complexity that Sitka cannot replicate. Guatemalan rosewood has a glassy fundamental clarity that puts it closer to Brazilian than Indian in character. Together, with the forward-shifted scalloped Adirondack bracing, the result is a guitar with power in its bones and considerable shimmer in its ring.

Brand new, these were spoken for before the NAMM show floor closed in January 2018 at $14,999 each. The secondary market for this model is essentially non-existent — owners do not let them go.

This is number 9 of 45, originally sold new by Akustikken. In very good condition throughout. There is a small pressure mark on the lower bout of the top, visible only in certain lighting — no structural issues. Interior label hand-signed and numbered by John Mayer.

Includes original Martin hardshell case.

Specifications

• Serial: 2175619
• Number: 9 of 45
• Top: Engelmann spruce with aging toner, forward-shifted scalloped X-bracing, Adirondack spruce cross braces / Sitka spruce tonebars
• Back & sides: Guatemalan rosewood
• Neck: Genuine mahogany, full thickness profile, dovetail joint
• Fingerboard: Ebony, large abalone hexagon inlays
• Nut width: 1-11/16"
• Scale length: 25.4"
• Bridge: Ebony, compensated bone saddle, 2-1/8" string spacing
• Nut: Bone
• Tuners: Gold open gear butterbean
• Binding: Grained ivoroid
• Ornamentation: High-colour Style 45 abalone trim throughout
• Pickguard: Faux tortoise
• Interior label: Hand-signed and numbered by John Mayer
• Includes: Original Martin hardshell case
• Made in USA — Martin Custom Shop, Nazareth, PA