With the Martin 00-30 S, the traditional American manufacturer presents one of its famous custom shop models, made using selected materials and featuring a unique appearance and incomparable sound qualities. The master craftsmanship of the almost 200-year-old family business is easily recognizable in the detailed inlays and ornaments made of abalone and wood. In addition to a solid construction, this represents the quintessence of Martin's artistry that continues to delight their fans around the world to this day. The combination of fine rosewood and a precisely thought-out construction produces a fast and appealing sound, which fades away in the overtones and merges smoothly into the next note. The robust mahogany neck provides excellent playability up to the highest frets, as a tuned neck profile allows for smooth handling with little effort. The characteristic headstock is equipped with side-mounted nickel tuners, which, in addition to the venerable Martin logo, discreetly emphasize the value of the guitar. A precision-fit custom shop case and a certificate of authenticity are included.
Thanks to its compact 00-12Fret design, the 00-30 S produces a powerful sound that is particularly distinct in the mid-range frequencies and which, thanks to its Sitka spruce top, is also clear and defined in the highs. Even a light touch to the strings produces a long-lasting tone, which owes its quick attack to a carefully tuned bracing and a wafer-thin finish, among other things. Framed by a high-quality green-red wood binding, the multi-facetted grain of the carefully seasoned top wood comes to the fore very strongly and, because of its opposing flames, produces fine reflections depending on the point of view. Matching the exquisite decorations, the sound hole is framed by a multi-stripe abalone rosette, which creates an aesthetic transition to the dark ebony bridge and the corresponding fretboard. The overall appearance of the top, which is coloured with an ageing toner, is rounded off by a wafer-thin pickguard made of faux tortoise, allowing the outer ring of the soundhole rosette to shimmer through slightly.
For the back and sides, the manufacturer uses selected rosewood, which due to its coarse structure imbues the overall sound image with clear and powerful lows. The high-quality tropical wood unfolds its sound characteristics even at the slightest touch and enriches the tone with a fundamental saturation in all frequencies. Interspersed with an elaborate backstrip, the symmetry of the opened back is shown to its best advantage in a particularly aesthetic way, underlining how special attention was paid to the visual characteristics when selecting the woods used in the Custom Shop. The bottom of the instrument is framed by a simple cream-coloured binding, whose simple appearance perfectly matches the rough lines of the dark rosewood.
To ensure easy access to all 20 frets, the manufacturer uses a sturdy mahogany neck with an ebony fingerboard decorated with delicate diamond and square abalone inlays, which merges smoothly with the light-coloured top at the 12th fret. A compensated bone saddle, which is perfectly matched to the 45 mm wide bone nut, ensures clean intonation over the entire scale length of 632 mm. Eye-catching side-mounted nickel tuners with butterbean knobs allow for precise tuning of the strings and, in combination with the heavily grained rosewood headplate and "Martin & Co. Est. 1833" overlay round off the overall appearance of the open headplate in a very tasteful way.