Martin Guitars 000-28EC Eric Clapton, Vintage Series, Natural, incl. Case

Sitka spruce top with antique toner finish

In order to create an expressive tone enriched with distinct mid and high frequencies, the manufacturer uses a tightly grained Sitka spruce top, which, due to its fine structure, produces each individual tone in a clear and defined way. A wafer-thin finish and scalloped X-bracing promote the wood's strong vibration behaviour and allow for a direct and easy response with perfect sound development in all positions. The material dyed with an antique toner creates the impression at first sight that this is an instrument that has been played for years and gives it a very aesthetic touch, further emphasized by a fine-herringbone multi-stripe rosette and a fine-herringbone binding. A tortoise-pattern pickguard in combination with the ebony bridge and the light-coloured top wood creates an overall picture rich in contrast, forming a successful transition to the other materials used.

East Indian rosewood with striking grain

The back and sides of the instrument are made of rosewood with a striking and coarse grain, which enriches the sound with its clear and dynamic bass frequencies. This makes it easy to produce a direct tone, interspersed with a subtle richness and provides a strong foundation for the lower ranges, making it especially suitable for traditional blues picking or fingerstyle. The combination of the bright frequencies of the Sitka spruce top and the gentle saturation of the rosewood body allows the relatively small sized guitar to produce a direct and well balanced sound. Split by a zig-zag back-strip and framed by fine multi-stripe bindings, the symmetry of the opened back is particularly evident and allows the observer a deep insight into the exciting grain of the high-quality tropical wood.

A special neck for individual requirements

Unlike the Standard Series, the Eric Clapton Edition comes with a solid mahogany neck, which is equipped with a "Modified V" profile, giving it a much better grip and allowing the notes to be picked cleanly with little effort. In addition, the ebony fretboard offers ample space for complex fingerings and excellent access to all 20 frets thanks to its generous 44.45 mm nut width. The dark wood is decorated with Diamonds-and-Squares abalone inlays, which mark the most important frets and emphasize the value of the even wood with their colorful reflections. To ensure perfect intonation over the entire 632 mm scale length, the manufacturer uses a nut and a compensated saddle made of the finest bone material. Their millimetre-precise workmanship demonstrates the enormous skill behind the whole product. Open nickel tuners, inserted into the characteristic Martin headstock, guarantee precise and reliable tuning and give the instrument an additional venerable touch.

The Martin 000-28EC Eric Clapton at a glance:

• Custom Signature edition
• All solid 000-14-Fret design
• Sitka spruce top with Antique Toner
• Scalloped X-bracing
• Bottom and sides made of East Indian rosewood
• 632 mm scale length
• Mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard
• Modified V-neck profile
• Diamonds and Squares abalone inlays and Awabi signature inlay in 20th fret
• 44.45 mm wide bone nut
• Compensated bone saddle
• Open nickel tuners with butterbean buttons
• Including ply-hardshell case