Description
PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE
We’re proud to present this Martin Custom Shop GP-28 Grand Performance with Venetian Cutaway that we collaborated on with our friends at Martin Guitars!
Starting with the venerable Grand Performance as the foundation, we opted for some exotic appointments that truly make this guitar special – hand-selected Pacific Big Leaf Flamed Maple back, sides, and headstock, a gorgeous piece of Italian Alpine Spruce for the top, and a Venetian cutaway for greater upper fret access and a contemporary player’s look as well as highly elaborate and extravagant appointments all throughout the instrument. The guitar is finished in a beautiful Toasted Burst.
In terms of both sound and playability, this guitar is every bit as special as it looks. The highly-figured Pacific Big Leaf Flamed Maple imparts a bright, singing clarity to the tone. Chords strummed on this guitar will have completely full low-end whilst having a distinct bell tone that only maple can provide. The flame adds a mesmerizing new visual dimension – the depth of the grain when looking at it in the right light is truly stunning.
The combination of a spruce top, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard is Martin’s traditional combo of tonewoods for a reason – it has been the formula for the most balanced, pure acoustic tonal resonance since the Pre-War era. Along with the Grand Performance body shape, it will provide great volume, clear and full tone, and have a wide dynamic range conducive to both finger-picking, strummed chords, and single notes – and speaking of single notes, the classy “Venetian” cutaway makes this a true lead player’s workhorse with improved access to the upper frets for soloing.
For the players here at the shop, the greatest “Custom Shop” instruments combine the tone and playability that a certain model is known for with appointments such as the ones on this one that make it a true one-of-a-kind instrument and heirloom piece. As expected from the Custom Shop of arguably the most renowned and storied acoustic guitar builder in American guitar history, the playability, tonality and build quality are all top-notch.
This Custom Shop guitar had all of the woods and specifications selected by the dealer.
