Hand-selected Tonewoods from the 2024 NAMM Show

For the guitarist after a one-of-a-kind capstone to their Martin collection, you’d be hard-pressed to top the exquisitely adorned Martin Custom Shop Sitka Spruce Grand Concert. This marvelous Martin wears a custom wood set handpicked from the 2024 NAMM show, starting with a VTS Sitka spruce top that’s been torrefied to bring out a broken-in tone without decades of playing. Supporting the top is a set of ziricote back and sides — this world-class tonewood ripples with deep, nearly three-dimensional figuring and a beautifully balanced, bell-like voice. Along with a genuine mahogany Modified Low Oval neck and a bound ebony fingerboard, these tonewoods form a stunning canvas for the Custom Shop Sitka Spruce Grand Concert’s jaw-dropping level of trim. Style 45 hexagon fingerboard inlays beam with a multi-colored sheen, matched by the intricate inlaid mosaic purfling that enwraps the top, back, and fingerboard extension. Moreover, this Martin is no mere showpiece — LR Baggs Anthem electronics give you the power to take the stage with ultra-authentic plugged-in tone whenever you desire. It’s all topped off with Waverly gold tuners/BB buttons, gold Liquidmetal bridge pins with paua, and the iconic CFM-style Martin logo inlaid into the headstock..

Tempting tonewoods: ziricote, Sitka spruce, and more!

Sweetwater specifically selected the tonewoods for Custom Shop Sitka Spruce Grand Concert. These woods deliver not only best-in-class sound but also striking visual appeal with heavy figuring and eye-grabbing grain. The back and sides are crafted from ziricote, a superb and responsive Central American tonewood. Ziricote is often described as similar to ebony and rosewood, but with more balanced overtones and strong individual note clarity, especially when fingerpicking. Meanwhile, a Sitka spruce top ensures a sweet sound and a responsive feel with great projection.

Martin’s Vintage Tone System

Sweetwater’s tone connoisseurs are always in search of the perfect guitar tone, and in the acoustic world, one of the most beloved tones is that of a vintage Martin. Martin’s Vintage Tone System (VTS) is a proprietary torrefaction (thermochemical aging) process applied to the tops and braces of VTS guitars to achieve the sound of an aged and played-in instrument. The Vintage Tone System allows Martin to age the woods to a specific time period without the typical change in color that results from most roasting processes. Martin VTS guitars not only look and play like lovingly cared-for vintage guitars, but they also have that sought-after sound.

About Martin Custom Shop

If you’re like us here at Sweetwater and often dream about guitars that may not exist, the Martin Custom Shop is the place to turn for unique limited runs built with care. Each Martin Custom Shop acoustic guitar is built by hand in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, by luthiers who match your passion for unique instruments. The Martin Custom Shop builds instruments for iconic players and hobbyists alike, with options ranging from classic tonewoods like rosewood, mahogany, and spruce to stunning figured rarities like koa, flame maple, and Brazilian rosewood. Each Martin Custom Shop guitar is crafted to deliver classic Martin performance, but with satiating extras like custom inlays and premium binding — all tied together by an unparalleled attention to detail.

Martin Custom Shop Sitka Spruce Grand Concert Features:

A truly one-of-a-kind Martin Custom Shop creation, built with hand-picked woodsets from the NAMM 2024 show
VTS Sitka spruce top delivers the touch-sensitive response and the dynamics of a vintage guitar from your very first strum
Ziricote back and sides give you rich, clear tone with balanced fundamentals and overtones
Genuine mahogany neck shaped into Martin’s fan-favorite Modified Low Oval profile
Jet-black ebony fingerboard wearing Style 45 Hexagon inlays with select abalone and binding that travels all the way up to the headstock
Gorgeous mosaic purfling enwraps the top, back, and fingerboard extension
Iconic CFM block border inlay logo for a touch of golden-era Martin charm
Includes a Custom Shop Deluxe case with embroidery
Gold Liquidmetal bridge pins, complete with eye-catching paua
High-performing Waverly gold tuning machines glimmer with BB buttons
Industry-leading LR Baggs Anthem electronics faithfully translate your acoustic tone when you plug in

Why Buy Your Guitar from Itoli?

See how itoli goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Warranty Info

Itoli FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Save money with FREE parts and labor
Get back to making music with the industry’s fastest turnaround time
Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department