1998 Martin 0-45JB Joan Baez Acoustic Guitar – Used

This Martin 0-45JB Joan Baez Signature Model was made in 1998 and it’s in excellent structural and cosmetic condition. It has just the slightest hint of fret wear. This model is, of course, inspired by the 1929 0-45 that Baez used for much of her career. This is number 11 in a limited edition of 59. The number was chosen because Baez started her career in 1959. Martin thought because it was a small, very expensive guitar that it would have limited appeal but the small run sold out immediately and it has since become one of the martin’s most sought after signature models.

Of course Martin still offers Style 45 abalone bordering, but for many years the pearl work has been done with Abalam, which is a material where abalone pieces are laminated together and supplied in small sheets which are then laser cut to follow the contours of the guitar. This 0-45, however, was done the old-fashioned way, using short strips cut from small pieces of the actual abalone shell. If you look closely, you can see the tiny pieces that were inlaid by hand, one by one, much as Martin had done it in the 1920s (and for decades before that).