Custom Shop Build Overview

This Martin Custom Shop M-36 Style 0000 is part of a special run of guitars built from tonewoods personally selected during a visit to the Martin factory in October 2024. Each instrument in the run was designed to showcase responsive Adirondack tops and visually striking rosewood backs.

This particular guitar features a hand-selected Adirondack spruce top paired with East Indian rosewood back and sides with a dramatic Wild East Indian Rosewood wedge. The Adirondack top was chosen for its stiffness and responsiveness, delivering excellent projection and headroom while maintaining clarity even when played aggressively.

The M (0000) body size offers a unique tonal balance that many players prefer over traditional dreadnought designs. With a wide lower bout and slightly shallower depth, the 0000 body produces strong projection and bass response while maintaining excellent note separation and clarity.

Tone & Performance

The combination of Adirondack spruce and the 0000 body shape results in a guitar that feels lively, responsive, and powerful while avoiding the excessive boominess sometimes associated with larger dreadnought bodies.

Strong projection and dynamic headroom from the Adirondack top
Balanced bass response with excellent note clarity
Clear articulation across the fretboard
Versatile voice suited for fingerstyle, strumming, and flatpicking

The result is a highly versatile guitar that delivers power and balance in equal measure.

Custom Shop Craftsmanship

Handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, this Custom Shop instrument incorporates Martin’s traditional dovetail neck joint and solid tonewood construction to maximize resonance and long-term stability.

The guitar features Golden Era scalloped Adirondack bracing, allowing the soundboard to move freely and respond quickly to a player’s touch.

The beautiful wild East Indian rosewood wedge adds a distinctive visual element to the back of the guitar while maintaining the classic M-36 aesthetic.