MINT Condition CF C. F. Martin Mike Longworth D45 D-45 Limited Edition Guitar

This auction WILL END: WEDNESDAY FEB 8th at 10:00 PM Eastern STD Time.

MINT CONDITION Made in USA in 2005!  Best offer considered for fast sale.

C. F. Martin, CF Martin, C.F. Martin LIMITED EDITION: 

        UPDATED  on Tuesday Feb 7th: Scroll to see 16 New Pictures!!

Mike Longworth Commemorative D45 D-45 Acoustic Guitar with original Hard case.

See Actual pictures Below!!   Retailed for $13999.00 when it was new. Only 91 of this model in the world! This is number 74. It looks as if it was NEVER played! NO scratches, NO dents, NOT EVEN DUST!! LIKE BRAND  NEW!!! From an astute Martin guitar collector who currently has over 100 valuable Martins guitars in climate controlled storage. Stored in a smoke free, dust free environment. In our opinion, none in the collection are as sought after as this model. It has the vintage looks, vintage tone and vintage feel. And you can buy it at a price that is 1/10th or better of what pre-war D45 models fetch! This D45 is not a glorified D28 or HD28, D41 or D42. Once you play this guitar you can say it is truly the creme de la creme, the supreme elite and above all others in performance and value. OWN IT!

Gently Pre-owned,  but GUARANTEED MINT condition!  Fantastic action, looks and heavenly tone!

                  Info from Martin on this limited edition model: C. F. Martin D-45 Mike Longworth

"Mike Longworth was a Renaissance man in the truest sense of the word. During his nearly 30 years at Martin, he helped resurrect the legendary D-45, designed the popular D-41, assisted in the return of the herringbone trim\ with the HD-28 and wrote the first reference book on Martin guitars! A revered member of the C.F. Martin & Co. family, he retired in 1995. In tribute to his many contributions, Martin presented the D-45 Mike Longworth Commemorative Edition. There will be only 91 of these made."
                    Standard and Unique Features:
* Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint, * BODY SIZE: D-14 Fret, * TOP: Solid Adirondack Spruce, * ROSETTE: Style 45, * TOP BRACING PATTERN: D-OMLE Forward Shifted, * TOP BRACES: Solid Adirondack Spruce/ Scalloped 5/16'' Golden Era, * BACK MATERIAL: Solid East Indian Rosewood with Sitka Golden Era Braces, * BACK PURFLING: Style 45 Golden Era, * SIDE MATERIAL: Solid East Indian Rosewood, * ENDPIECE: Grained Ivoroid Style 45 Mitered, * ENDPIECE INLAY BINDING: Grained Ivoroid, * TOP INLAY STYLE: Abalone Pearl with Black/Maple/Black Fiber Inlays, * SIDE INLAY: Abalone Pearl with Black/Maple/Black Fiber Inlays, * BACK INLAY: Abalone Pearl with Black/Maple/Black Fiber Inlays, * NECK MATERIAL: Solid Genuine Mahogany, * NECK SHAPE: Modified V, * NUT MATERIAL: Fossilized Ivory, * HEADSTOCK: Solid/Long Diamond/Tapered, * HEADPLATE: Solid East Indian Rosewood /CFM Logo in M.O.P., * HEELCAP: Grained Ivoroid, * FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony, * SCALE LENGTH: 25.4", * NUMBER OF FRETS CLEAR: 14, * NUMBER OF FRETS TOTAL: 20, * FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Golden Era Style-45 Snowflakes, * FINISH BACK & SIDES: Polished Gloss/ Dark Filler, * FINISH TOP: Polished Gloss/ Vintage Toner, * FINISH NECK: Polished Gloss/ Dark Mahogany Stain/Dark Filler, * BRIDGE MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony, * BRIDGE STYLE: 1930s Style Belly - Long Saddle, * SADDLE: Long Saddle/Fossil Ivory, * TUNING MACHINES: Waverly Gold w/ Butterbean Knobs, * BRIDGE & END PINS: Fossil Ivory w/ Black Pearl Dots, * PICKGUARD: Tortoise Color (D45 Style), * CASE: 545 Geib Style.

 ACTUAL Pictures below Copyright 2012 Sound Associates Music Dot c o m

NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT HOW THIS MODEL CAME TO BE: A guitar to honor a craftsman,
C.F. Martin names limited edition for legendary worker Longworth.  Dated February 13, 2005|By Kurt Blumenau Of The Morning Call

The list of signature-model guitars made by C.F. Martin & Co. reads like a picker's hall of fame, with names such as Eric Clapton and country legend Norman Blake. Last month, the Upper Nazareth Township guitar maker inducted one of its own into the club. Martin introduced the D-45 Mike Longworth signature model at an industry convention, honoring the company's official historian and one of its best-known employees.

Longworth joined the company as a craftsman in the late 1960s, later becoming Martin's liaison to dealers, owners and players. He charmed celebrities and everyday pickers alike with wry humor and an encyclopedic knowledge of company history. He retired in 1995, and died two years ago in his home state of Tennessee. "He was the face of Martin for almost two-and-a-half decades," said Dick Boak, Martin's manager of artist relations.

The Longworth guitar will not be a major production model for Martin: The company is making only 91 of the instruments. The guitars carry a suggested price of $13,999, placing them on the high end of Martin's price sheet. The guitar is noteworthy as a rare tribute to a valued employee. Only a few Martin insiders have ever had a signature model named in their honor. They include company founder C.F. Martin and current Chief Executive Officer C.F. "Chris" Martin IV, who designed a line of instruments called the CEO Series.

Longworth never had a hit record, and did not become a household name. But his legacy in the music industry remains strong. Martin's Boak believes dealers have placed orders for all 91 guitars, less than a month after the Longworth model was unveiled. "The dealers loved Mike," Boak said. "Mike always took care of them."

The Longworth guitar is based on Martin's D-45 -- one of the company's flagship guitars, and the instrument that brought Longworth and Martin together. Martin made just 91 of the big, powerful D-45s between 1933 and 1942, when the model was phased out because of World War II-related materials shortages. The original D-45s rank as some of the most collectible guitars made, commanding prices of $150,000 or more. The guitars became especially sought after during the folk music boom of the 1960s. At the time, Longworth was an Air Force veteran, bluegrass banjo player and instrument repairman working in Tennessee.

Lester Flatt's L-5
Longworth, a collector of vintage instruments, knew how to make newer Martins look like old classics by adding the pearl inlay decorations used on old D-45s. His customers included bluegrass star Lester Flatt and country singer Hank Snow. Flatt's guitar was Longworth's fifth project, so he added the number "L-5" to the guitar's fingerboard. Flatt's L-5 became such a well-known instrument in bluegrass circles that fans referred to the "Martin L-5" as if it were an actual production model. "There is no Martin L-5 model -- the only real one is the one that Lester owned," said Bill Palmer, a banjo repairman from Texas who knew Longworth. "Mike used to get a big kick out of seeing "genuine Martin L-5s' at bluegrass festivals."

Longworth's work was so impressive and historically accurate that Martin hired him in 1968 to help relaunch the D-45. He guided the company toward accurate details on other vintage-style models, and also suggested the launch of the D-41, a less decorated version of the D-45. But his dry humor and deep knowledge of Martin history proved even more valuable than his inlay skills. He became Martin's consumer relations manager, the company's main contact with dealers and owners. It was a fitting role for a man who drew a crowd whenever pickers gathered, said Longworth's widow, Sue. "He had a presence that just seemed to fill the room," said Sue Longworth, who married Mike in 1964. "He could hold court anywhere he went."

In 1975, Longworth wrote "Martin Guitars: A History," the first comprehensive record of Martin's story. The book, which has since been updated, remains a vital reference for guitar fans. Many simply refer to it as "Longworth."

Longworth's sense of humor, meanwhile, lives on at LouZee Banjos, the instrument company he co-founded after leaving Martin. His droll, hyperbolic sales pitch for LouZee -- pronounced "lousy" -- instruments remain on the company's Web site. "Owning a LouZee Banjo will most likely be a lot more satisfying than a new set of drapes," he wrote. "Just imagine the increased respect your children will attain in school when their fellow students say, "There go the kids whose parent plays a LouZee Banjo!"'

In a testament to Longworth's popularity and personality, his funeral in 2003 drew mourners from the United Kingdom and across the United States. Boak, who first conceived the idea of a Longworth guitar, called Sue Longworth about a year later with the news that Martin wanted to make an instrument honoring her husband.
"About all I could say was, "Oh, my,"' Sue Longworth said. "I cried like a baby."

End of article.

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 Sound Associates Music 225 North Perry St Lawrenceville, GA 30046. 770-963-8701.
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 Since 1975: Same owners, location and phone.