Here’s a wonderfully unique guitar that marries Martin’s larger 0000 body with a 12 fret neck, Style 28 with Sinker Mahogany back and sides, and adds in a lavishly appointed Style 45 neck and fingerboard for good measure. It all comes together brilliantly and is a remarkably good sounding creation from Martin’s Custom Shop that was designed and originally sold by Gruhn Guitars. With a voice that’s somewhere between a 12-fret D-18S and an OM-18 Authentic, this 0000-12 offers something that you’ve likely never experienced before. The bass response is big and warm while the midrange is equal parts fundamental and harmonic, in a grand-piano kind of way. Flatpicking and fingerstyle are both well suited to this uniquely-sized guitar.

The 0000 body size measures 16” across the lower bout, or about an inch wider than a standard 12-fret 000. While the 0000 size has been built as a flat top since the mid 1970s (think M-36, M-38, and J-40 models), this is the first 12-fret 0000 we’ve ever encountered. It’s a large guitar but feels quite comfortable thanks to its curvy figure and standard OM/000 4” body depth.

The guitar is built with an Adirondack red rpuce top, forward-positioned scalloped X Adirondack bracing, and vintage herringbone trim. Ivoroid bindings line the headstock, neck, and body; the rosette has an early 30’s wood-and-celluloid style 28 design, and the headstock and fingerboard are dressed up with pre-war Style 45 pearl inlays. Other niceties include an angled-bottom bone nut, nickel Waverly tuning machines, gloss lacquer finish throughout, and a bevel-edged tortoise celluloid pickguard.

The ‘Modified Low Oval’ neck has a medium C carve, 1-13/16” width at the nut, and 25.4” string scale. Bridge string spacing is appropriately vintage at 2-5/16”.

This guitar is in exceptional condition and presents as close to ‘Showroom New’ as is possible. It has been set-up here with 12-53 strings and an action of 4.5-7 64ths and offers ample saddle height for further adjustment.