Martin Guitars has announced two very special limited-edition John Mayer signature guitars to celebrate the guitar icon’s 20 years endorsing the firm, dubbed the OMJM and OM-45 John Mayer Anniversary.
Aside from the glittering Mayer associations, the acoustic guitars are notable for introducing a finish that will look somewhat familiar to Gibson fans – a silverburst-like paint job named Gray Sunburst.
The OM-45 then goes a considerable step further. Where Mayer’s first signature model used an inlaid aluminum border on the headstock and bridge, here Martin has splashed the cash on actual silver – and extended the pattern to include the fingerboard and pickguard.
In terms of more traditional guitar-building materials, the top is Engelmann spruce and the back and sides are Guatemalan Rosewood, while an ebony fingerboard makes a nice foil (geddit?) to the silver inlays.
As with Mayer’s other models, there’s a reduced 1 11/16th width at the nut (which we’re certain is the main reason he can play Neon so much better than the rest of us). That one comes in at $18,499 and comes complete with a label signed by Mayer himself.
Then there’s a more affordable option in the form of the OMJM. That’s still $3,999, but it does have that fetching Gray Sunburst finish and a nice combination of Engelmann spruce top and East Indian Rosewood on the back and sides.
It also shares the same neck measurements (25.4” scale-length and the 1 11/16th width at the nut) as it’s more expensive sibling, but it’s not inlaid with the Mayer family silver. You also get the excellent Fishman Gold Plus Natural I pickup system included.
If the sparkling finishes of the Mayer Martins have left you blinking, then there are two more releases from the firm that might offer some respite.
The D-15E is a mahogany-topped, 14-fret (to body) dreadnought with sapele back and sides and non-scalloped bracing, which reportedly makes for “bright, airy trebles and a punchy midrange.”
Finally, the SC-10E-02 offers a similar build to the aforementioned D-15E (sapele and mahogany, non-scalloped bracing), but brings the option of a single-cut format and the firm’s clever Sure-Align neck construction.
The D-15E and SC-10E-02 will retail for $1,299 and $999, respectively. For more information on all the new models, head to Martin.
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