Martin has collaborated with outdoor brand Sitka Gear and country star Thomas Rhett to produce a custom HD-28 acoustic guitar, which is set to be auctioned off in aid of waterfowl research and conservation.
The guitar has been used onstage by Rhett across his full summer tour and has several unique features. The most eye-catching is the pickguard, which uses an epoxy infused with GORE-TEX material in Sitka’s Optifade camo pattern.
In addition, there’s a nod to the charitable origins of the instrument, with an inlay of the brand’s Darkest Before Dawn mallard artwork on the top of the instrument, which is made from (what else?) sitka spruce.
Elsewhere, the fingerboard has custom hexagon inlays in a color lifted from the aforementioned camo pattern and ‘Sitka x Thomas Rhett’ inlaid over the uppermost fret.
The Sitka HD-28 is otherwise constructed from a selection of premium tone woods including East Indian Rosewood on the back and sides, a satin mahogany neck, an ebony fingerboard and bridge, and European flame maple on the binding and endpiece. Electronics are handled by a Fishman Infinity Matrix system.
Rhett says he put the instrument to good use on his Bring The Bar To You tour earlier this year.
“This guitar has been out with me from coast to coast this summer and I’m pumped to pass it on to the new owner in November,” says Rhett.
“It makes more than music. It makes a statement that represents my love for the outdoors and our efforts to keep it wild for generations to come.”
Bidding has already started for the unique HD-28 and, at the time of writing, sits at $11,500. Sitka says it will match the winning bid with a donation of up to $50,000, with the auction proceeds set to benefit a nationwide network of wild fowl study and conservation organizations, including University of Arkansas at Monticello, California Waterfowl, Five Oaks Ag Research & Education Center, Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited and others.
The auction closes in mid-November. You can place a bid by heading to the Martin Sitka Gear x Thomas Rhett HD-28 auction page.
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