Tag Archive for: Martin

Killer Guitar

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From Vanity Fair:

Earlier this month, Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, finalized a divorce settlement with ex Isaiah Silva. As part of the agreement, Silva gained possession of the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar the late Nirvana frontman played in the band”™s legacy-burnishing 1993 appearance on MTV Unplugged.

The instrument is a genuinely iconic artifact of alterna-rock history. As TMZ reported at the time, Cobain wanted a full break with Silva as soon as possible and hoped it would help settle things for good. The settlement came five months after a judge declared the marriage over. According to reports, Cobain will keep the home the couple purchased together.

Silva, however, does not appear to be letting things go. According to reports, he filed a new suit alleging that Love conspired with Britney Spears”™s former manager Sam Lutfi (who has also reportedly managed Love), 13 Reasons Why actor Ross Butler, private investigator and security expert John Nazarian, and musician Michael Schenk to murder him and steal back the guitar.

All that for a sixty-year old guitar. It is a unique piece though. Martin only made 302 of them.

Reverb puts the estimated price range of the D-18E at somewhere between $6,000 and $8,000.

Chicago Music Exchange had one and put up this video on the guitar:

Because Cobain played it live on MTV, someone is probably willing to pay millions for it.

Perhaps even willing to kill someone for it.

Martin and 2 Million Guitars

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Martin2M

I’ve never owned a Martin guitar, which is perhaps a bit unusual as I grew up during a time when Martin guitars were “the guitar” to own if you wanted a high quality acoustic. I was a bit of a rebel and I bought a Guild D-70 way back in 1972. I would have preferred the Martin however it was beyond my reach. I could not afford the D-35 at the time.

Since then, I have played Taylor and Collings acoustic guitars. The latter being an incredible acoustic guitar.

But, every now and then, I think about a Martin.

Number 2 million is based on a D-45 style body with Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides and Engelmann spruce on the top. Extensive handcrafted features borrow heavily from a watch design including a functional watch located in the headstock, courtesy of RGM Watchmakers.

Very unique looking instrument.

Martin2MFullBody

Here is a video from Guitar World with some background on the instrument.