This is my baby, my favorite guitar by far. It is a Custom C.F. Martin 12-fret 00-sized guitar. As a Cutom, it has no official designation from the company. However, there have been about 50 of them made by Martin based on the same set of specifications. These specs were put together of the course of months collectively by the membership of the UMGF and then finalized by forum Moderator Mac Carter in colloboration with Martin's Dick Boak and Bob Fehr. The resulting instrument could reasonably be designated a 00-18VS UMGF. That is, a 00-sized instrument in vintage Style 18 trim with a 12-fret neck/body and a slotted headstock. Martin's formal specs are listed here.

It features a sitka spruce top over a quilted mahogany back and sides, Old Style 18 simplified rosette of inlaid black rings, faux tortoise binding around the body, fine herringbone purfling inlaid in the top, a 12-fret neck of genuine mahogany, black ebony fretboard and bridge, Old Style 18 graduated abalone dots on the fingerboard (that is, they're not all the same size), a slotted headstock and Waverly open-gear tuning machines. Like my HD-28V, this is another example of breathtakingly gorgeous Martin understated elegance. The 12-fret body and neck configuration results in the bridge being placed more directly over the center of the lower bout which makes this a surprisingly loud and powerful little guitar -- it's not a dread' and will never be mistaken for one, but it fills a room with sound very nicely. Recall that in the early 20th Century, a 00-sized guitar was considered a large instrument!

The mahogany body and sitka top respond well to light strumming but this instrument truly excels at fingerstyle playing, especially the fingerpicked blues that I have become enamored with over the last while. While this will always be more guitar than I can justify by my meager skills, it still makes me sound better than I am! :-) And it is just so gorgeous to look at. While approximately 50 have been made by Martin to date, I am aware of only perhaps six or seven which have been sold by their original owners. Mine is # 15 of the series. Frankly I was initially a little disappointed in receiving #15. I ordered mine the very day Mac posted the specifications on the UMGF - his is Number 1 of course. Mine was