The HD Elliot EastonCustom Signature Edition

forward-shifted, scalloped Adirondack sprucebraces, rare quilted mahogany back and sides,fine herringbone trim around the top and rosette,grained ivoroid binding, modified “V” neck withdiamond volute, gold Waverly™ tuners withbutterbean knobs, ebony bridge and fingerboard,long pattern “diamonds & squares” position

markers, the “Old Style” Martin decal on theheadplate and polished gloss lacquer f inishthroughout.

“I also wanted the guitar have ‘stage ready’electronics, so I requested the Fishman EllipseAura™ system (with a release date of August 2006)be available as a factory-installed option. Mountedinside the soundhole, it eliminates the need to cutinto the side of the guitar and – because it isvirtually invisible – allows the instrument to retainall of its aesthetic charm.

“The resulting guitar has more than exceededmy admittedly high expectations. This is myperfect Martin! From conception to completion, ithas been a labor of love. I am donating my “artist’sproceeds” from sales of the Martin HD ElliotEaston Custom Edition to the Nordoff-Robbins

Music Therapy Center for autistic children.”Elliot Easton’s appreciation of

good guitars comes from a lifetime ofplaying. Born in Brooklyn and raisedon Long Island, he began to playguitar after seeing Elvis, and also thesinging cowboys, on television. Afew years later, the Ventures and theBeatles inspired him to go electricand he progressed quickly: he waslead guitarist in a surf-rock bandwhile still in junior high school.During his development as anelectric player in the 1960s, healso regularly attended theannual Newport Folk Festival,and gained f luency in thest yles of everyone fromMississippi John Hurt andSkip James to Bert Jansch andJohn Fahey.

After graduating high school,he studied guitar at the Berklee

College of Music in Boston,where in 1974 he hooked up with

vocalist Ric Ocasek and bassist

Elliot Easton Custom Edition Gives Mahogany and Lefties Respect

Anyone who has heard El l iot Easton’sinventive hooks, imaginative arrangements andmelodic solos knows he is a gifted guitarist withimpeccable taste and tone. Easton establishedhis reputation as lead guitarist for The Cars, oneof the world’s most popular bands of the late1970s and 1980s, but his playing over the yearshas demonstrated an impressive stylistic range. Healso is among the most recognizable left-handedguitarists playing today.

Like many electric guitarists, Easton has anacoustic side that doesn’t get a lot of exposure. Thatacoustic side has been expressed almost exclusivelyon a Martin; his guitar collection includes several,which he primarily uses for songwriting and studiowork, but also occasionally takes on stage. So whenhe and C. F. Martin began to collaborate on a customedition guitar that would bear his name, Eastonproved ready for the challenge and very definiteabout how “his” guitar should sound and look.

As he commented, “I’ve owned my share of fineMartin guitars over the years, but I always keepcoming back to my 1970s D-18 and – in recent years– my D-18V and 00-18V. I love the sound ofmahogany: the sweetness, balance, purityof tone, and the ease with which itrecords. However, I ’ve neverunderstood why Martins madewith my favorite wood were so“plain jane,” with basic black ortortoise-shell bindings, rosewoodfingerboards and bridges, andsimplified fingerboard inlays, whilethe rosewood models got grainedivoroid bindings, ebonyfingerboards and bridges andelaborate fingerboard inlays,not to mention either elegantherringbone or bri l l iantabalone purfling!

“This new Martin – theHD Elliot Easton CustomEdition – is my bid toredress this situation andelevate the mahoganyguitar to the status it sorichly deserves. To that end,I have asked Martin to buildmy dream guitar: dreadnoughtbody, Adirondack spruce top and

Elliot Easton at his California home studio with the prototype of his left-handed HD Custom Signature Edition.

Benjamin Orr and played in two of their short-livedgroups: the acoustic-based Ocasek and Orr, and Cap’nSwing. In 1977, the threesome joined forces withkeyboards and sax player Greg Hawkes and drummerDavid Robinson to form The Cars. One of the band’sdemo records became a local hit in Boston and thegroup soon signed a record deal.

Between 1978 and 1987, The Cars released sevenalbums, all of which became multi-platinum sellers.Driven in part by Easton’s inspired guitar work, thegroup had a dozen “Top 40” singles, including “JustWhat I Needed,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Shake It Up,”“You Might Think,” “Magic,” “Drive,” and “Tonight SheComes.” The Cars have sold over 30 million albums andremain a radio favorite to this day.

Before The Cars disbanded in 1988, Elliot Eastonexpanded his musical horizons by releasing “Change,No Change,” a collaborative album with vocalist JulesShear. Beginning in the mid-1980s, he also appeared ona wide range of records, including “Two Rooms:Celebrating the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin,”on which he played with Hall and Oates, Brian Wilson’sfirst solo album, “The Guitars that Rule the World” andthe “Jackie Brown” soundtrack. In the late 1990s and

early 2000s, he toured and recorded with CreedenceClearwater Revisited.

Early in 2006, Easton and original Cars keyboardistGreg Hawkes joined vocalist Todd Rundgren, bassistKasim Sulton and drummer Prairie Prince to form TheNew Cars. The group’s first album, “It’s Alive!”, a mix oflive and brand new studio cuts, and its 2006 summerconcert tour of the United States give fans a fresh doseof his impressive fretwork.

In addition to the elements already noted, the HDElliot Easton Custom Edition features a TUSQ™ nut andcompensated TUSQ™ saddle, white bridge pins andend pin topped with “red eye” tortoise dot inlays, andsubtle aging toner on the top. The HD Elliot EastonCustom Edition may be ordered as a left-handed orright-handed instrument with no additional charge.Packed in a vintage-inspired Geib™-style case, eachMartin HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition guitar bears aninterior label individually signed by Elliot Easton andMartin Chairman C.F. Martin IV, and numbered insequence. The HD Elliot Easton Custom Edition is open-ended and authorized C.F. Martin dealers have alreadybegun accepting orders. Participating dealers will beposted on the Martin website, www.martinguitar.com.

ELLIOT EASTON CUSTOM SIGNATURE EDITION – SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL: HD Elliot Easton Custom Signature EditionCONSTRUCTION: Standard Series, Gloss Lacquer CompleteBODY SIZE: Dreadnought 14-fretTOP: Adirondack Spruce ROSETTE: Style 28 with Fine Herringbone Center RingTOP BRACING PATTERN: Forward ShiftedTOP BRACES: Adirondack Spruce, Scalloped, 5/16” WidthBACK: Quilted Mahogany, 2 PieceBACK PURFLING: HD-28 Style Zig ZagCAUTION STAMP: None, “C. F. Martin & Co., Nazareth, PA” Stamping

Between 1st & 2nd Back BracesBLOCK TO READ: (Laser Etched Martin Logo)

CUSTOMElliot Easton

Serial NumberSIDES: Quilted Mahogany With Side Reinforcement StripsRIBBON: Spanish CedarEND PIECE: Grained IvoroidEND PIECE INLAY: .0325” Black/White (Black Faces Ivoroid)BINDING: 6/32” Grained Ivoroid, Fine Pattern Herringbone Top InlayBACK INLAY: Grained Ivoroid With .0325” Black/White Inlay NECK: Genuine Mahogany, Gold Strap Button On Neck Heel NECK SHAPE: Modified VTRUSS ROD: AdjustableHEADSTOCK: Solid Square Tapered With Diamond VoluteHEADPLATE: East Indian Rosewood, Old Style Decal LogoHEELCAP: Grained IvoroidNUT: Genuine BoneFINGERBOARD: African Black EbonySCALE LENGTH: 25.4”# OF FRETS CLEAR: 14# OF FRETS TOTAL: 20FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT NUT: 1 11/16”FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT 12th FRET: 2 1/8”FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Diamonds & Squares, Long Pattern SIDE POSITION DOTS: White, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, double at 12th, 15th, 17th.FINGERBOARD BINDING: UnboundFINISH BODY: Polished Gloss Lacquer, No Stain, Dark Filler Like D-18GEFINISH TOP: Polished Gloss Lacquer, Aging Toner FINISH NECK: Polished Gloss Lacquer Complete, Dark Mahogany Stain, Dark FillerBRIDGE: African Black Ebony, Belly BridgeBRIDGE SPACING: 2 1/8”SADDLE: White TUSQ® CompensatedACTION: 2 & 3TUNING MACHINES: Gold Waverly With Butterbean KnobsSTRINGS: SP4200 Medium Gauge Phosphor BronzeBRIDGE & END PINS: White With Red Eye Tortoise Colored DotPICKGUARD: IO3 Polished & BeveledCASE: #545E Vintage Geib StyleINTERIOR LABEL(S): Personally Signed By Elliot Easton & C. F. Martin IV,

Numbered In Sequence Without TotalELECTRONICS: Electronics Option Pending Release Of Ellipse Aura System.

Many Other Optional Electronics Packages AvailableNO CHARGE OPTIONS: Lefthanded or Righthanded At No Additional Charge

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE$4899.00

This model may be ordered through your local

Authorized Martin Dealership