Joe Bonamassa and Martin are working on another super high-end acoustic guitar, and this one really is a holy grail, with the blues guitar superstar teasing a 000-45 prototype built with Brazilian rosewood.
Bonamassa was sparing with the details. He didn’t give us much to work with, except a couple of photos on his Instagram account, including a peek inside the soundhole to confirm the model name. “Look out!! Coming in hot! What an honour of a lifetime!!” writes Bonamassa.
From this vantage point, it looks a lot like his latest signature guitar with the Nazareth, PA brand, the replica of his 1941 000-45 that was unveiled in November. Again, that looks like Adirondack spruce on the top. There is the faux tortoiseshell pickguard, and a generous splash of abalone detail on the purfling, rosette and the “Style 45” snowflake inlays on the fingerboard. The fingerboard and bridge are ebony.
That, too, was what you would call a unicorn. It still had the original ticket on it when Bonamassa handed it to Martin’s luthiers for reference. It also had quite the story behind it, with the sale of this pre-War rarity allowing a woman to keep her home.
“I don’t collect guitars, I collect stories,” said Bonamassa. “I don’t collect instruments because I want a deal on them. I want to collect instruments because I want to help a family out of financial trouble, and they have this one item that could be sold for lots of money... It was the last thing of value that she had, so it saved her house, and I got a wonderful guitar and a hell of a story.”
That 1941 reproduction retailed at a cool $19,999, but collectors will surely have to dig a bit deeper on this forthcoming model. You will find Guatemalan rosewood on Bonamassa's 1941 000-45; swapping that out for Brazilian rosewood – which for many players it is the ultimate acoustic guitar tonewood – is a not going to come cheap. Brazilian rosewood has all but been consigned to the history books, only rarely popping up when a company has found existing stocks of it.
Once upon a time that’s what you found on Martin acoustics, pre-CBS era Fender, and on Gibson fingerboards – both electric guitars and acoustics. Owing to its scarcity, Martin stopped using it in 1969.
In 1992, it was added to CITES and was only allowed to be used if it had already been harvested before then or proven that it had fallen naturally. A lot of paperwork was and is needed to prove it, and players need to be extra careful if considering touring with an instrument with Brazilian rosewood on it.
Will we see this Joe Bonamassa Martin at NAMM 2025? It might be too early for an official launch but if you are visiting Anaheim in January, check out the Martin stand. The prototype might be on show. For more details on Joe Bonamassa’s 1941 000-45, see Martin.
