SOLD - Martin Sting: Mini Signature Edition #35 of 100 (Signed by Sting) - USA 2005

SOLD

From Martin: 

An ardent conservationist and cofounder of The Rainforest Foundation, which works to preserve the world's threatened rainforests and to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples, Sting asked that the Martin Sting: Mini be built with tonewoods managed and harvested with forest preservation in mind. In keeping with Sting's commitment to ecology and rainforest protection, 77% of the wood utilized in the construction of the Sting: Mini Signature Edition guitar originated in forests managed in a sustainable and ecologically responsible manner. In addition, the Martin Sting: Mini utilizes spruce braces from reclaimed sources constituting 8.4% of the utilized wood. While some of the tonewoods are non-traditional, they blend together to form a beautiful looking and sounding instrument with tremendous professional integrity.  

The Martin Sting: Mini features a top of western red cedar, highly regarded among guitar builders for warm tone and superb responsiveness. Scalloped 1/4" top bracing assures impressive volume. The back and sides are Soloman padauk, a beautiful red-orange tonewood similar in sound to mahogany. The neck of genuine mahogany is harvested from sustainable sources, and the fingerboard and straight line (non-belly) bridge are crafted from katalox, a beautiful wood with a density and color similar to rosewood.  

A generous 1-3/4" at the nut, the neck features a very comfortable semi-V profile, diamond volute and solid squared, tapered headstock. The headplate, also of Soloman padauk, provides a handsome backdrop to the old-style C. F. Martin & Co. gold logo and Gotoh nickel vintage-style tuners. Long pattern abalone pearl diamonds and squares position markers on the Martin Sting: Mini's fingerboard led to Sting's signature in pearl between the 17th and 18th frets. 

The body of the Martin Sting: Mini features a distinctive mix of appointments that show off the tonewoods to advantage. Fine herringbone purfling around the top and a Style 45 rosette with a center ring of "Ablam" abalone pearl accentuate the handsome color of the red cedar. A Style HD zig-zag back strip divides the Soloman padauk back. Tortoise-colored binding on the Martin Sting: Mini's top and back are matched by a tortoise-colored end piece and tortoise colored dot inlays on the white bridge pins and endpin. In the tradition of parlour guitars, the Sting: Mini does not come with a pickguard.  

Finishing touches include a lustrous polished gloss finish on the guitar body and headplate, satin finish on the neck, and bone nut and compensated bone saddle. Per Sting's request, each Martin Sting: Mini is set up with ultra-low action and equipped with custom gauge "terz" strings with high-octave basses to facilitate "Nashville-style" tuning that is often used in recording studios to add high treble brilliance to the mix.  

Only 100 of the Martin Sting: Mini Signature Edition guitars were produced. Each bears two interior labels: a Signature Edition label personally signed by Sting and Martin Chairman C. F. Martin IV and is numbered in sequence with the edition total, plus a Sustainable Wood Series label that explains the wood content percentage.  

Features: 

• Construction: 1 style; sustainable cherry blocks; mortise/tenon neck joint 
• Body Size: size 5 terz 12-fret 
• Top: western red cedar 
• Rosette: style 45 
• Top Bracing Pattern: size 5 pattern 
• Top Braces: Scalloped 1/4'' 
• Back Material: Sustainable solomon padauk 
• Back Purfling: HD zig zag 
• Side Material: Sustainable solomon padauk 
• Endpiece: Tortoise color 
• Binding: Tortoise color 
• Top Inlay Style: Fine herringbone 
• Side Inlay: None 
• Back Inlay: Black/white 
• Neck Material: Sustainable solid mahogany - 5 style 
• Neck Shape: Slight V 
• Nut Material: Bone 
• Headstock: Solid/diamond/tapered 
• Headplate: Sustainable solomon padauk /large old-style logo 
• Heelcap: Tortoise color 
• Fingerboard Material: Sustainable katalox 
• Scale Length: 21.4" 
• No. of Frets Clear: 12 
• No. of Frets Total: 18 
• Fingerboard Width at Nut: 1 3/4'' 
• Fingerboard Width at 12th fret: 2 1/4'' 
• Fingerboard Position Inlays: Select pearl in diamonds & squares - long pattern 
• Finish Back & Sides: Polished Gloss/dark mahogany stain 
• Finish Top: Polished gloss w/vintage toner 
• Finish Neck: Satin w/ dark mahogany stain 
• Bridge Material: Sustainable katalox 
• Bridge Style: Size 5 
• Bridge String Spacing: 2 1/4'' 
• Saddle: 16'' radius/compensated/bone 
• Tuning Machines: Gotoh nickel open geared w/ butterbean knobs 
• Bridge & End Pins: White w/ tortoise-coloured dots