Brand: Martin
Instrument Categories: Classical and Flamenco, Guitars, REDUCED, SOLD
Built from 1997 to 2000, the Martin Thomas Humphrey C-1R offers a Humphrey element normally found primarily on high-end classicals – an elevated fingerboard.
Thomas Humphrey was an American luthier who apprenticed for a year with Michael Gurian around 1970, and then opened his own shop. In 1985, after many experiments with increasing power and sustain, he conceived what became his ‘Millenium’ guitar. This model used the elevated fingerboard, which really thins the body at the neck block, with the effect of raising the fingerboard. This can provide improved access to the upper frets, and increase the upward angle of string tension at the bridge. Thomas Humphrey died in April of 2008 at his home in Gardiner, New York.
Humphrey was not precisely the first to use this design as it was used for different reasons by Stauffer in the first part of the 19th century, and is found on Stauffer-style guitars built by C. F. Martin himself in the mid to late 1830s. Here, there is also a lock and key neck angle adjustment mechanism. Seeing the elevated fingerboard on a modern Martin is a reflection of Martin’s earliest days!
This Martin Thomas Humphrey C-1R dates to 1998 and is in very good, clean condition. It features a solid Red Cedar top with Sitka Spruce bracing and laminate Indian Rosewood back and sides. The body uses a tapered construction to allow the elevated fingerboard. Mahogany is used for the body blocks and neck. The bridge and radiused fingerboard are Indian Rosewood. For hardware, the tuners are excellent Gotoh 35G1800 models with 2R buttons.
This unusual guitar plays well, and the
Sold with its original Martin black, green lined hard shell case.
- Model: C-1R
- Year: 1998
- Finish Natural
- Class: Used
- Country of Origin: USA
- Condition: Very Good
- Date Posted: 30/09/2022
- This instrument has been sold
- Consignment Item
- Including original Hard case
- Instrument Weight: 3.784lbs 1.72kg
- Scale Length: 25.59in 650mm
- Nut Width: 2.045in 51.97mm
