C. F. Martin & Co. is teaming up with Grammy Award-winning artist and Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy on the all-new 000 Jr E Jeff Tweedy, as well as reintroducing the 00DB Jeff Tweedy, which was first rolled out in 2012.
According to Martin, the 00DB Jeff Tweedy “quickly became a favorite among players” due to its “warm, balanced voice” as well as its “pioneering” use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified tonewoods.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that, thirteen years later, the acoustic giant is rolling out the mahogany-bodied model with all of its player-approved features: a deeper 00 body for added resonance, scalloped European spruce X-bracing, and a long 25.4” scale – all wrapped up in a custom Tweedy Burst finish.
“The thing I love about my guitar, the deep-body element of it, is that it has a warmth for a smaller body guitar,” Tweedy comments. “It’s somewhere between a Dreadnought and an 0-style guitar.”
As for the other signature model being rolled out – the 000 Jr E Jeff Tweedy – it's designed to be more compact while still capturing the spirit of Tweedy's 00DB.
Much like the core model, it's crafted from FSC-certified sapele with the custom satin Tweedy Burst finish. Other features include a 000 Junior body with a full 24.9" scale length, Martin E1 electronics with a built-in tuner, and a Performing Artist neck for “easy playability.”
Commenting about the 000 Jr E Jeff Tweedy, the Wilco frontman says, “The idea that we could do this again, and then also offer a guitar that may be a little bit more affordable to people starting out, and maybe a little smaller for smaller hands starting out – that's a thrill to me. Someone buys a guitar with my name on it and takes it home – I hope it becomes a part of their daily habit of making some music.”
The two models trace their origins back to the vintage Martin 0-18 Tweedy acquired in the ’90s. It turned out to be a key addition to his guitar lineup, as he used it to write the celebrated Mermaid Avenue album with Billy Bragg, which set previously-unheard Woody Guthrie lyrics to music.
That guitar “became basically part of my writing voice,” he relates. “It’s the main acoustic I’ve had my whole life.”
As for his relationship with the instrument, Tweedy sums it up as, “Well-made guitars, like the Martin guitars that you make, inspire creativity because they don’t present an obstacle to creativity.”
Priced at $3,599 and $1,149 respectively, 00DB Jeff Tweedy and 000 Jr E Jeff Tweedy are now available through authorized Martin dealers worldwide and the brand's official website.
