Martin 00-18 Joe Bonamassa Signature - 1937 Sunburst

Martin 00-18 Joe Bonamassa Signature - 1937 Sunburst

The Martin 00-18 Joe Bonamassa is a deeply personal tribute to one of Joe Bonamassa’s most treasured vintage instruments: his pre-war 1937 Martin 00-18 shade-top. Developed in close collaboration with Bonamassa, this new Signature Artist Edition captures the visual character and vintage soul of his original guitar while delivering the consistency and precision of a brand-new Martin. The custom 1937 Joe Bonamassa Sunburst recreates the distinctive shading and years of wear found on Joe’s original, giving this guitar the unmistakable appearance of a beautifully played vintage instrument right out of the case.

Built in Martin’s Nazareth, Pennsylvania workshop, the 00-18 Bonamassa pairs a solid spruce top with genuine mahogany back and sides, producing the warm, focused and remarkably responsive voice that has made the 18 Series a cornerstone of Martin’s history. The compact 00 body is exceptionally comfortable while delivering plenty of punch and articulation, making it an especially compelling choice for blues, fingerstyle, folk and intimate songwriting. Golden Era scalloped X-bracing adds an open, dynamic response and vintage-inspired sustain, while the GE Modified Low Oval neck with Standard Taper and 1 3/4" nut width provides a familiar, substantial feel rooted in Martin’s pre-war designs.

What makes the 00-18 Joe Bonamassa particularly special is how closely it connects a modern production instrument to a genuinely important piece of guitar history. Bonamassa personally compared an early prototype with his original 1937 00-18 in the studio, putting the two instruments head-to-head. The result is an extraordinary Martin that feels less like a conventional signature model and more like a carefully considered recreation of a guitar with decades of stories behind it. Finished with faux tortoise appointments, ebony fingerboard and bridge, nickel open-gear tuners and a vintage-inspired aesthetic throughout, the 00-18 Joe Bonamassa is a beautifully executed tribute to one of the blues world’s most passionate collectors—and to one of the most evocative small-body Martins ever made. Hardshell case included.