Martin Limited Edition O'ahu K-42 Hibiscus

The Interstellar Tone Traveler has long held Martin's Custom Shop in particular esteem, but even by those standards the O'ahu K-42 Hibiscus is something genuinely apart. One hundred of these exist in the world — each one built around a design innovation that Martin has never attempted before: a K-sized 12-fret body paired with a 14-fret neck. That combination sounds simple on paper and is anything but in practice, capturing the deep, room-filling projection and low-end authority that made 12-fret body guitars the architects of the Dreadnought's DNA, while the 14-fret neck join opens up the upper register and brings modern playability into an instrument built on pre-war acoustics. The top is reclaimed Sitka Spruce that Martin has touched exactly once before in the company's entire history, finished in a Dark Toasted Burst that gives it the look of something that has already lived a full life — and the broad-flamed figured Koa back and sides bring the warmth and shimmer of the Hawaiian wood tradition into conversation with that weathered, storied top. Ornate hibiscus inlays trace across the ebony fingerboard in a tribute to the islands that give the O'ahu series its name and its soul, and Style 45 purfling, abalone rosette, Madagascar Rosewood binding, and a faux tortoise pickguard establish this unambiguously as a guitar built at the highest level of the luthier's craft.

Underneath that visual richness is a construction pedigree that matches it in every detail. Golden Era scalloped Adirondack Spruce bracing with VTS thermal treatment — pre-aged at the cellular level to simulate decades of tonal development — sits beneath that reclaimed top on a traditional X-brace pattern, creating an acoustic engine built to open up and deepen over years of playing. A genuine mahogany neck in the GE Modified Low Oval profile with High-Performance Taper is fitted with 20 frets on a 1 3/4" ebony board, and the Waverly Gold tuners with Liquidmetal posts and abalone dot butterbean buttons represent the finest off-the-shelf hardware available to any acoustic builder. Liquidmetal bridge pins with abalone dots, an ebony Modern Belly Pyramid bridge with drop-in bone saddle, dovetail neck joint — Martin's most time-honored construction methods, executed with Custom Shop precision and dressed in Hawaii's most iconic flower. One of one hundred. Ships in custom hardshell case.

Top: Sitka Spruce (Reclaimed) 
Finish Top: Gloss
Top Color: Dark Toasted Burst
Top Inlay Material: Abalone with Multi-Stripe
Top Detail: None
Binding: Madagascar Rosewood 
Bridge Material: Ebony
Bridge Style: Modern Belly Pyramid - Drop in Saddle
Bridge String Spacing: 2 5/32"
Bridge Pin Material: Liquidmetal
Bridge Pin Dots: Abalone 
Pickguard: Faux Tortoise 
Pickguard Inlay: None
Rosette: Style 45 Multi-Stripe
Saddle: Bone
Saddle Radius: 16"
Body Size: K-12 Fret with 14 Fret Neck 
Construction: Dovetail Neck Joint 
Back Material: Figured Koa
Side Material: Figured Koa
Body Finish: Gloss
Back Purfling/Strip: Style 45 Golden Era with Stripe
Back/Side Inlay Material: Multi-Stripe
Bracing Pattern: X-Brace
Brace Shape: GE-Scalloped
Brace Material: Adirondack Spruce with VTS
Brace Size: 5/16"
Heel Cap: Madagascar Rosewood
Endpiece: Madagascar Rosewood with Multi-Stripe
Endpiece Inlay: Multi-Stripe
Neck Shape: GE Modified Low Oval
Neck Taper: High-Performace Taper
Neck Material: Genuine Mahogany
Neck Color: Natural 
Neck Finish: Gloss
Scale Length: 25.4"
Number of Frets: 20
Neck Joins Body: 14th Fret
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Fingerboard Width at 12th Fret: 2 1/8"
Nut Width: 1 3/4"
Inlay Style: Hibiscus Design 
Fingerboard Inlay Material: Hibiscus Design 
Fingerboard Binding: None
Headstock Shape: Solid with Square and Taper and Diamond
Headplate Material: Ebony
Headplate Logo Style: Martin O'ahu Script Overlay (Back of Headstock) 
Headplate Binding Material: None
Headplate Detail: None
Tuning Machines: Waverly Gold w/Liquidmetal Post w/Abalone Dot 
Knob: Butterbean
Nut Material: Bone
Case: Custom Hardshell