2011 MJ Franks 000 42 Style, Euro Spruce, Madagascar RW, 1-11/16" Nut
If you are looking for a boutique quality, Martin-style 000 guitar, you cannot do much better than the guitar offered here (IMHO). Offered is this superb 42 Style 000 built by Michael J. Franks in 2011.
Michael Franks is a real renaissance man. He is a skilled engineer, wood craftsman, pilot, outdoorsman, antique instrument restorer, in-lay artist, luthier and family man. He builds just ten or so guitars annually at his shop in Michigan. This is our fourth Franks-built guitar and we continue to be huge fans of his work and to invest in his instruments whenever we can.
This is 000/OM-sized, 14-fret, short scale guitar with a decidedly Martin-style flavor. This incredible guitar has: a master-grade European Spruce top; hand-scalloped Adirondack bracing; a beautiful set of Madagascar Rosewood for the back and sides; Martin 42-style Abalone rosette and top purfling; a muliti-color back strip; ivoroid body binding; a 24-7/8" string scale; 1-11/16" bone nut; an Ebony belly bridge with 2-1/8" string spacing; a Mahogany neck with a Low Oval shape and depth measurements of .82" at the first fret and .92" at the twelfth; a 14-fret Ebony fretboard with 12" radius and Abalone inlays; a Rosewood headstock overlay with a fancy Abalone "Torch" style inlay; nickel Waverly tuners; lovely bone bridge and end pins; and is finished in nitrocellulose lacquer.
The attention to detail shown in this guitar is simply amazing. It will remind you of a Martin, but it doesn't have the manufactured feel or tone of a modern-era Martin - it is of higher build quality and the tone is much more organic. Listen to the brief sound sample provided below. The output is impressive, the tone quite balanced with nice overtones and the sustain is amazing! The relatively narrow nut width will appeal to players with smaller hands and those who typically play electric instruments. It plays great and is setup with 12th fret strings heights of 6/64" on the low E side and 4/64" on the high E side.
This one-owner guitar has seen only limited play and it remains in fantastic condition, with just a pair of tiny shirt button marks (see photo), where your chest meets the back of the guitar. These imperfections are only evident upon very close inspection from an indirect angle and under intense lighting. The frets are in fabulous condition as well and show no observable wear. It comes with it's similarly nice TKL Geib-style case.
True guitar aficionados are quite familiar with Mike Franks' work, but this is not a brand that is widely circulated yet. As such, his guitars still represent a great value for the quality of the instrument you get. A similar Franks guitar with these specifications would likely cost well north of $8K to commission today and even at that price would represent a real bargain. Get this fabulous and near mint 2011 example for thousands $ less and without a long wait. Make this lovely and very special instrument yours. You will be very happy you did!
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Refunds of the original purchase price less shipping and a 10% restocking fee may be requested within 48 hours of delivery. Exchanges within one (1) week of the original date of purchase may be made for an item of equal or greater value at the discretion of Capital Guitars. Where permitted herein, items must be promptly returned at the buyer's expense, in the same condition as received with all accessories and paperwork included. Sale items, purchases that are made via layaway, those involving trades and/or international shipping are considered final except upon an error by and at the discretion of Capital Guitars. All deposits are non-returnable. Our apologies, but we are a very small operation and returns are extremely time consuming and costly.