1997 Martin Stauffer 00-40
This rare 1997 Martin Stauffer 00-40 is an elegant limited-edition model, built as part of a planned run of 75 instruments. Ours is stamped #33, though it’s widely believed that Martin never actually completed the full run, making these one of the hardest modern Martin editions to track down. Presented here in excellent condition and complete with its original hard case, it’s a fine example of this elusive model.
The Stauffer name reaches back to the very roots of Martin history. Johann Georg Stauffer was a renowned Viennese luthier of the early 19th century, famous for his scroll-style headstocks and innovative designs. Christian Frederick Martin trained in Vienna and absorbed much of Stauffer’s influence before founding his own company in the United States. With this model, Martin paid tribute to that connection, adopting the distinctive Stauffer scroll headstock and finely appointed Style-40 ornamentation to honour their founder’s European lineage.
The 00-40 format is a 12-fret, grand concert-sized guitar, here built with a solid spruce top and East Indian rosewood back and sides. Scalloped X-bracing keeps the build light and responsive, while the ebony fingerboard and bridge add both durability and tonal focus. The guitar is richly bound, with snowflake inlays, ivoroid trim and a decorative backstrip, all consistent with Martin’s higher-end styles. The slotted “Stauffer-style” headstock carries six tuners in line on a single plate, a striking and unusual touch that sets this model apart visually as well as historically.
Playability is excellent thanks to the comfortable 12-fret neck and short 24.9" scale length, making it an especially inviting instrument for fingerstyle playing. Tonally it delivers exactly what you’d expect from a rosewood 00: a sweet, balanced voice with clarity across the registers and an immediacy that responds beautifully to a lighter touch.
As one of only a handful of Stauffer 00-40s known to exist, this guitar represents a fascinating point where Martin’s past and present meet. Rare, historically significant and wonderfully playable, it would make a superb addition to any serious collection, or a rewarding everyday companion for the player seeking something truly special.
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Description
This rare 1997 Martin Stauffer 00-40 is an elegant limited-edition model, built as part of a planned run of 75 instruments. Ours is stamped #33, though it’s widely believed that Martin never actually completed the full run, making these one of the hardest modern Martin editions to track down. Presented here in excellent condition and complete with its original hard case, it’s a fine example of this elusive model.
The Stauffer name reaches back to the very roots of Martin history. Johann Georg Stauffer was a renowned Viennese luthier of the early 19th century, famous for his scroll-style headstocks and innovative designs. Christian Frederick Martin trained in Vienna and absorbed much of Stauffer’s influence before founding his own company in the United States. With this model, Martin paid tribute to that connection, adopting the distinctive Stauffer scroll headstock and finely appointed Style-40 ornamentation to honour their founder’s European lineage.
The 00-40 format is a 12-fret, grand concert-sized guitar, here built with a solid spruce top and East Indian rosewood back and sides. Scalloped X-bracing keeps the build light and responsive, while the ebony fingerboard and bridge add both durability and tonal focus. The guitar is richly bound, with snowflake inlays, ivoroid trim and a decorative backstrip, all consistent with Martin’s higher-end styles. The slotted “Stauffer-style” headstock carries six tuners in line on a single plate, a striking and unusual touch that sets this model apart visually as well as historically.
Playability is excellent thanks to the comfortable 12-fret neck and short 24.9" scale length, making it an especially inviting instrument for fingerstyle playing. Tonally it delivers exactly what you’d expect from a rosewood 00: a sweet, balanced voice with clarity across the registers and an immediacy that responds beautifully to a lighter touch.
As one of only a handful of Stauffer 00-40s known to exist, this guitar represents a fascinating point where Martin’s past and present meet. Rare, historically significant and wonderfully playable, it would make a superb addition to any serious collection, or a rewarding everyday companion for the player seeking something truly special.
