Martin 000-40SPR Peter Rowan Sig. (Sold)
 

Selling a used, excellent condition 2001 Martin 000-40SPR, the Peter Rowan “Midnight Moonlight” limited edition acoustic guitar. Black non-original HSC included.
The 000-40SPR features back and sides of solid genuine mahogany and a top of solid, premium quality bookmatched Sitka spruce, a tonewood combination prized for tonal richness and clarity. Traditional hand-scalloped top braces bring these woods to their full sound potential.
The body is paired with a 1 13/16" neck of genuine mahogany. In the tradition of 000 12-frets from the 1920s and early 1930s, the modified V-shaped neck features a tapered, slotted headstock, squared slots equipped with nickel Waverly side mount, open geared tuners with butterbean knobs, and a diamond volute. The neck is fitted with a bone nut, matched by a bone saddle on the traditional pyramid bridge.
The 000-40SPRs appointments are uniquely beautiful. Tinted with aging toner, the top showcases black/white/ black/white purfling against tortoise colored binding, in complement to the black/white purfling and tortoise colored binding on the back and sides, and the black/white line inlays and tortoise colored binding on the fingerboard and headstock. The end piece and heelcap are tortoise colored and accented with black/white edge inlays. In vivid contrast, the style 45 soundhole rosette features brilliant blue paua shell inlay. The top is protected by a tortoise colored, polished and beveled OM teardrop pickguard, and the entire body is hand polished to a gloss finish.
But the most magnificent decorative elements are reserved for the headstock and fingerboard. A polished ebony headstock overlay provides the canvas for unique "cloud and moon" inlays in various shades of mother of pearl. This Midnight Moonlight theme is repeated on the genuine African ebony fingerboard, with "phase of the moon" inlays serving as position markers from the 3rd to 17th frets.
12 frets to the long 25.4" scale 1 13/16" mahogany Mod V neck. Action set at 3.5/32" under the low E string and 2.5/32" under the high e at the 12th fret. on the ebony old style straight pyramid bridge.
Saddle shows a hair under 5/32" as measured between the D and G strings on the ebony old style straight pyramid bridge. String spacing at the bone saddle is 2 5/16". Height of the D and G strings from the top of the guitar is 1/2" while the bridge itself is 3/8" tall (Minus the saddle itself, of course).
Not in 'collector" condition, this guitar has a 3" repaired and drop lacquer filled crack on the treble side and two short cracks repaired on the bass side around the lower bout curve, well executed by Rochester Luthier B. Lehmann (Lehmann Instruments). See photos. Additionally a small area of the treble side around the inner curve has a rough texture, like something was indenting that particular area as it sat on the player's leg. All work nearly invisible from a foot or two away.
I have adjusted my asking price for this guitar based on these details.
The rest of the guitar is in excellent condition, minus a couple tiny pinhead dings here and there. It is after all a 19 year old guitar that was well played and loved.
This is number 21 of the original total of 87 of these somewhat rare and attractive guitars. $2350.00 Sold.
https://rvrb.io/2001-000-40spr-pet-tvrsyu

Sunday mornin' coming up.

My son has one of these and absolutely loves it

Thanks, Sidney.
I agree, pretty special guitar.

WOW..Love this guitar! Is the string spacing in fact 2 1/4”

I owned #26 for a while and only moved on from it when I found that 12-fret slope dreads fit me better size wise. The Sitka and Mahogany used on the Rowans are top notch.

Best of luck with the sale. The shell on this example looks a lot nicer than the dark tinged inlays on mine.


Here are the specs and a little wtite up from Martin's old Sounding Board magazine:

Martin Guitars Limited Editions: 000-40SPR (Peter Rowan)

Model Specifications

MODEL 000-40SPR (Peter Rowan)
CONSTRUCTION: Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint
BODY SIZE: 000-12 Fret
TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce
ROSETTE: Style 45 - Maple and Black Fiber Inlays
TOP BRACING PATTERN: 000-12 Fret (000-28 GE)
TOP BRACES: Scalloped 000-12 Fret
BACK MATERIAL: Solid Genuine Mahogany
BACK PURFLING: Herringbone Pearl w/ White Strips Black fiber on each side
SIDE MATERIAL: Solid Genuine Mahogany
ENDPIECE: Tortoise Color
ENDPIECE INLAY: Black/White Boltaron®
BINDING: Tortoise Color
TOP INLAY STYLE: Multiple Black/White
SIDE INLAY: Black/White
BACK INLAY: Black/White
NECK MATERIAL: Solid Mahogany
NECK SHAPE: Modified V
NUT MATERIAL: Bone
HEADSTOCK: Slotted/Square Slots/Square Taper/Diamond/Stamp On Back Of Head(Naz. PA)
HEADPLATE: Solid Ebony/Clouds & Moon Abalone Pearl Inlay
HEELCAP: Solid Ebony w/ White/Black
FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony
SCALE LENGTH: 25.4''
# OF FRETS CLEAR: 12
# OF FRETS TOTAL: 20
FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT NUT: 1 13/16''
FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT 12TH FRET: 2 5/16''
FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Phases Of The Moon Inlay- 3rd New 5th 7th 9th, 12th Full , 15th 17th 19th(Signature Btwn. 19th & 20 th Frets)
FINGERBOARD BINDING: Tortoise Color
FINISH BACK & SIDES: Polished Gloss/ Dark Mahogany Stain/ Dark Filler
FINISH TOP: Polished Gloss/ Aging Toner
FINISH NECK: Satin w/Polished Headplate, Dark Mahogany Stain
BRIDGE MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony
BRIDGE STYLE: Pyramid - Long Saddle
BRIDGE STRING SPACING: 2 5/16''
SADDLE: Long Saddle/Bone
TUNING MACHINES: Waverly Nickel Side Mounts w/ Butterbean Knobs
RECOMMENDED STRINGS: Martin SP 4100 Light Phosphor Bronze
BRIDGE & END PINS: Black w/ Abalone Dots
PICKGUARD: I-03 Tortoise Color/Beveled and Polished
CASE: 535 Geib Style™
INTERIOR LABEL: Signed By CFM IV, Peter Rowan- Numbered in Sequence w/Total (87)
ELECTRONICS: optional
OTHER OPTIONS: Available left-handed at no additional charge
OTHER COMMENTS: All prices & specifications are subject to change without notice.

Model: 000-40SPR (Peter Rowan)
Release Date: 2001-07-20
Source: Sounding Board Newsletter Vol 11 - Jul. 2001


From bluegrass and folk to acoustic fusion and Tex-Mex, Peter Rowan personifies American roots music. With his distinctive voice, fine rhythm guitar work and deft songwriting, he has helped fuel the traditional - and non-traditional - acoustic music revival for nearly 40 years, as a solo artist and as frontman for several benchmark groups. A loyal Martin player his entire career, Rowan inspired and helped create the Signature Edition guitar that bears his name: the 000-40SPR Peter Rowan "Midnight Moonlight" model.

The 000-40SPR "Midnight Moonlight" Signature Edition draws its name from a well known Peter Rowan song, and its style from one of his vintage Martin guitars. A spectacular blend of classic design, prime tonewoods and unique appointments, the 000-40SPR is an instrument as versatile as Rowan himself.

Born into a musical family in Massachusetts, Peter Rowan formed his first band while still in high school. He soon found himself drawn to bluegrass and blues, and became a professional musician after college. In 1964, he joined Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys as singer and rhythm guitarist. He stayed with the "Father of Bluegrass" for three years, during which he began to write songs.

Soon after leaving Monroe, he teamed up with mandolin maestro David Grisman in the folk-rock band Earth Opera, which recorded a couple of albums and toured until the early 1970s. Two years later, after a stay in the rock fusion group Seatrain, Rowan joined Grisman again to sing and play bluegrass, first in Muleskinner with guitar wizard Clarence White (recently honored with the D-18CW Commemorative Edition Martin), and later in Old & In the Way, with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia (who played banjo in the aggregation). Both groups were short lived, but their recordings spurred a youth movement in bluegrass.

In the late 1970s and through the 1980s, Rowan and his siblings Chris and Lorin recorded and toured as the Rowan Brothers. He also played Tex Mex rock with the Free Mexican Airforce, featuring accordion player Flaco Jiminez.

In the 1990s, Rowan showed his musical range in a string of well-received albums: bluegrass in "First Whippoorwill," "Bluegrass Boy" and "New Freedom Bell" (with Czech group Druha Trava), folk in "Dust Bowl Children," and world music in "Awake Me in the New World." "Yonder," a record recorded with slide master Jerry Douglas, received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. He also became a major concert attraction, in recent years touring extensively with flatpicking icon Tony Rice.

Named for a song he wrote and first performed with Old & In The Way, the 000-40SPR Peter Rowan "Midnight Moonlight" Signature Edition model is based on Martin's classic 000 12-fret design, Rowan's personal favorite. Equally impressive fingerpicked or flat-picked, it has been enhanced with fine tonewoods and unique appointments to create a truly spectacular instrument.

The 000-40SPR features back and sides of solid genuine mahogany and a top of solid, premium quality book-matched Sitka spruce, a tonewood combination prized for tonal richness and clarity. Traditional hand-scalloped top braces bring these woods to their full sound potential.

The body is paired with a 1 13/16" neck of genuine mahogany. In the tradition of 000 12-frets from the 1920s and early 1930s, the modified V-shaped neck features a tapered, slotted headstock, squared slots equipped with nickel Waverly side mount, open geared tuners with butterbean knobs, and a diamond volute. The neck is fitted with a bone nut, matched by a bone saddle on the traditional pyramid bridge.

The 000-40SPR's appointments are uniquely beautiful. Tinted with aging toner, the top showcases black/white/black/white purfling against tortoise colored binding, in complement to the black/white purfling and tortoise colored binding on the back and sides, and the black/white line inlays and tortoise colored binding on the fingerboard and headstock. The end piece and heelcap are tortoise colored and accented with black/white edge inlays. In vivid contrast, the style 45 soundhole rosette features brilliant blue paua shell inlay. The top is protected by a tortoise colored, polished and beveled OM teardrop pickguard, and the entire body is hand polished to a gloss finish.

this is a really cool guitar. love it!

FYI: Due to cross border mail problems payment was never received so this fine guitar is now back up for sale.

RD,
String spacing at the saddle is 2 5/16".

Still Available?
 

Hi - Is it still available? Thanks

I believe it's sold. Sorry.