2011 MJ Franks 000-42 Euro Spruce, Madagascar
If you are looking for a boutique quality, Martin-style 000 guitar, you cannot do much better than the fine acoustic offered here. For sale this superb 42 Style 000 built by Michael J. Franks in 2011. We know this particular guitar well as we sold it once before a couple of years ago and jumped at the chance to have it back in our inventory once again.
Michael Franks is a real renaissance man. I've read that 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. We've had several Franks-built guitars in our inventory over the years 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 multi-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 lovely instrument has seen only limited play and it remains in fantastic condition, with just a few tiny flaws on the back where your chest meets the guitar (see photos). 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. A new Franks guitar with these upgraded tone woods and features would likely cost close to $10K to commission today and a comparable Martin close to $12K. Get this fabulous and lightly played hand-built 000 for thousands $ less. Even a "Standard" series Martin 000-42 with spruce and IRW will cost you $6,400 these days. As spec'd, this guitar is a steal at this price (IMHO).
Make this lovely and very special instrument yours. You will be very happy you did!
Capital Guitars
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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.