Martin Blackwell, 2023

Most Blackwells lean dark, rich, and creamy; № 229 leans clear, bright, and brilliant.

That is exactly why this 2023 Martin Blackwell cedar doubletop is one of our personal favorites of all the Blackwells to come through the shop. We have spent time with a lot of Martin's guitars, and this one is a little brighter and a little clearer than any other example we have seen from him. Everything people chase in his instruments is here, the bloom, the sustain, the thick, singing trebles. The difference is where the voice sits: more on the fundamental, with a brilliance on top that his darker guitars keep further in the background.

Martin Blackwell's work needs no introduction. Over the past decade his guitars have become some of the most in-demand modern concert instruments in the world, appearing on major stages and winning major competitions in the hands of players like Leonela Alejandro, Dragoș Ilie, Gabriel Bianco, Adam Holzman, René Izquierdo, Drew Henderson, Tariq Harb, Alexandra Whittingham, Chad Ibison, and Janet Grohovac.

There are a lot of doubletop guitars on the market. What is different about Martin's is that they retain a traditional sound while still delivering the volume and responsiveness the design is known for. The best parts of a doubletop, without the sacrifice. № 229 keeps all of that and adds a clarity that is very hard to find in his work.

In the video attached to this listing, you can hear № 229 compared side by side with another personal favorite cedar Blackwell, № 214 from 2022. Both are unmistakably Martin's work, and the difference in voicing is easy to hear.

Availability

This guitar has sold. If you would like to hear about the next Blackwell arrival, please write to us at info@guitarcollection.com.

What consistently strikes us about Martin's guitars is the bloom. The response is quick, as it should be on a doubletop, but the note does not jump straight to its maximum volume. It opens, it swells, and then it keeps going. The trebles have a satisfying thickness and sail through a phrase like the perfect throw of a paper airplane, where the sound just keeps traveling and takes the ideal path. This is a guitar that does not shout at you. It embraces you.

Where № 229 goes its own way is in the color of that sound. The typical Blackwell lives on the darker side of the spectrum, velvety and round, and players love them for it. This one is voiced a shade toward the light. It is clear and fundamental-forward, every note has a defined center, and the trebles carry a brightness and brilliance that makes a melody ring out over everything underneath it. It is a very attractive quality in a Blackwell, and all the more striking coming from a cedar top.

None of this comes at the expense of what makes these guitars special. Played lightly, it is still the softest cushion, warm and enveloping, with those characteristic creamy Blackwell trebles. Lean in and the guitar opens up with punch and character, handling aggressive playing without breaking up or feeling constrained. The low E has that iconic "bulbous" Blackwell bloom, the sustain is long and even, and legato lines connect almost by themselves. From delicate, glassy pianissimos to full, commanding fortissimos, it is expressive at every dynamic level and beautifully balanced across the strings.

For anyone who has loved the feel of a Blackwell and wished for a touch more clarity and sparkle, this is the one.

The neck is from Martin's 2021 to 2023 period: not thin, not thick, very round, and extremely comfortable. The guitar is built on a 650 mm scale with a 52 mm nut, and the raised fingerboard makes the upper frets easy to reach, all the way to a 20th fret on the treble side.

The cedar doubletop is built on Martin's hybrid core, with balsa in the lower bout and Nomex in the upper bout, and is paired with a dark, straight-grained set of Indian rosewood for the back and sides. A sculpted armrest flows out of the lower bout, and the raised fingerboard carries a 20th fret on the treble side.

Visually it is everything we love about Martin's aesthetic. The rosette is his signature design, dark mosaic tiles with red centers set between flamed wedges and framed by precise dot borders, a design that stands out without ever feeling overstated. The tie block is edged in bone with a fine mosaic line, and the headstock is fitted with gold Barnett tuners with black buttons.

The label is signed by Martin and numbered 229/23, Roberts Creek, BC, Canada.

Specifications

Number: 229
Top: Cedar (doubletop, hybrid core: balsa in the lower bout, Nomex in the upper bout)
Fingerboard: Raised, 20th fret on the treble side
Armrest: Integrated

Martin Blackwell builds in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, near Vancouver, Canada, and has become one of the most in-demand modern luthiers in the world. His guitars are sought after by top concert artists, competition winners, and recording professionals for their lyrical voice, refined craftsmanship, and exceptional playability.

His instruments are increasingly difficult to acquire. The wait for a new guitar from Martin is measured in years, and the best examples rarely stay available for long.

Excellent condition.