Vintage Faves with Joe Bonamassa | 1939 Martin 000-42 Acoustic Guitar

Get a new Martin 000-42 from Guitar Center: Shopour collection of vintage acoustic guitars: The 000-42 was introduced in 1938, but only 112 of the guitars were reportedly made before World War II forced the model to be discontinued in 1943. And that was that. Well, until Eric Clapton used a 1939 000-42 to record his MTV Unplugged concert in 1992. The resulting album was a bona fide juggernaut that arguably kicked off the incredibly popular acoustic mania of the ’90s. The Martin 000-42 didn’t fare too badly, either, as it became highly prized—especially vintage ones, such as this 1939 model purchased from Guitar Center by none other than Grammy-nominated bluesman and guitar collector Joe Bonamassa. “This 1939 000-42 is special, because they didn’t make a lot of them,” says Bonamassa. “It’s one of my favorite Guitar Center Vintage finds. Look at this custom-made ‘strap lock.’ Somebody obviously went into a hardware store in the 1940s, and just screwed this bolt into the neck. I wouldn’t suggest doing that, but I think it’s one of the coolest parts of this 000-42, because this little screw-eye bolt is about as old as the guitar itself.” Keep the blues alive with Joe Bonamassa: