In honor of one of country-rock's most influential musicians, Martin Guitars has released the limited edition 00-21 Gram Parsons.
Born in Winter Haven, FL in 1946, Gram Parsons spent a short, incandescent life changing the direction of American music. From his early days performing with the Shilos to his work with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Emmylou Harris, Parsons brought country, rock, folk, gospel, and soul into the same conversation. He called it "Cosmic American Music" - and in the decades since his death at the young age of 26, its influence has only grown.
This guitar is Martin’s tribute to the instrument that accompanied that vision: Parsons’ original 1963 00-21. Built in a run of only 80 to mark what would have been his 80th birthday, it pairs East Indian rosewood back and sides with an old-growth Sitka spruce top, treated with Martin’s Vintage Tone System for an open, played-in voice. Its VTS-treated Golden Era scalloped Adirondack spruce X-bracing, short 24.9" scale, 1 7/8" nut, slotted headstock, and V-shaped neck create a feel that is unmistakably rooted in the pre-war Martin tradition.
For us here at Carlton Music, this release is especially personal. We are located in Gram's hometown of Winter Haven, just steps away from the Gram Parsons Derry Down. Opened in 1864 by his stepfather, Bob Parsons, the Derry Down was created as a performance home for Gram and the Shilos. It soon became an essential stop on Central Florida's youth-music circuit, welcoming emerging Polk County artists including Bobby Braddock, Carl Chambers, Jon Corneal, Jim Stafford, and our own family member, Jim Carlton.
Our guitar is number 50 out of only 80 made - and the only one to have been played inside the Gram Parsons Derry Down. It is more than just a remarkable limited-edition Martin; it is a direct connection to the place, the player, and the musical spirit that started right here in Winter Haven.
