Guitars have always been somewhat of an old friend to Shawn Mendes.
The singer has reunited with Martin Guitar to launch a limited-edition 000-28 Shawn Mendes and the more accessible 000-10E Shawn Mendes.
Both inspired by a rare 1920s Martin he stumbled across in a Brooklyn guitar shop.
“Martin guitars are my first go-to guitar to pick up when I’m making a song,” Mendes said. “They feel like they have a story in them. They feel like they have songs in them.”
That vintage Martin 0-42 quickly became part of his writing and recording process, thanks to its compact body, slotted headstock and distinctive old-school styling.
The guitar made such an impression that Martin eventually built Mendes an ornate stage version inspired by it. Those design cues now live on in his newest signature models.
For die-hard collectors, Martin is making just 88 guitars worldwide of the 000-28.
Each features a solid spruce top, East Indian rosewood back and sides, vintage-style herringbone trim, a slotted headstock with gold Waverly tuners and an intricate mother-of-pearl eagle inlay on the fingerboard.
Every guitar comes signed, individually numbered and housed in a hardshell case.
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But Mendes was adamant this collaboration shouldn’t only be for collectors with deep pockets.
“It’s super important to me to have more than one option—a more accessible guitar for people and one that is closer to the thing that I play onstage,” he explained.
That’s where the 000-10E Shawn Mendes comes in. Built as part of Martin’s Road Series, it uses FSC-certified tonewoods, pairs a solid spruce top with solid sapele back and sides.
“Martin guitars are great for a singer-songwriter because you can take them to ten, or they can sit with you at two,” he said. “They’re really a companion for a singer-songwriter.”
For Martin and Mendes, the goal isn’t just to build another signature guitar. It’s to create an instrument players will keep reaching for long after the novelty wears off.
