C.F. Martin & Co. unveiled the JDP II, a second collaboration with Martin Clinician and guitar troubadour Diane Ponzio. This is the fifth anniversary of the JDP Diane Ponzio Limited Edition model (to say nothing of C.F. Martin's 175th Anniversary). The jumbo-bodied JDP II -- tight wasted but with dreadnought depth -- is relatively plain in appearance, but sound wise is anything but.

The JDP II has Waverly tuners, a tortoise teardrop pickguard (previously used exclusively on Martin OM's) and a blend of classic and contemporary design features.

Two things you will notice right off the bat with this guitar are the slotted headstock and the oversized sound hole. Both make the JDP II louder. The strings traveling from a slotted headstock to the bridge exert more downward pressure on the nut due to the increased angle. Voila, more resonance! Martin compares the large soundhole to having a big mouth. We will need to research the sonic math of a large human mouth but we will take Martin's word for the time being. The guitar has mahogany back and sides and Italian alpine spruce for the top.

The guitar also sports laser-cut wood inlays. The design makes use of small pieces of precious wood trim from the Martin factory that are too small to utilize elsewhere. Tis is part of Martin's effort to use precious, vanishing, wood wisely and to be as green a guitar maker as possible.