By Jimmy Leslie, Soundtrack Sensei
Once you’ve got your sights set on playing some seaworthy songs, the right acoustic guitar is the perfect companion for your musical adventure. So, what qualities make for a great boat ax? When Jimmy Buffett released an all-acoustic album in 2020 called Songs You Don’t Know by Heart, I had a chance to ask the ultimate expert.
Jimmy Buffett Says
“My desert island guitar would be a Martin 00-18 because it’s small and sturdy, made of all mahogany, which doesn’t warp as easily as rosewood or spruce.” The son of a son of a sailor continued, “A mahogany guitar goes with a boat. I actually had an old 00-18 on my first boat and I wrote a lot of songs on that guitar, but it got stolen on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean. Dan Fogelberg was on the boat with me. We went into the harbor, and somebody stole my guitar. Then we found a guitar maker on the island who was making funky guitars and I bought one. Fogelberg and I wrote a song called ‘Domino College’ about that.”
Buffett knew what he was talking about. He had a huge collection of classic acoustics and was particularly fond of America’s most historic manufacturer. Founded in 1833, Martin is the traditional standard. It’s still a family-owned operation, and the good folks at Martin had a mutual admiration for Buffett as well. There was a whole exhibit at the Martin Museum dedicated to Jimmy Buffett and his signature acoustics.
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