Dierks Bentley Designs Signature Martin Guitar

Posted Jul 9th 2012 11:20AM by Gayle Thompson
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Wade Payne, Invision/AP

Dierks Bentley is known not only for his singing and songwriting abilities, but also for his prowess on stringed instruments, especially guitar. Now, the musician is being honored for his talent with a custom-made Martin guitar, the HD Dierks Bentley Custom Signature Edition, which he helped design.

"It's kind of based on the song 'Home,' so there's the herring bone right on the outside that's red, white and blue," explains Dierks (quote via GAC). "But it's a little of Buck Owens' influence there as well, because I'm a huge Buck fan. There's a phoenix on there that says where I'm from and just the specs on the guitar are kinda custom to how I like them."

The Arizona native chose Martin over other guitar makers, specifically for their multi-functionality.

"For me, it's the official bluegrass guitar, but it's used for a lot of different styles of music other than just bluegrass," Dierks explains. "All the guys I love from Del McCoury back to Lester Flatt and guys like Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, they use this guitar. I moved here and I couldn't afford one and I always wanted one. I got a 1971 D18 and I still have it."

However, it's a bit unusual for Dierks to have something brand-new, since he tends to hold on to objects that are well past their prime.

"Everything I have is kind of beat up a little bit, so it's weird to have this nice, shiny guitar," he notes. "It's kind of freaking me out a little bit, but I'm going to do my best to get it all beat up here pretty soon."

Dierks will likely get that chance soon, as he is spending much of the next few months on the road with stops in Wyoming, Washington and Colorado. Keep track of his tour schedule here.

Watch The Boot's 'A Day in the Life' of Dierks