While interviewing David Crosby for a future issue, we filmed him performing his solo verison of Joni Mitchell’s “For Free” on his old Martin 12-string.

In the early 1960s, Martin wasn’t making 12-string guitars. So Crosby had this Martin D-18 converted into a 12-string guitar by Bay Area musical instrument guru Jon Lundberg. The bridge placement moved and the old holes were covered with this oversized pickguard. This is the guitar that his modern signature model Martin D-12 was based on, though the new models from Martin have no need for the jumbo pickguard.

We filmed this song at David Crosby’s Southern California home in August of 2011. Look for Crosby in the Fretboard Journal #25.