A Darker Twist on a Martin Classic: The OM Mikael Åkerfeldt Is Here

From the Factory, Players | October 1, 2025

A Darker Twist on a Martin Classic: The OM Mikael Åkerfeldt Is Here

Progressive metal meets timeless craftsmanship—in a guitar like no other.

Photo credit: Klara Rönnqvist Fors

When Mikael Åkerfeldt—frontman of Swedish progressive metal band Opeth and one of the most imaginative minds in modern music—first picked up the finished OM bearing his name, he was floored.

“Is this the best guitar I’ve ever played?” he asked. “Including the ones in your museum? I believe so.”

Released on September 26th at Guitar Summit in Mannheim, Germany—Europe’s largest guitar show—the Martin OM Mikael Åkerfeldt is more than a signature model. It’s a bold new direction for Martin, shaped by one of metal’s most creative forces.

Limited to just 74 guitars (a nod to Mikael’s birth year), this OM is already turning heads across genres.

Where Metal Meets Martin

From the moment you see the OM Mikael Åkerfeldt, you know it’s something different. The torrefied spruce top paired with a dramatic three-piece Guatemalan and East Indian rosewood back gives it a bold, brooding aesthetic. European flamed maple binding, bold herringbone trim, and sleek black appointments add elegance without softening its edge.

Then there’s the fretboard: an ebony canvas inlaid with black mother-of-pearl Roman numerals. It’s classic. It’s mysterious. It’s unmistakably Mikael.

“It has a clarity combined with a heavier bass… than I have ever heard from an OM before,” he says. “It just sounds so incredibly classy.”

He adds: “I’m sat here with this incredible instrument that resonates through the walls of my old house every time I pluck a string. It is truly a beautiful instrument with a beautiful sound.

“It became my favorite acoustic guitar in my arsenal within seconds. I can’t keep my hands off it.”

Built for Speed, Designed to Inspire

For the first time ever, Martin brought its Low Profile Velocity neck—originally developed for our SC models—into a traditional OM build. Paired with a full 25.4" scale length and high-performance taper, it’s the kind of neck you don’t want to let go of. It’s fast. It’s sleek. And it’s built for players who feel most at home on electrics.

“The fretboard is slightly wider, which makes it easier for me to play,” Mikael says. “It felt amazing right off the bat.

“The Low Profile Velocity-shaped neck just sits so incredibly well in your left hand, regardless of whether you’re strumming, fingerpicking, or soloing.”

And for Mikael, that connection was instant: “I knew right away—it felt like home. I nearly fainted when they asked me to do a signature model, and now here I was holding it, unable to put it down.”

The OM Mikael Akerfeldt acoustic guitar on a black background

Sound That’s Subtle, Striking—and a Little Medieval

Under the hood, this OM is all tone. VTS-treated spruce and Golden Era scalloped X-bracing offer vintage warmth and immediate response. The unique three-piece rosewood back adds rich complexity and projection, while black Liquidmetal® bridge pins boost sustain and clarity.

“It’s a rather loud guitar but has some sort of a ‘medieval’ quality to it,” Mikael says. “I anticipate I’ll just have to put a microphone in front of this one, and it will sound fantastic straight away.”

He also notes how the pins themselves stand out: “The Liquidmetal pins add a sustain I’ve never heard from an acoustic guitar before. They even bring forth subtle harmonics that are completely new to my ears.”

Full Circle, From Stockholm to Nazareth

Mikael isn’t just a longtime fan of Martin guitars—he once sold them at a shop in Stockholm during the early ’90s. That history makes this collaboration feel especially meaningful.

“I used to gaze at them thinking, ‘One day I might have the money to buy one,’” he says. “That I would have my own signature model is just too much to comprehend.”

Even after years of international tours and genre-defying records, that sense of disbelief hasn’t faded: “I’m so incredibly proud to be able to present this guitar to Martin fans and guitarists all over the world. As for me, it’s had me staying indoors more than I would have liked. It’s just so damn magnetic, and I can’t stop playing it.”

He put it simply: “I look like an old dude at Christmas when I pick it up—but I can’t help it. I was excited. And I still am.”

Now Available

The OM Mikael Åkerfeldt is available now in extremely limited quantities. Just 74 guitars were built—each with a stainless-steel label, a custom Harptone case, and a voice that’s as dynamic and distinctive as the artist who inspired it.

Whether you're recording, writing, or just playing into the night, this guitar doesn’t just perform—it transforms how you play.

About Mikael Åkerfeldt

Known for his work as lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter of Opeth, Mikael Åkerfeldt is a genre-shaping force in progressive metal. His accolades include two Swedish Grammis Awards—the country’s equivalent of the GRAMMYs®—collaborations with artists like Steven Wilson, and a reputation as one of Guitar World’s 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time.