The Martin MTV-1 "unplugged" was a limited edition dreadnought acoustic guitar made in 1996. The Martin MTV-1 Limited Edition was a groundbreaking dreadnought that mixed rosewood and mahogany in the body. The back and sides are half rosewood (treble side) and half mahogany (bass side)! With only 697 instruments sold, the MTV-1 proved one of the Martin’s most successful limited production models. This model has "UNPLUGGED" spelled out in abalone inlays on the ebony fingerboard, as well as an inlaid abalone MTV logo on the headstock.

The model was named after the MTV UNPLUGGED TV Show which debuted in 1989. Over the next seven years diverse musical acts appeared on the show in a purely acoustic setting - often with associated "unplugged" albums. These included: Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Kiss and Nirvana. These appearances help spur sales of the Martin 000-28EC model, amongst others, so perhaps Martin were keen to celebrate this product placement opportunity.

In 2002 MTV UNPLUGGED returned to the airwaves with performances by R.E.M., Lauryn Hill, Shakira and Staind. To celebrate the rebirth of this music phenomenon, C.F. Martin introduced the MTV-2 Limited Edition: another unique guitar in the tradition of UNPLUGGED.