Martin

Martin D-28 (1945)

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The sound of this D-28 is uniquely powerful, stunningly full and complex, focused and penetrating, warm, sweet, and clear all at once.


This herringbone-trimmed Martin D-28, serial number 90975, was stamped on March 28, 1945, and cleared final inspection on June 25th that same year. We acquired the guitar from the granddaughter of its original owner -- an amateur musician who played this D-28 a lot and left it to his son upon his passing.

After that time, it sat largely unplayed for decades until the son of the aforementioned granddaughter took an interest in playing guitar and started to hear about an old acoustic the family kept in their closet. It needed new strings, so they brought it to a big box musical instrument retail establishment which shall not be named near Hollywood; and much to our present delight, the associate they dealt with suggested that this guitar needed more than he could give it.

When we received this instrument, it was exactly as promised by the family -- untouched. Well, except for a crudely fit replacement saddle, which appeared to have been installed by the guitar's original owner decades ago. We reset the neck and refretted it (the original brass frets were ground down to nothing); and now it's playing gorgeously.

The sound of this D-28 is uniquely powerful, stunningly full and complex, focused and penetrating, warm, sweet, and clear all at once. Martins from 1945 are the first ones made in the post-scalloped brace era; and their "tapered," non-scalloped braces, working in conjunction with a Red Spruce top, yield a massive midrange throttle while tempering some of the low-end boom associated with instruments from the pre-war era.

This D-28 also sports a steel T-bar neck reinforcement, augmenting its high-end punch and responsiveness. In short, this isn't a good one -- it's a great one. Truly one of the best-sounding D-28s we have ever come across, and an incredibly loud, punchy, and responsive flat picking guitar.

We'd classify this guitar's overall condition as excellent, for the simple fact that it's a previously-uncirculated herringbone D-28 with no cracks and all its original structural components -- only the saddle and frets have been replaced.

The finish on the back of the neck is noticeably worn in the first two positions, though the feeling of the wear is not tangible whilst playing the guitar. (The neck is very full-feeling and responds beautifully.) There's one area of play wear down to bare wood near the treble side of the fingerboard extension.

Aside from that, you'll only notice the standard scratches and dings you'd expect to see on an 80-year old guitar. The original owner's case is included with the guitar, though it's not a dreadnought case (it's sized for an archtop). We do have Calton dreadnought cases available if an upgrade is desired.

We have only seen one other herringbone D-28 this unaltered from its original state; and it bears repeating that the sound of this guitar is simply wonderful by any vintage-Martin aficionado's standards. Interested buyers are welcome to contact us for an in-hand description. Payment requested by check or wire transfer.

Materials
Top
Red Spruce
Back & Sides
Brazilian Rosewood
Neck
Mahogany
Fingerboard
Ebony
Bridge
Ebony
Nut & Saddle
Original nut & New saddle
Tuners
Original
Bracing
Tapered
Construction
Hide Glue
Finish
Original Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck Specs
Carve
Medium-fat Soft V
Nut Width
1 11/16"
String Spacing
2 1/8"
Scale Length
25.4"
Truss Rod
Non-adjustable T-Bar
Inlays
MOP Dots
Headstock
C.F. Martin Decal

Other
Serial #
90975
Case
Original owner's hardshell (40's arch top)