We asked ourselves, "What would we like to see in a D-45?"

Why We Love This

We have a special affinity for this Martin Custom Authentic style-45 dreadnought: it's part of a small batch built with the last sets of premium Madagascar Rosewood we had sectioned away in Nazareth. As many Martin fans may know, the company discontinued its use of Madagascar Rosewood a couple years ago, transitioning to Guatemalan Rosewood on all Authentic models where a genus Dalbergia is required. Acquiring new sets of Madagascar Rosewood has proven impossible, and we won't be able to order any more instruments made with it going forward.

And while Guatemalan Rosewood is a lovely substitute, there is something undeniably alluring and Brazilianesque about Madagascar: its color, grain structure, and focused low end power certainly remind us a lot of the comparable elements you'd find in a golden-era Martin flattop. This project seemed like a last chance to go big or go home with great-looking tonewood, so ...

We asked ourselves, "What would we like to see in a D-45?" Some choices were obvious: full "Authentic" build features, including bracing, hide glue construction, fingerboard thickness, bridge style, and ultra thin finish (with the pickguard underneath, naturally). T-Bar neck support. And unslotted bridge pins. While the last item may seem trivial to some, we're darn proud we insisted on the feature and our friends at Martin approved the request. And while we're aware no wide-neck D-45 sported Hexagon inlays, we admit we're suckers for the look (don't worry ~ a few of these beauties did get the traditional Snowflake treatment).

We've included a video as a reference point for this guitar's incredible tone. But really, no video will do it justice. Video won't tell you how beautifully it responds, or how it sounds when you're playing it in your own environment, letting the guitar speak the way you want it to speak. After this limited run of Customs is gone, we won't be able to replicate them; so please contact us if you'd like to chat about owning one of these truly exceptional guitars. Priced with Harptone hardshell case.