C. F. Martin D-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1950)
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Item # 10076
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C. F. Martin D-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1950), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 114505, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, period black hard shell case.
This is a very well preserved Martin D-28 dating to the "golden era" of the newly jumped-up postwar Country music in the 1940s and 1950s, when few stars of the day would be seen without one! After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best and most expensive Martin guitar available. The elaborate pearl trimmed models were discontinued during the war and not revived, leaving this comparatively austere rosewood guitar as top of the line. Despite strong competition from Gibson's Jumbos, by the mid-'50s the D-28 was the absolute final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
This example was built around mid-1950, one of 475 sold that year. It shows the classic period appointments: multi-layer celluloid binding on the back and top, a long-saddle ebony bridge, "Big-dot" graduated pearl inlaid ebony fingerboard, tortoise pattern Celluloid pickguard and the then brand new "Waffleback" Kluson Sealfast tuners. It features beautifully grained Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides with some deep striping to the figure on the back. The tight and very even-grained spruce top would also be considered premium wood today.
While this is a fabulous guitar to look at as with most old Martins the real beauty comes in the playing. The D-28 is one of the most respected of all Martin models, and this is a wonderfully preserved and fantastic sounding example, with a huge full-range sound with a brighter top end than many while still maintaining a powerful bass response. This guitar is perfectly suited to period styles including purely acoustic Bluegrass, acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or to more modern playing. This is a real gem of a postwar D-28, one of the nicer ones we have seen of late.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar has seen some play time over the decades but has been quite nicely maintained, remaining very original and showing far less wear than many after 70+ years. The all-original finish has checking and a collection small dings, dents and scrapes, mostly to the top but no heavy wear. There are small areas of pickwear into the wood off the back edge of the pickguard and into the lower edge of the soundhole ring. There is some finish worn down off the back of the neck. The oddest thing about this guitar is there are hundreds of tiny pockmarks into but not through the finish on the top, pickguard and front and back of the headstock. The back, sides and neck are not affected. We have never seen this exact effect before; it is not that conspicuous from a few feet away but noticeable on close inspection.
This D-28 has no cracks except one tine sealed split on the center seam off the back edge, which is kind of miraculous for a guitar that has survived seven decades. The interior of the guitar is clean, complete with the original small maple bridge plate, without any signs of repair. The instrument has had a cleanly done neck set, with what appears to be the original bridge cut down somewhat with a later saddle. The original frets and fingerboard show just a little wear. This guitar is a very fine player with a tremendous sound, housed in a period green-lined HSC with an old (but not 1950s) Martin string pack included. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a very well preserved Martin D-28 dating to the "golden era" of the newly jumped-up postwar Country music in the 1940s and 1950s, when few stars of the day would be seen without one! After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best and most expensive Martin guitar available. The elaborate pearl trimmed models were discontinued during the war and not revived, leaving this comparatively austere rosewood guitar as top of the line. Despite strong competition from Gibson's Jumbos, by the mid-'50s the D-28 was the absolute final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
This example was built around mid-1950, one of 475 sold that year. It shows the classic period appointments: multi-layer celluloid binding on the back and top, a long-saddle ebony bridge, "Big-dot" graduated pearl inlaid ebony fingerboard, tortoise pattern Celluloid pickguard and the then brand new "Waffleback" Kluson Sealfast tuners. It features beautifully grained Brazilian rosewood on the back and sides with some deep striping to the figure on the back. The tight and very even-grained spruce top would also be considered premium wood today.
While this is a fabulous guitar to look at as with most old Martins the real beauty comes in the playing. The D-28 is one of the most respected of all Martin models, and this is a wonderfully preserved and fantastic sounding example, with a huge full-range sound with a brighter top end than many while still maintaining a powerful bass response. This guitar is perfectly suited to period styles including purely acoustic Bluegrass, acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or to more modern playing. This is a real gem of a postwar D-28, one of the nicer ones we have seen of late.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar has seen some play time over the decades but has been quite nicely maintained, remaining very original and showing far less wear than many after 70+ years. The all-original finish has checking and a collection small dings, dents and scrapes, mostly to the top but no heavy wear. There are small areas of pickwear into the wood off the back edge of the pickguard and into the lower edge of the soundhole ring. There is some finish worn down off the back of the neck. The oddest thing about this guitar is there are hundreds of tiny pockmarks into but not through the finish on the top, pickguard and front and back of the headstock. The back, sides and neck are not affected. We have never seen this exact effect before; it is not that conspicuous from a few feet away but noticeable on close inspection.
This D-28 has no cracks except one tine sealed split on the center seam off the back edge, which is kind of miraculous for a guitar that has survived seven decades. The interior of the guitar is clean, complete with the original small maple bridge plate, without any signs of repair. The instrument has had a cleanly done neck set, with what appears to be the original bridge cut down somewhat with a later saddle. The original frets and fingerboard show just a little wear. This guitar is a very fine player with a tremendous sound, housed in a period green-lined HSC with an old (but not 1950s) Martin string pack included. Overall Excellent - Condition.