C. F. Martin D-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1960)
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Item # 10708
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C. F. Martin D-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1960), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 172775, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, molded plastic hard shell case.
This lightly played-in but fine sounding Martin D-28 dates to early/mid 1960, a time when the runaway success of the Kingston Trio was making ownership of this exact instrument the ultimate badge of honor for EVERY aspiring folk guitarist! The Country & Western stars of the day had long also made the D-28 a standard, to the point where many would not be seen without one!
After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best and most expensive guitar Martin made. The elaborate pearl trimmed models were discontinued during the war and not revived, leaving this comparatively austere rosewood Dreadnought as top of the line. Despite strong competition from Gibson's various Jumbos, in the 1950s the D-28 was the final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
This example was one of 604 sold in 1960 at the fairly stiff price of $285 (without case). 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 Grover Rotomatic "patent pending" tuners. It features a beautiful straight-grained Brazilian rosewood back with a dramatic bookmatched streak and a tight and even-grained spruce top that would also be considered premium wood today. The mahogany neck is fairly slim with a noticeable "soft V" profile.
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 very easy playing and fantastic sounding example. It offers a powerful full-range sound and is more responsive than some, with a ringing top end while still maintaining the powerful bass response D-28's are prized for. This guitar is perfectly suited to period styles including purely acoustic Bluegrass of folk, acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or any modern playing application; it even makes a good fingerpicker, which some do not particularly excel at. This is a real gem of an early "Folk-era" D-28, a very smooth player and just overall super friendly guitar
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.).
While this guitar has seen plenty of use over six decades; it has been well-maintained, remaining largely original if showing some light typical wear. The finish has very minor checking on the top and shows dings, dents, scuffs and a few small touch ups. There is some visible pick wear, although less than many. The top has a bit of finish worn off around the soundhole rim and pick wear under the strings in between the bridge and soundhole, some of which goes through the finish next to the pickguard; this area has been lightly touched up. There are also strum marks around the pickguard, a pair of scratches in the top right next to the binding at the apex of the treble lower bout and a few dings and pressmarks, particularly on the top lower bout.
There are some marks on the body, but it remains generally quite clean throughout. The treble side rim near the upper bout binding has a scrape through the finish touched up and an adjacent small area of rash in the finish, presumably from the application and removal of a set list or two. The back is relatively quite clean showing only a few light marks and none of the heavy buckle wear often seen. The back of the neck has only a few light dings and scuffs. The interior of the guitar is very clean, including the original small maple bridge plate.
The instrument has had a cleanly done older neck set and the saddle has been replaced on the original bridge, which has been shaved down somewhat. The original frets show some light wear but have plenty of life left. This is a very fine player set up with a lower, more supple action than many D-28's. This makes it more responsive to a lighter touch but retaining a tremendous sound when pushed. It is housed in more recent molded HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This lightly played-in but fine sounding Martin D-28 dates to early/mid 1960, a time when the runaway success of the Kingston Trio was making ownership of this exact instrument the ultimate badge of honor for EVERY aspiring folk guitarist! The Country & Western stars of the day had long also made the D-28 a standard, to the point where many would not be seen without one!
After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best and most expensive guitar Martin made. The elaborate pearl trimmed models were discontinued during the war and not revived, leaving this comparatively austere rosewood Dreadnought as top of the line. Despite strong competition from Gibson's various Jumbos, in the 1950s the D-28 was the final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
This example was one of 604 sold in 1960 at the fairly stiff price of $285 (without case). 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 Grover Rotomatic "patent pending" tuners. It features a beautiful straight-grained Brazilian rosewood back with a dramatic bookmatched streak and a tight and even-grained spruce top that would also be considered premium wood today. The mahogany neck is fairly slim with a noticeable "soft V" profile.
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 very easy playing and fantastic sounding example. It offers a powerful full-range sound and is more responsive than some, with a ringing top end while still maintaining the powerful bass response D-28's are prized for. This guitar is perfectly suited to period styles including purely acoustic Bluegrass of folk, acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or any modern playing application; it even makes a good fingerpicker, which some do not particularly excel at. This is a real gem of an early "Folk-era" D-28, a very smooth player and just overall super friendly guitar
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.).
While this guitar has seen plenty of use over six decades; it has been well-maintained, remaining largely original if showing some light typical wear. The finish has very minor checking on the top and shows dings, dents, scuffs and a few small touch ups. There is some visible pick wear, although less than many. The top has a bit of finish worn off around the soundhole rim and pick wear under the strings in between the bridge and soundhole, some of which goes through the finish next to the pickguard; this area has been lightly touched up. There are also strum marks around the pickguard, a pair of scratches in the top right next to the binding at the apex of the treble lower bout and a few dings and pressmarks, particularly on the top lower bout.
There are some marks on the body, but it remains generally quite clean throughout. The treble side rim near the upper bout binding has a scrape through the finish touched up and an adjacent small area of rash in the finish, presumably from the application and removal of a set list or two. The back is relatively quite clean showing only a few light marks and none of the heavy buckle wear often seen. The back of the neck has only a few light dings and scuffs. The interior of the guitar is very clean, including the original small maple bridge plate.
The instrument has had a cleanly done older neck set and the saddle has been replaced on the original bridge, which has been shaved down somewhat. The original frets show some light wear but have plenty of life left. This is a very fine player set up with a lower, more supple action than many D-28's. This makes it more responsive to a lighter touch but retaining a tremendous sound when pushed. It is housed in more recent molded HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.