C. F. Martin D-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1941)
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Item # 13127
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C. F. Martin D-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1941), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 79352, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, tweed hard shell case.
This is a generally well preserved example of a guitar that is a standard by which others are judged: an original pre-war Martin D-28 "herringbone". This one shows an old discreet headstock repair but overall is far less worn than most, a solid survivor well over 80 years along. Although a very late "pre-War" guitar this early 1940s instrument still shows the original classic features of the model which have been widely imitated ever since.
This D-28 is from one of the final batches built in Nazareth 1941, likely just weeks before the US entered WWII. Serial number 80013 was the last one logged for 1941; this D-28 carries 79352. Style 28's from this period are often referred to as a "bone", after the namesake "herringbone" wood marquetry trim around the top. Whether this cosmetic feature has any affect on the sound is a hotly debated question; Martin stopped using it on their instruments by mid-1947. By then the D-28 had seen a number of other changes, most importantly the discontinuation of the scalloped top braces in 1944. The instruments of the later 1940's and '50's evolved to have a different sonic character, but some players even at the time found they preferred the older ones.
The features of this guitar are the classic D-28 appointments. This JUST "Pre-War" guitar retains the metal neck reinforcement replaced with an ebony bar in 1942 and the top bracing is the rearward shifted pattern adopted in 1939, delicately scalloped with top construction noticeably lighter than the typical 1950's style. The materials are what is now considered the finest possible standard for this style of guitar. The back and sides are beautifully straight grained Brazilian rosewood, the top is lovely tight grained Appalachian spruce. The small "teardrop" shape pickguard just below the sound hole is made of tortoise celluloid. The ebony bridge is the typical Martin "belly" shape with a canted bone saddle.
The neck is mahogany with an unbound ebony fingerboard decorated with discreet slotted diamond pearl inlay. The peghead is faced in straight grained Brazilian rosewood with the "C.F. Martin & C." decal at the top. The neck profile is fairly slim and round backed with a subtle "V" profile in the way the sides bear away from the center. The tuners are the openback Waverly style typical of the late pre-war period with round metal buttons.
Cosmetically this guitar shows only light signs of play, at least compared to many other Martins of this period. Playing into the open mikes of radio studios and barn dance stages a guitar had to have the maximum of both depth and projection, and many Country and Western performers of the period (accent on "Western") found the Martin D-28 the best instrument available for this highly competitive musical environment. Costing an even $125 in late 1941 (without case, and up from $100 just the year before!) the D-28 represented a sizable investment for a working performer, and once obtained was often played constantly to literally put food on the table.
This example is one of only 183 D-28s shipped in 1941. Compared to modern production this is a paltry number, by the 1970s many thousands of Dreadnoughts were built every year. The mahogany-bodied D-18 cost somewhat less at $83 and so was sold in much larger numbers (575 shipped in 1941) but the D-28 represented the preferred stage or recording guitar for many performers.
In the minds of most acoustic guitar players, collectors and historians very few instruments even approach the pantheon of the early rosewood Martin Dreadnought in terms of both sound and historical importance. The scallop-braced D-28 is, to many, as close to a perfect flat top guitar as has ever been made. In the period when they were built these instruments were judged by the rhythm they produced to power the whole group; the kind of solo "hot picking" that characterizes the modern audience for these guitars was generations away.
Although the D-28 is the definitive Bluegrass guitar, when this one was made "Bluegrass" as a defined musical style did not exist; it was not until later in the 1940's that the "classic" Monroe band with Lester Flatt on a D-28 established that paradigm. The sound of this D-28 is brighter than some, with the power and depth of a Dreadnought but an extra sparkle and singing character, a superlative instrument for just about any style of play. This 1941 model is a beautiful guitar to behold, a true joy to play and a significant piece of fretted history.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/4 in. (641 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This beautiful D-28 is now 84 years old; it shows only light play wear overall but does have one notable repair. There was a split just at the base of the headstock above the neck joint going through the bottom part of the carved diamond and extending across and up either side of the peghead to just alongside the high and low E string tuners. The crack did not reach completely to the face of the headstock and the rosewood veneer is intact and undisturbed. This was repaired neatly but visibly long ago with polish out to the finish in this area but no visible overfinishing. There is a small chip missing at the base of the carved diamond; the lack of finish here confirms no overspray was done when the repair was performed. This does not functionally affect the guitar's performance in any way but, as they say "It is what it is". The rest of the back of the neck has some very minor feelable scratches and dinks along its length.
Overall the thin lacquer finish remains original and relatively clean, with light checking and small dings, dents and pick marks mostly to the top. The most notable pick wear is off the forward edge of the pickguard, with one longer scrape off the bottom edge. There are a several deeper dings to the top mostly near the edges. Apart from a small typical sealed grain split to the top off the upper edge of the pickguard the body is otherwise crack-free. There is one tiny pressure dink on the lower side at the turn of the lower bour, along with some dings. The top survives in excellent condition with no bellying and all of the original bracing untouched; the original small maple bridge plate intact with some light pin wear.
Other work done is pretty standard: a clean neck reset, and what looks like an old refret with original spec wire. The ebony bridge appears to be a very close reproduction. This guitar remains simply a spectacular musical instrument, well worthy of its esteemed reputation. It has a brighter sound and quicker response than some pre-war Herringbones, with a taste of the character of a period D-18 mixed in. The bass is strong but tight, but not as massive as some. When played hard it sings with an authoritative and powerful tone but when played softly it is a responsive and lovely sounding instrument with a wide range of tones depending on the player's touch. While showing evidence of one unfortunate episode of damage this D-28 survives otherwise in far cleaner shape than many, a great piece of history and just as good an ol'guitar as anyone is likely to find, in a later tweed HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This is a generally well preserved example of a guitar that is a standard by which others are judged: an original pre-war Martin D-28 "herringbone". This one shows an old discreet headstock repair but overall is far less worn than most, a solid survivor well over 80 years along. Although a very late "pre-War" guitar this early 1940s instrument still shows the original classic features of the model which have been widely imitated ever since.
This D-28 is from one of the final batches built in Nazareth 1941, likely just weeks before the US entered WWII. Serial number 80013 was the last one logged for 1941; this D-28 carries 79352. Style 28's from this period are often referred to as a "bone", after the namesake "herringbone" wood marquetry trim around the top. Whether this cosmetic feature has any affect on the sound is a hotly debated question; Martin stopped using it on their instruments by mid-1947. By then the D-28 had seen a number of other changes, most importantly the discontinuation of the scalloped top braces in 1944. The instruments of the later 1940's and '50's evolved to have a different sonic character, but some players even at the time found they preferred the older ones.
The features of this guitar are the classic D-28 appointments. This JUST "Pre-War" guitar retains the metal neck reinforcement replaced with an ebony bar in 1942 and the top bracing is the rearward shifted pattern adopted in 1939, delicately scalloped with top construction noticeably lighter than the typical 1950's style. The materials are what is now considered the finest possible standard for this style of guitar. The back and sides are beautifully straight grained Brazilian rosewood, the top is lovely tight grained Appalachian spruce. The small "teardrop" shape pickguard just below the sound hole is made of tortoise celluloid. The ebony bridge is the typical Martin "belly" shape with a canted bone saddle.
The neck is mahogany with an unbound ebony fingerboard decorated with discreet slotted diamond pearl inlay. The peghead is faced in straight grained Brazilian rosewood with the "C.F. Martin & C." decal at the top. The neck profile is fairly slim and round backed with a subtle "V" profile in the way the sides bear away from the center. The tuners are the openback Waverly style typical of the late pre-war period with round metal buttons.
Cosmetically this guitar shows only light signs of play, at least compared to many other Martins of this period. Playing into the open mikes of radio studios and barn dance stages a guitar had to have the maximum of both depth and projection, and many Country and Western performers of the period (accent on "Western") found the Martin D-28 the best instrument available for this highly competitive musical environment. Costing an even $125 in late 1941 (without case, and up from $100 just the year before!) the D-28 represented a sizable investment for a working performer, and once obtained was often played constantly to literally put food on the table.
This example is one of only 183 D-28s shipped in 1941. Compared to modern production this is a paltry number, by the 1970s many thousands of Dreadnoughts were built every year. The mahogany-bodied D-18 cost somewhat less at $83 and so was sold in much larger numbers (575 shipped in 1941) but the D-28 represented the preferred stage or recording guitar for many performers.
In the minds of most acoustic guitar players, collectors and historians very few instruments even approach the pantheon of the early rosewood Martin Dreadnought in terms of both sound and historical importance. The scallop-braced D-28 is, to many, as close to a perfect flat top guitar as has ever been made. In the period when they were built these instruments were judged by the rhythm they produced to power the whole group; the kind of solo "hot picking" that characterizes the modern audience for these guitars was generations away.
Although the D-28 is the definitive Bluegrass guitar, when this one was made "Bluegrass" as a defined musical style did not exist; it was not until later in the 1940's that the "classic" Monroe band with Lester Flatt on a D-28 established that paradigm. The sound of this D-28 is brighter than some, with the power and depth of a Dreadnought but an extra sparkle and singing character, a superlative instrument for just about any style of play. This 1941 model is a beautiful guitar to behold, a true joy to play and a significant piece of fretted history.
Overall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/4 in. (641 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This beautiful D-28 is now 84 years old; it shows only light play wear overall but does have one notable repair. There was a split just at the base of the headstock above the neck joint going through the bottom part of the carved diamond and extending across and up either side of the peghead to just alongside the high and low E string tuners. The crack did not reach completely to the face of the headstock and the rosewood veneer is intact and undisturbed. This was repaired neatly but visibly long ago with polish out to the finish in this area but no visible overfinishing. There is a small chip missing at the base of the carved diamond; the lack of finish here confirms no overspray was done when the repair was performed. This does not functionally affect the guitar's performance in any way but, as they say "It is what it is". The rest of the back of the neck has some very minor feelable scratches and dinks along its length.
Overall the thin lacquer finish remains original and relatively clean, with light checking and small dings, dents and pick marks mostly to the top. The most notable pick wear is off the forward edge of the pickguard, with one longer scrape off the bottom edge. There are a several deeper dings to the top mostly near the edges. Apart from a small typical sealed grain split to the top off the upper edge of the pickguard the body is otherwise crack-free. There is one tiny pressure dink on the lower side at the turn of the lower bour, along with some dings. The top survives in excellent condition with no bellying and all of the original bracing untouched; the original small maple bridge plate intact with some light pin wear.
Other work done is pretty standard: a clean neck reset, and what looks like an old refret with original spec wire. The ebony bridge appears to be a very close reproduction. This guitar remains simply a spectacular musical instrument, well worthy of its esteemed reputation. It has a brighter sound and quicker response than some pre-war Herringbones, with a taste of the character of a period D-18 mixed in. The bass is strong but tight, but not as massive as some. When played hard it sings with an authoritative and powerful tone but when played softly it is a responsive and lovely sounding instrument with a wide range of tones depending on the player's touch. While showing evidence of one unfortunate episode of damage this D-28 survives otherwise in far cleaner shape than many, a great piece of history and just as good an ol'guitar as anyone is likely to find, in a later tweed HSC. Overall Very Good + Condition.