C. F. Martin D-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1956)
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Item # 8915
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C. F. Martin D-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1956), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 147367, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
There's a lot of history that's left its mark on this guitar, and while the modern Martin purists may blanch at the look of this "Hot Rodded" D-28, it was once the height of Hillbilly cool to customize your onstage box in this manner. The double "batwing" pickguards are period celluloid and the name "RONNIE" is cleanly inlaid in script along the fingerboard. Apart from these modifications, the instrument is a lovely old D-28 dating to early 1956, the "golden era" of postwar Country music when few of the stars of the day would be seen without one! Despite strong competition from Gibson's Jumbo models, the D-28 was the final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best, and most expensive Martin guitar available. The tight and even-grained spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides are typical for the period, and would be considered super premium woods today. This guitar listed at $250 when new and was one of 702 shipped in 1956. It has a brighter top end than many period Dreadnoughts and really rings when pushed hard. This "Hillbilly hotrod" guitar is perfectly suited to period styles especially acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or Rockabilly, and would be perfectly at home in more modern stylings as well. This guitar has seen its share of history and some heavy use and carries a great vibe.
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 quite a bit of older work done, but is a real vintage country music showpiece as well as a very solidly playable instrument. The top has the obvious double added oversize celluloid pickguards, and the bridge has been reglued probably more than once. There is an old clear overspray on much of the body, probably done when the guitar was originally customized. This finish shows wear all around, with pick marks to the top and some belt buckle scrapes on the back. The neck finish was not sprayed over except at the heel, and has a decent amount of wear on the back surface along the spine. The headstock finish is original with some wear and fairly heavy checking, there is some flaking on the face. The Kluson "waffleback" tuners are original.
The fingerboard is a custom-inlaid ebony piece; we can't say who did the pearl work but is very finely cut and fitted, one of the best such personalized boards we have seen. The fretwork is nicely done as well; the wire is a bit larger than period Martin spec but shows very little wear. There are repaired grain crack to the top on either side of the lower pickguard, and another small one off the bass side waist. The lower side has one very small grain crack at the waist, other than this the rosewood is crack free. The maple bridge plate is the original style but is likely a replacement; the neck is set at a fairly steep angle with a high saddle on the ebony bridge. This guitar has a fairly bright, cutting sound for a vintage D-28 and would make an excellent acoustic/electric band rhythm instrument, and excels as a showpiece...especially if your name is Ronnie. 'Ow 'bout it, Ron Wood? Very Good + Condition.
There's a lot of history that's left its mark on this guitar, and while the modern Martin purists may blanch at the look of this "Hot Rodded" D-28, it was once the height of Hillbilly cool to customize your onstage box in this manner. The double "batwing" pickguards are period celluloid and the name "RONNIE" is cleanly inlaid in script along the fingerboard. Apart from these modifications, the instrument is a lovely old D-28 dating to early 1956, the "golden era" of postwar Country music when few of the stars of the day would be seen without one! Despite strong competition from Gibson's Jumbo models, the D-28 was the final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.
After WWII the D-28 was the biggest, best, and most expensive Martin guitar available. The tight and even-grained spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides are typical for the period, and would be considered super premium woods today. This guitar listed at $250 when new and was one of 702 shipped in 1956. It has a brighter top end than many period Dreadnoughts and really rings when pushed hard. This "Hillbilly hotrod" guitar is perfectly suited to period styles especially acoustic/electric Honky Tonk or Rockabilly, and would be perfectly at home in more modern stylings as well. This guitar has seen its share of history and some heavy use and carries a great vibe.
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 quite a bit of older work done, but is a real vintage country music showpiece as well as a very solidly playable instrument. The top has the obvious double added oversize celluloid pickguards, and the bridge has been reglued probably more than once. There is an old clear overspray on much of the body, probably done when the guitar was originally customized. This finish shows wear all around, with pick marks to the top and some belt buckle scrapes on the back. The neck finish was not sprayed over except at the heel, and has a decent amount of wear on the back surface along the spine. The headstock finish is original with some wear and fairly heavy checking, there is some flaking on the face. The Kluson "waffleback" tuners are original.
The fingerboard is a custom-inlaid ebony piece; we can't say who did the pearl work but is very finely cut and fitted, one of the best such personalized boards we have seen. The fretwork is nicely done as well; the wire is a bit larger than period Martin spec but shows very little wear. There are repaired grain crack to the top on either side of the lower pickguard, and another small one off the bass side waist. The lower side has one very small grain crack at the waist, other than this the rosewood is crack free. The maple bridge plate is the original style but is likely a replacement; the neck is set at a fairly steep angle with a high saddle on the ebony bridge. This guitar has a fairly bright, cutting sound for a vintage D-28 and would make an excellent acoustic/electric band rhythm instrument, and excels as a showpiece...especially if your name is Ronnie. 'Ow 'bout it, Ron Wood? Very Good + Condition.