2012 MARTIN D-28 AUTHENTIC ’41

Splendid Martin D-28 Authentic ’41 from 2012, in excellent preserved and playing condition.

Martin fans know it well, it is not easy to find these days an instrument from the manufacturer of Nazareth equivalent to the original models, as the bar is set high in terms of the quality and finesse of the pre-war models on the one hand, but also guitars produced well into the 60s and 70s. The Authentic series, which takes for each of the instruments that compose it the exact specs of a guitar specially selected from the Martin Museum collection, is undoubtedly the one that stands out among the modern offering. It certainly comes the closest to a period instrument, and we find each time we receive them at the Gallery that they are guitars that are both aesthetically attractive but also sonically excellent. The D-28 presented is no exception to this reflection: built from the finest materials, it is an exact copy of its ancestor from the 1940s: Adirondack spruce top (aged by VTS process), Madagascar rosewood back and sides (as a substitute for Rio rosewood, a species traditionally used but now subject to regulation), traditional construction with a scalloped and rearward-shifted X-bracing, use of hide glues instead of the vinyl or resin glues common today, headstock equipped with Waverley tuners in the style of the Kluson parts that were originally used… The result is in any case stunning.

The instrument is currently in excellent general condition, with almost no signs of use. The top’s spruce has large growth rings, indicating growth of the wood under favorable conditions and typically found on the most sonically rich guitars. All the typical appointments of the pre-war 28 style are also present: binding with a herringbone pattern around the edge of the top, zig-zag pattern on the back joint, rosette decorated with multi-ply binding, fingerboard inlays in the shape of diamonds… The sound of the guitar is just as exceptional as its appearance, very rich and full of harmonics with an abundance of low end that is characteristic of Martin dreadnoughts. In short, the instrument is very balanced, and depending on the style of playing and the strength of attack it is able to adapt perfectly to various contexts which can range from accompaniment to solo picking. We carried out the complete adjustment of the guitar, work including the planning of its frets and the adjustment of the nuts, in order to obtain low action and optimal accuracy.

Sold in its original Martin/TKL case with tags.