1945 Martin D-28 Herringbone

Top Sitka Spruce
Back and Sides Brazilian Rosewood
Case Non original hard case included

There were only 183 D-28s made in 1945 and a great many of them have had lots of repairs, refinishing, or had their braces revoiced to the scalloped style. Not this one. This example has both desirable tonal features of an especially gorgeous Adirondack spruce top and the steel T-bar neck reinforcement, which help to give this guitar a very complex midrange and treble to go along with the very solid bass afforded by the radically tapered top brace voicing used in 1945. As with virtually every other 1945 Martin dreadnought that I have handled, there is no pickguard crack. Indeed, the entire instrument is free of any cracks. The Kluson flat plate tuners work quite well and there is no sign of oxidative degradation in the plastic buttons. This guitar has the small round tuner shaft bushings that often make an appearance in late 1945 and early 1946 Kluson tuner era. There are capo marks on the rear of the neck up to fret 7 position. Pick wear is is located across each side of the fingerboard extension and below the pickguard. Alan Perlman made the new bridge and performed the neck reset and refret. I had him put a very small bridge plate –helper” plate over the very worn bridge pin holes in the bridge plate. This helper plate can be easily removed for other bridge pin hole repairs of the new ownerês choice. Strap button installed on the treble side of the neck heel. The voice is very robust, with a lot of balanced presence, a great bluegrass guitar in the manner of Jimmy Martinês celebrated 1945 D-28. Black Martin hardshell case. Alan Perlman has only commented on the sound of 3-4 instruments in the many years that we have worked together. He calls this one –a beast”.