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1975 Martin D-45
Martin earmarked its highest quality tonewoods for the Style 45 guitars, and this instrument was built with master-grade Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce. It’s bound in white and features solid abalone pearl inlays to its top, back and sides. The pearl continues around the heel of the neck and then onto the fretboard and headstock, just as it was done up until the fall of 1942 when the last original Style 45 guitars were completed.
In excellent condition, this D-45 is crack-free and has just had its neck reset and refretted in our shop. It has an attractive replacement bridge but is otherwise completely original. Older repairs include a few reglued back brace sections, a reglued original pickguard and a previous reset. The guitar’s finish is original throughout, with small sections of top by the bridge and pickguard more recently buffed.
Set up here at Folkway, the guitar plays nicely with ‘new guitar’ action and medium strings. The saddle is full height, which will allow for another few decades of future action adjustments, and the new frets play beautifully. There are a few marks and indents on the finish but, all-told, this guitar presents beautifully.
A very richly voiced Martin Dreadnought with lots of warmth down low, plenty of mid-range support and little bit of shimmer in the trebles.
With original hardshell case
