1948 Martin D-28
$32,495.00 CAD
(USD $24,371.25)
For more details contact us at info@folkwaymusic.com or 855-772-0424.
Brought to us by the niece of its original owner, this 1948 Martin D-28 was purchased new in 1948 and spend the next many years in northern Alberta. It remains in excellent condition and has survived surprisingly well, given the climate it spent so many years in. The guitar is nearly crack free and completely original, but for new frets and bone saddle.
An incredible sounding Martin Dreadnought, this late 1940s D-28 is powerful, dry, rich, and balanced. It has muscular trebles, well developed and open bass with just enough definition, and a clean midrange with excellent fundamental presence. Strung with 13s, it’s the consummate flatpicker and excels picking bluegrass and fiddle tunes. We give this one very high marks relative to every other post-war D-28 we can remember.
Sitka spruce top with straight bracing, quartersawn Brazilian back and sides, late 1940s chunky/full feeling neck carve, gorgeous brown tortoise celluloid pickguard, first year Kluson Pat. Pend. tuners, and Made in USA export stamp on the headstock’s rear.
Original finish throughout with some honest playwear but no touchups. The original bracing remains in great shape, as do the original bridgeplate and bridge. The neck has recently been professionally reset and refretted. New saddle and set up by our shop. The frets are freshly dressed and show no wear, the original nut is well adjusted, the action is set at 5-7 64ths, and the guitar’s original red eye pins are still in the bridge. The top is ostensibly crack free but there are two very tiny checks in front of the bridge from a reglue that appears to have happened many years ago. There is minor finish disturbance around the bridge that was surely caused at the same time. No pickguard cracks, no other top repairs. There is one tightly repaired 5” back crack running north from the bottom of the guitar about 3/8” off the center strip. No side cracks.
The guitar’s neck is full and deep with a soft V carve, 1-11/16” nutwidth, .905” first fret neck depth, and a circumference of 2.68”. (Get used to hearing about neck circumference but remember where you heard it first!) Scale is 25.4”, string spread at the bridge is 2-1/8”.
With your choice of the 1930s Geib 18” archtop hardshell case pictured, or a new Deluxe HSC of the correct size.
An incredible sounding Martin Dreadnought, this late 1940s D-28 is powerful, dry, rich, and balanced. It has muscular trebles, well developed and open bass with just enough definition, and a clean midrange with excellent fundamental presence. Strung with 13s, it’s the consummate flatpicker and excels picking bluegrass and fiddle tunes. We give this one very high marks relative to every other post-war D-28 we can remember.
Sitka spruce top with straight bracing, quartersawn Brazilian back and sides, late 1940s chunky/full feeling neck carve, gorgeous brown tortoise celluloid pickguard, first year Kluson Pat. Pend. tuners, and Made in USA export stamp on the headstock’s rear.
Original finish throughout with some honest playwear but no touchups. The original bracing remains in great shape, as do the original bridgeplate and bridge. The neck has recently been professionally reset and refretted. New saddle and set up by our shop. The frets are freshly dressed and show no wear, the original nut is well adjusted, the action is set at 5-7 64ths, and the guitar’s original red eye pins are still in the bridge. The top is ostensibly crack free but there are two very tiny checks in front of the bridge from a reglue that appears to have happened many years ago. There is minor finish disturbance around the bridge that was surely caused at the same time. No pickguard cracks, no other top repairs. There is one tightly repaired 5” back crack running north from the bottom of the guitar about 3/8” off the center strip. No side cracks.
The guitar’s neck is full and deep with a soft V carve, 1-11/16” nutwidth, .905” first fret neck depth, and a circumference of 2.68”. (Get used to hearing about neck circumference but remember where you heard it first!) Scale is 25.4”, string spread at the bridge is 2-1/8”.
With your choice of the 1930s Geib 18” archtop hardshell case pictured, or a new Deluxe HSC of the correct size.