1946 C. F. Martin D-28 Natural
SN: 97172. Powerful D-28 herringbone from the tapered brace era. This guitar has been a staple at the Fretboard Journal’s Vintage Guitar Workshop, an integral part of the Wintergrass Festival. It has held its own against the many prewar stand-outs at the workshop and was declared “the best guitar in the building” by Kenny Smith a couple years ago. This year, it literally went from Critter’s hands to mine when the owner decided to consign it for sale.
Built in Nazareth, PA in the second half of 1946, it still features the herringbone trim, tapered bracing and one of the fine grain Sitka tops available at the time. The back and sides are prewar quality Brazilian of straight grain with just a little bit of wobble. A veteran of many jams and performances, there is finish missing on the back of the neck in the rhythm chords area. Otherwise, this crack-free guitar is quite clean without being pristine and original save for an excellent repro bridge, new saddle, nut and Antique Acoustic bridge pins. All the other vitals check out – tuners, bridge plate and finish. There is light checking throughout, a little playwear and dings but the structural integrity is intact. Plenty of life left in the frets. Recent setup and light fret dressing by Mark Tossman.
It’s a super fun guitar to play and deserves all the accolades at the Vintage Guitar Workshop. The voice has great volume and a lot of character and headroom. I’ve never had a better tapered brace guitar. She excels at bluegrass but is versatile enough to excel at many other styles as well; jazz, folk, blues and rock. The neck is full feeling with a 1-11/16” nut. String spacing at the saddle is just about 2-3/16s. The action is set a 6.5/64”on the bass side and 5/64” on the treble. With prewar bones now exceeding $200K and wartime models into six figures, the postwar herringbones represent one of the great values left out there.
Comes with a worn hardshell case that has done the job for years.
CONSIGNMENT
SPECS:
Top: Sitka spruce
Band & Sides: Brazilian rosewood
Bridge & Fretboard: Ebony
Appointments: Herringbone trim, large dot fingerboard inlays
Nut width: 1-11/16”
String spacing: 2-3/16”
Body width: 15-5/8”
Depth: 4-7/8”
Scale length: 25.4”
Case: HSC
Payment is by personal check or money order. Payment in full, including shipping and insurance, is required before shipment. Personal checks must clear your bank. Please specify preferred shipping method when you order the instrument and we will calculate the exact price for you.
We represent the instruments as accurately as we can. All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.
All instruments are shipped on 48-hour approval. If there is damage as a result of the shipping, please contact us immediately and we will deal with the insurance company. If the instrument is damaged in transit from you to me, then you are responsible for dealing with the damage and insurance. For refunds, all instruments must be returned in the same condition as we shipped them in.