1969 Martin D-45 [*Brazilian Rosewood]

A super clean 1969 D-45 with a slight patina to the tuners, very minor scuffing, a couple of minor top dings, and virtually zero evidence of play. This incredible build features a Sitka Spruce top, a comfy Mahogany neck, and one of the last few made with a Brazilian Rosewood body. Sounds stunning producing a quintessential Martin Dreadnought tone with a tight low-end response, rich and warm mid-range, and crystal clear high-end definition with plenty of volume to keep up in just about any pickin' circle. You would be hard-pressed to find a cleaner example of a '69 D-45! Includes non-original hardshell case.

Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:

"From the perspective of an occasional guitar builder, though, I'm astonished Martin was able to produce these D-45s so cheaply. The additional work required for that extra pearl is hard to fathom. Most modern builders use laminated shell strips that look reasonably good and are a comparative breeze to install. Guitars built more than 30 years ago, though, used an entirely different method. Straight, tiny strips of solid shell were broken, filed, and mitered around every curve of the guitar. The 15 inches of rosette pearl alone would take a skilled Martin employee around two hours to complete. This was incredibly tedious and labor-intensive.
It still is, for those who dare to attempt it. The D-28, of course, features no pearl. The D-41 required a staggering 73 inches of pearl total. The D-45? 297 inches. Nearly 25 feet of pearl. Fractions of an inch at a time. At roughly 7 inches per hour, that works out to a full 40-hour workweek of laying pearl for a single D-45. I'd wager these things drove more than a few unlucky Nazarenes to hit the bottle at quitting time.
This museum-quality D-45 has to be seen to be believed. It is as clean a '60s Martin as I've ever come across and is a wonderful instrument to boot. It, of course, remains in 100% original condition. Apart from the remarkable condition, another main selling point of the guitar is its excellent Brazilian rosewood back and side set. The coveted tonewood was phased out in 1969, making this one of the last "true" D-45s in the original prewar sense. Bold claims have been a theme of this week's newsletter, so allow me to add another: this is the single cleanest vintage Brazilian D-45 on earth."