Description
Exc(-) condition • SN:189011
This 1959 Martin D-28 is a great playing guitar. Plenty of “ka-boom!” in the wound strings, and plenty of singing trebles for soloing. The previous owner treated this old D-28 with respect. While it has a couple of cracks repaired and also a very well-repaired slant peghead crack repaired, it is in wonderful playing condition. It is set-up for flatpicking and sounds great!
Old Repairs:
* Peghead slant crack – please see photos. Very tight repair with no uneven edges. Does not have to be re-repaired!
* One back crack – near waist on treble side of the back. Repaired cleanly and evenly.
* One top pickguard crack – this one is running along the outside edge of the pickguard. Repaired cleanly and evenly.
Typical of Martin D-28’s of this era, this guitar is built with fine Quarter-Sawn Brazilian Rosewood back and sides and choice Spruce top. Cuban Mahogany neck with Ebony fingerboard and bridge.
The bracing is non-scalloped, non-advanced. The sound is great. You can solo into a mic with it and be heard; You can play in a jam and be heard; It also has great presence as a rhythm guitar that doesn’t “cover-up” your voice.
The Brazilian Rosewood peghead veneer shows the gold Martin Decal at top. There are also the usual rounded peghead corners typical of mid-’50’s to mid’60 Martin Dreadnauts. Original nickel Grover Rotomatic “patent pending” tuners. Newer perfect bone nut. Ebony fingerboard with graduated pearl dot inlays.
The Spruce top is in fine shape with just one 7″ pickguard crack (mentioned above), and some wear areas. Mostly its normal wear around the fingerboard extension, the soundhole and between the strings.
These is one area that appears to be from a microphone screen rubbing on the guitar while the player is entertaining and didn’t notice.
The top is bound with multiple ivoroid/blk/white bindings. The top edge has 6-ply around the top edge and 3-ply around the back edge. Ivoroid heel cap and multiple bound ivoroid end wedge.
Original excellent tortoise celluloid pickguard with no problems. The Ebony bridge appears to be a newer copy. Cut-thru bone saddle.
The Brazilian Rosewood back and sides should be pointed out, as they show off the highest grade of quarter-sawn Brazilian Rosewood. Just a year or so past 1959 and you begin to see lots of Martins D-21’s and D-28’s and D-35’s made with lower grades of flat sawn Brazilian Rosewood. The back AND the sides exhibit this quarter-sawn grain. The is one repaired crack near the waist on the treble side of the back (previously mentioned). Wooden marquetry strip inlaid along the center of the back.
This is a guitar that any guitar player would be proud to own. Comes with hard case.
