Martin Custom Shop Vintage D-45, Guatemalan & Red Spruce
Easily the most compelling and exciting modern Martin guitar we have ever offered for sale, this Custom D-45 was built with exceptionally fine and rare tonewoods, vintage specs, and a few modern touches.
The back and sides were hand-selected by Folkway Music owner and vintage restoration specialist Mark Stutman at the NAMM show in January 2015. The Guatemalan rosewood this D-45 is built with was the finest set the Martin Custom Shop brought to the show (Mark is always first-up at the wood-pile). With its tight, straight, quartersawn grain; rich dark red, brown, and black hues; and fine spider-webbing down its center, the back and sides have a distinctively Brazilian rosewood look. And set-off by the style 45 pearl and ivoroid, the guitar has an absolutely stunning back-side.
Mark designed this D-45 with features mostly chosen from Martin's Golden Era and Marquis lines. The red spruce top's X bracing is scalloped and forward shifted, and Sitka spruce was chosen for the bracing stock, just as Martin did in the 1930's. Sitka's added give helps to bring out the warmth and bottom end from a stiff red spruce top.
The neck features a pre-war feel and aesthetic, with a rounded V carve, 1-3/4" width at the nut, wooden purflings, and gloss lacquer finish. Pearl hexagon fingerboard inlays, ivoroid-bound fingerboard and headstock, vertical C.F. Martin headstock inlays, and angle-bottomed bone nut. The back of the headstock features a proper 1930's-style long volute, C.F. Martin & Co stamp, and a set of nickel Waverly tuning machines (which we can swap for Gold at the buyer's request). The neck was built with a double-action truss-rod for long-term serviceability.
Mark designed the guitar with a 30's style GE bridge, featuring a 2-5/16" string spread and a drop-in bone saddle for easy action adjustment. The bridge and endpins are bone with pearl dots.
An incredibly strong, complex, and deep guitar, with excellent definition, clarity, fundamental power, and complimentary overtones. We find the Guatemalan rosewood to be as close to Brazilian rosewood in tone than any other substitute we've yet heard. It's an added bonus that it looks so similar, too! The D-45 is an exceptional flatpicker with tremendous headroom and volume… just as you'd expect of Martin's finest.
Guatemalan rosewood (Dalbergia tucarensis) is a Central American Dalbergia species, in the same genus as Brazilian. However, unlike Brazilian, It is legal to ship without special permits.
This guitar ships with a Martin deluxe hardshell case
Shipping into the USA?
Sending this guitar to a US address is easy to do, and there are no import fees, taxes, or duties to pay when it arrives. We take care of everything involved in shipping -- all you have to do unpackage the instrument when it arrives and play!
Questions? Email us anytime, or call us toll-free at 1-855-772-0424.
The back and sides were hand-selected by Folkway Music owner and vintage restoration specialist Mark Stutman at the NAMM show in January 2015. The Guatemalan rosewood this D-45 is built with was the finest set the Martin Custom Shop brought to the show (Mark is always first-up at the wood-pile). With its tight, straight, quartersawn grain; rich dark red, brown, and black hues; and fine spider-webbing down its center, the back and sides have a distinctively Brazilian rosewood look. And set-off by the style 45 pearl and ivoroid, the guitar has an absolutely stunning back-side.
Mark designed this D-45 with features mostly chosen from Martin's Golden Era and Marquis lines. The red spruce top's X bracing is scalloped and forward shifted, and Sitka spruce was chosen for the bracing stock, just as Martin did in the 1930's. Sitka's added give helps to bring out the warmth and bottom end from a stiff red spruce top.
The neck features a pre-war feel and aesthetic, with a rounded V carve, 1-3/4" width at the nut, wooden purflings, and gloss lacquer finish. Pearl hexagon fingerboard inlays, ivoroid-bound fingerboard and headstock, vertical C.F. Martin headstock inlays, and angle-bottomed bone nut. The back of the headstock features a proper 1930's-style long volute, C.F. Martin & Co stamp, and a set of nickel Waverly tuning machines (which we can swap for Gold at the buyer's request). The neck was built with a double-action truss-rod for long-term serviceability.
Mark designed the guitar with a 30's style GE bridge, featuring a 2-5/16" string spread and a drop-in bone saddle for easy action adjustment. The bridge and endpins are bone with pearl dots.
An incredibly strong, complex, and deep guitar, with excellent definition, clarity, fundamental power, and complimentary overtones. We find the Guatemalan rosewood to be as close to Brazilian rosewood in tone than any other substitute we've yet heard. It's an added bonus that it looks so similar, too! The D-45 is an exceptional flatpicker with tremendous headroom and volume… just as you'd expect of Martin's finest.
Guatemalan rosewood (Dalbergia tucarensis) is a Central American Dalbergia species, in the same genus as Brazilian. However, unlike Brazilian, It is legal to ship without special permits.
This guitar ships with a Martin deluxe hardshell case
Shipping into the USA?
Sending this guitar to a US address is easy to do, and there are no import fees, taxes, or duties to pay when it arrives. We take care of everything involved in shipping -- all you have to do unpackage the instrument when it arrives and play!
Questions? Email us anytime, or call us toll-free at 1-855-772-0424.