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This is a wonderful, original from the factory "Lefty", a 1975 D-35L. Lefty's from this period are rare. Before the era of computerized factories, and the intro of the CNC machines at Martin, a high-end Lefty like this one was essentially a custom-made guitar. The bracing in this guitar was custom designed and built at the Martin factory for a true lefty top– this is not a regular D-35 with just different saddle and pickguard. It's built as a left-handed guitar, down to every brace. This guitar is in about as close to mint condition as you can get. The original black pickguard was lifting a bit (not from wear, there wasn't any– but just because Martin used some odd pickguard material in those years), so we just thought it would be cool to replace it with a vintage 30s style tortoise guard. I had John Allison cut a new guard, using period correct (1930's that is) nitrocellulose material. It looks great. (and BTW it's on the exact footprint of the original guard– they nudged them up a bit closer to the bridge on lefty's). This guitar sounds great. Fine, ringing trebles. Beautiful mids. It's one of the best D-35's we've played, from any period. And again, the condition is just almost mint. No cracks. No checking of finish. Everything except the pickguard is 100% original. It comes in its original hard shell Martin case, and original Martin literature from the Factory. The neck is straight, and action is perfect. -
This big booming dreadnaught from one of Martin’s finest eras has everything you’d expect in volume, but it also has that wonderful sustain and ringing treble, and warm round bass, that only an almost-50-year-old Brazilian Rosewood Martin dreadnaught brings. All original throughout. Small 3 inch finish crack on lower back, stable. Typical B-string/pickguard crack, difficult to see, from bridge to beneath guard. Great original finish with minor dings and some minor pickwear around the soundhole. Ivory nut, full, original bridge and perfect condition maple bridge plate. The frets are in great condition. Rosewood fingerboard shows slight wear, nothing out of the ordinary. Frets are fine, showing minimal wear. Beautiful tortoiseshell binding in great condition, no separation anywhere. Inside of guitar shows all braces perfect–very clean and dust-free inside. Strap lug on heel and endpin. The neck was just set by Tony Nobles, and the action is low, with no buzzing. You can play it hard. It was fitted with a new bone saddle with the neck set (the original ivory saddle is in the case). Brazilian rosewood D-size Martins, from the era when Martin still used hide glue for guitar construction, are highly sought-after. This one, in this condition, will go quickly. -
Many players consider the best Martin D-28’s from the 70’s great guitars– and the best value around if you want a vintage D-28 on a budget. The best ones deliver great tone– a darker, richer voice than 50's or 60’s D-28’s. The non-adjustable truss rod, and great Indian rosewood Martin used in those years, and the nice bear claw sitka on top on this example, all make for a lovely instrument. A few nicks and dings, but in remarkable original condition. This instrument delivers. It’s all original, and it’s 100% crack-free (not even the common “pickguard crack”). The original pickguard is not lifting as you often see on these Martins. Original bridge that's never been off the guitar, pins, everything. It has the typical slight finish crazing on top, visible from an angle– it’s common on this vintage. The neck has never been set. Frets in fine shape. Original Grovers. With a low-ish saddle, it plays fine. And in tune everywhere. At some point in the future the new owner may want to do a neck set, but we prefer to keep it all original (and the action is fine as is). ... no longer available – see the newly listed 1970 Martin D-28 in the Featured Instruments section.