{"product_id":"c-f-martin-d-28-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1958-10412","title":"C. F. Martin D-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1958)","description":"C. F. Martin D-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1958), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 163835, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, period black hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis played-in but fine sounding Martin D-28 dates to mid 1958, just as the runaway success of the Kingston Trio was about to make ownership of this exact instrument a badge of honor for EVERY aspiring folk guitarist! The Country \u0026amp; Western stars of the day had long also made the D-28 a standard, and many would not be seen without one! After WWII this was the biggest, best and most expensive guitar Martin made. The elaborate pearl trimmed models were discontinued during the war and not revived, leaving this comparatively austere rosewood Dreadnought as top of the line. Despite strong competition from Gibson's Jumbos, in the 1950s the D-28 was the final word in a flat-top instrument to most professional players.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis example was built in mid-1958, one of 677 sold that year at the fairly stiff price of $270 (without case). It shows the classic period appointments: multi-layer celluloid binding on the back and top, a long-saddle ebony bridge, \"Big-dot\" graduated pearl inlaid ebony fingerboard, tortoise pattern Celluloid pickguard and the then brand new Grover Rotomatic \"patent pending\" tuners. It features a beautiful straight-grained Brazilian rosewood back with a dramatic bookmatched streak and a tight and even-grained spruce top that would also be considered premium wood today. The mahogany neck is fairly slim with a noticeable \"soft V\" profile. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile this is a fabulous guitar to look at as with most old Martins the real beauty comes in the playing. The D-28 is one of the most respected of all Martin models, and this is a very easy playing and fantastic sounding example. It offers a powerful full-range sound and is more responsive than some while still maintaining the powerful bass response D-28's are prized for. This guitar is perfectly suited to period styles including purely acoustic Bluegrass of folk, acoustic\/electric Honky Tonk or more modern playing applications; it even makes a good fingerpicker, which some do not particularly excel at. This is a real gem of an early \"Folk-era\" D-28, a very smooth player and just overall super friendly guitar.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 41 in. (104.1 cm.), 15 3\/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 5 in. (12.7 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1\/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11\/16 in. (43 mm.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile this guitar has seen a decent amount of use over six decades; it has been well-maintained, remaining largely original if showing some typical wear. The finish has checking on the top and dings, dents, and a few small touch ups overall. There are several scuffs, press marks and minor crazing on the top, with some visible scratches and marks on the back. The top has a bit of finish worn off around the soundhole rim and two very small filled screw holes on the rim where a DeArmond style acoustic guitar pickup was previously mounted. There is a \"case bite\" close to the binding and near the waist on the bass side of the top, an area of playwear and touch up between the bridge and pickguard and numerous dings and pressmarks, particularly on the top lower bout. These are the only spots where the top is worn beyond the superficial. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere are other marks on the body, but it remains reasonably clean throughout. The treble side rim near the end pin has a scrape through the finish touched up, and the endpin hole was filled in after the removal of an endpin jack. There is some minor buckle rash and a few small spots of finish loss on the back. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe neck finish is worn down to the clear coat or through to bare wood in spots from one end of the neck to the other. The wear gives the neck a smooth played-in feel that is difficult to replicate without decades of play time. There are two areas of touch up, one on the treble side heel and one just under the 13th fret on the bass side of the neck, where strap buttons once were. The headstock has an area of light finish disturbance under the decal where something was lightly glued then removed; also there are worn spots around the edges and corners. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe interior of the guitar is mostly untouched, including the original small maple bridge plate. There is evidence of the two small screw holes on either side of the soundhole rim, on the underside of the top. There is also the filled in endpin hole where a jack was once mounted; these are the only visible changes from the inside. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe instrument has had a cleanly done older neck set and the saddle has been replaced on the original bridge, which itself has been shaved down somewhat. It has been refretted with fret wire that matches the original Martin specifications, the frets have light wear but plenty of life left. This is a very fine player with a lower, more supple action than many D-28'sresponsive to a lighter touch but retaining a tremendous sound when pushed. It is housed in a nice period HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.","brand":"C. F. Martin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853399904396,"sku":"10412","price":13500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_e1baf3e3-2b44-41c6-b80a-33b3cc572529.jpg?v=1774337463","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/c-f-martin-d-28-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1958-10412","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}