Martin D28 Brazilian Rosewood 1962

The story of a vintage guitar is not always easy to map out, but this 1962 D28 has had a turbulent history that has left behind many clues for an interesting story!

This D28 began its life in 1962 at the North Street factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Inside, the guitar features a label from McCabe’s Guitar Shop, the legendary store opened in 1958 by Gerry McCabe at 3015 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica, California. The guitar subsequently crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland, and it can now be admired in our villa in Dedemsvaart!

With a Brazilian rosewood body and headstock, this D28 is a typical 1960s Martin, featuring a Sitka spruce top and mahogany neck. The guitar underwent a full overspray a long time ago and has also received multiple repairs and modifications. On the body, we see that the bridge features an inlay, has a new bridge saddle, and that the pickguard has been replaced.

On the neck, the binding added later to the headstock is the most striking feature, and the binding on the rest of the neck has also been replaced at some point. A neck reset and a refret to relatively wide frets were also performed at some time; following a final leveling, these have entered the final years of their existence. The tuning machines have also been replaced, specifically with gold-colored Schaller units.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the fingerboard features a compound radius with significantly rounded edges, and that a slight belly is visible behind the bridge. Due to the curvature of the top, a small gap has formed behind the bridge, but it is otherwise securely attached. The bridge plate has also been repaired with new maple inserts. On the ebony fingerboard, in addition to a few chipouts on the first frets, a lowered rectangular imprint can be found of what was likely an inlay.

The guitar comes with a CITES and TFOA passport in a TKL case, ready for the next destination of its beautiful musical journey!