Martin

Though we are certainly impressed by the Martin’s current offerings (such as the Modern Deluxe models), we here at Maple Street Guitars have often lamented the passing of the Vintage Series from Martin’s catalogue.  To this day, there are few vintage acoustic guitars more desirable (and expensive!) than a pre-WWII Martin.  As the market for these vintage instruments began to really take shape and accelerate in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the pricing for these classic instruments quickly became prohibitive for many mere mortal Martin enthusiasts.  As a result, most of these poor dejected souls were relegated to a future of contenting themselves with the far less satisfying experience of dreaming about a pre-war Martin, rather than reveling in the joys of actually owning and playing one!  And thus the Fates seemingly smiled on Martin by presenting a rare opportunity to not only express sympathy for the legions of hopeful vintage buyers, but to also capitalize on the Martin legacy while satisfying what would soon reveal itself to be a massive gap in the market.  Beginning with the first HD-28V(R) in 1994, the Vintage Series represented Martin’s first concerted effort to capture and recreate the voicing and feel of their most venerated models. 

Featuring pre-war forward-shifted scalloped bracing, modified V neck carves, aging toner, vintage-style open-back tuners, beveled pickguards, and through saddles (later drop-in faux through saddles, as seen in this 2008 D-45V LH), these Vintage Series guitars definitely looked, felt, and, most importantly, sounded the part.  In particular, the pre-war scalloped bracing delivered a broader voice and a more thunderous and open response than what had been offered in the Standard Series since the mid-late 1940s.  This voluptuous low end and vocal breadth was, in-turn, mated with enhanced definition, especially in the treble which translated to a high degree of expressiveness, even in dreadnoughts. Subsequently, the Vintage Series quickly became very, very popular! 

Here, in our humble business, Vintage Series models often outsold their Standard Series counterparts, despite the premium.  Moreover, the Vintage Series models were manifestly quite competitive in terms of performance with the more expensive offerings from companies like Bourgeois, Collings, and Santa Cruz.  Unlike the more faithful (and more costly) vintage recreations that would eventually follow with the introduction of the Authentic Series, the Vintage Series models featured an adjustable truss rod and a modern modified V neck carve (i.e., a vintage-styled neck carve for modern sensitivities).  In these respects, the Vintage Series deftly straddled the gap between vintage voicing and feel and modern construction techniques, yielding a powerful and captivating musical tool that was also highly serviceable for the long term. For all these reasons, the Vintage Series models are without question some of the best values Martin has ever produced.

Of course, Martin’s beautifully-adorned, top-of-the line Style 45 needs little introduction. From its debut in 1904, the Style 45 has endured as a resplendent display of old-world craftsmanship, particularly with respect to the tasteful shell inlay that follows every section of body binding—on its own, this detail represents many, many, hours of meticulous work. Aesthetic tastes obviously vary, but it could be argued that the Style 45 Martin manages to “peacock” a bit with an appropriate amount of showbiz bling without necessarily beating you over the head with boorish pride in its ornamentation—simply put, the Style-45 lives on the flashy side of classy.  Regardless, due to the associated cost and the production time frame, it is not surprising that D-45s are pretty uncommon.  For example, Martin produced only 91 D-45s in the pre-WWII era (1933-1942) relative to 999 D-28s in the same period.  Meanwhile, left-handed guitars being uncommon as a whole, the notion of casually encountering a left-handed D-45 hanging around in your neighborhood guitar store is effectively in the realm of abstract fantasy—of the 91 pre-WWII D-45s, 4 or 5 are thought to be lefties. 

Thus, being a left-handed version of the top-of-the-line Style 45, this 2008 D-45V LH is a very rare bird indeed!  It most certainly exhibits all of the power, breadth, and responsiveness that we would expect of a Vintage Series model. It likewise projects the harmonic color and dulcet lushness that we associate with the best rosewood Martin dreadnoughts.  Yet, like many showpiece guitars that are so beautifully adorned, we suspect that it has spent much of its life being admired and lightly played.  So, while this D-45V is already a very impressive instrument, its next owner will have the rare privilege and satisfaction of awakening this stunning, iconic, and very limited Martin.   

Condition

This 2008 D-45V LH was clearly very well maintained by its previous owner.  As a result, it is in excellent overall cosmetic condition, with only a handful of blemishes to note. Most significantly, the top’s finish has a few checks/crazes, which are only detectable when viewed at an oblique angle: a 1” line extending towards butt from treble-side of bridge foot, a ¾” line extending upward towards soundhole from bass-side of the bridge foot, and a section that includes a 4”, 2”, and 1” line all extending down towards the butt from the treble-side waist and mid-lower bout respectively.  Otherwise, there is a shallow dent measuring approximately 3mm in diameter at the crest of the neck heel that has been artfully filled; a faint crescent-shaped scratch on the butt at the endpiece; and a handful of shallow top dents at the bottom of the treble-side lower bout.  Structurally, this D-45V LH has no structural issues or repairs to note; the frets are at near original mass following a full redress; and the action is dialed in to spec with plenty of saddle remaining.  -  EXCELLENT+ Condition

• 14-Fret Dreadnought Body (Left-Handed)
• Sitka Spruce Top
• Pre-War Forward-Shifted Scalloped X-Bracing
• Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
• Grained Ivoroid Body Binding
• Abalone Border Trim (Top, Back, Sides, and Endpiece) with Black/White Purfling
• Style 45 Multi-Color Marquetry Backstrip
• Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer Body Finish with Aging Toner (Top Only)
• Mahogany Neck
• Dovetail Neck Joint
• Modified V Neck Contour
• Ebony Fingerboard
• Old Style-45 Abalone Long Pattern Snowflake Fingerboard Inlays
• Grained Ivoroid Fingerboard and Headstock Binding
• Square Headstock
• Style 45 Abalone “C.F. Martin” Logo
• Indian Rosewood Headstock Veneer
• Gloss Nitrocellulose Neck Finish
• Ebony Belly Bridge with Faux Through Saddle
• Bone Nut and Saddle
• Beveled Faux Tortoiseshell Pickguard
• Gold Gotoh Open Gear Vintage Style Tuners with Butterbean Buttons
• 25.4” Scale Length
• 1 11/16” Nut Width
• 2 3/16” String Spacing at the Bridge
• Non-Original Martin 12C640 Hardshell Case