1991 Martin D-41 Dreadnought Guitar

This guitar has a strong bass. It's big, full, wide, and creamy-all-over. I had to really get the mic off-axis so it wouldn't drive it too much. Basically -- when someone's looking for that "big fat rosewood D sound" -- this is it. It also doesn't hurt that it looks pretty, too.

A consignor brought this by and it looks like it's been played a few times and stowed. She got it from the original owner who bought it new in '91 and all the original paperwork came with it. I think the story goes that both owners were a bit too scared to take this jewel-encrusted guitar out of the case much and so it lives in an almost as-new state to this day. It did get played by a friend of mine on a borrowing-basis over the last winter, however, and that definitely broke it in because from the moment I pulled it out of the case it's definitely been a live guitar.

My only work was to compensate the saddle, gingerly add light string-ramps behind the saddle, and replace a missing heel cap (why are these always missing on late '80s and '90s Martins? -- bad glue for that part?), and set it up. Otherwise it's in incredible shape and all-original. I think the owner has 54w-12 coated strings of some sort and another layer of shimmer/brightness could be added to the sound, methinks, via some 80/20 or uncoated p-bronze strings.

It plays on-the-dot with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret and while the saddle is on the low side (1/16" height over the bridge), it has good back-angle on it and it's the most humid part of the year and I'd expect it to need some shimming-up in winter, anyhow. The neck is straight and the trussrod works as it should.

Specs are: 25 3/8" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, 1 1/2" string spacing at the nut, 2 1/8" spacing at the bridge, 15 1/2" lower bout, 11 1/2" upper bout, and 5" side depth at the endblock. The neck is a mild/fast C-shaped rear profile and something like a 14-16" radius on the board. It's quick!

Woods are: solid spruce top, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, and ebony fretboard and bridge with a rosewood headstock veneer. There's oodles of pearl in the purfling, rosette, and fretboard and it has that 45-style Martin inlay at the headstock that's just oh-so Grand Ole Opry. The nut and saddle are synthetic.

The frets are in such as-new shape that I just needed to clean them up -- no level/dress job was needed as there's essentially no wear.

There was a sort-of ugly brown strap button at the heel, so I replaced it with this more vintage-looking, aluminum one. Keep in mind that the heel cap is a replacement, too.

An original, molded, Martin-brand hard case comes with it, though one of the latches is non-functional.