Martin D-45

The Martin D-45 is a steel-string acoustic guitar made by C. F. Martin & Company. The model has been manufactured from 1933 to 1942, and again since 1968. The guitar was originally made of Brazilian rosewood. Martins are ranked among the highest-quality as well as among the most expensive guitars, and the D-45, regarded as one of the first "luxury guitars,"^[1] was listed in 2011 as the most valuable production-model guitar.^[2]

History

First series, until 1943

The first D-45 was a dreadnought guitar based on the D-28 with luxury ornamentation (the "45" designation^[2]), made especially for Gene Autry, who in 1933 ordered "the biggest, fanciest Martin he could."^[3] This guitar is now encased in glass in the Gene Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California.^[4] The next year, one was made for Jackie "Kid" Moore, a "12-year old singing cowboy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin."^[5] These first two had a 12-fret neck; most others (except for the 6th, made in 1937) made afterward had a 14-fret neck.^[6] Two more were made in 1936 and two again in 1937;^[6] the D-45 wasn't catalogued until 1938.^[7] Other versions included a D-45S (with a special neck, 1939) and a D-45L (left handed, 1940).^[6] The D-45 was the top model of the dreadnought line,^[8] which also included the D-28 model, priced much lower.

In 1942, as a result of World War II, production of the D-45 (as well as other Martin models such as the archtops)^[9] was officially discontinued,^[6] though half a dozen units were made in February 1943.^[9] In this first series of D-45s, only 91 instruments were made.^[1]

Second series, from 1968

The luxurious D-45 resembled the more pedestrian D-28 model enough to entice entrepreneurial guitar builders and craftsmen to modify the latter to look like the former by adding a pearl border and changing the stamps on the neck block, so they could sell them as the more expensive model. One of those craftsmen was Mike Longworth, a banjo player from Tennessee, who was hired by the Martin company specifically to bring the D-45 back. The new D-45, released in 1968, cost $1,200 and was the most expensive flat-top steel-string guitar made in the United States. By 1969, Martin sold twice as many D-45s as during the entire 1933-1942 run; customers included David Crosby and Jimi Hendrix.^[1] In 1971, a 12-string model was made,^[1] and in 1973, another one.^[6]

Longworth also designed a more affordable model, the D-41, making sure that the pearl inlays were done in such a way that the guitar could not be modified to look like a D-45.^[1]

Since 1968 Martin has produced a number of special versions, including the C.F. Martin Sr. Commemorative D-45 (200 guitars in 1996) and the C.F. Martin Sr. Deluxe D-45 (91 guitars in 1996).^[6]

Post-1968 models, selection

• D-45S (with 12-fret neck and slotted peghead, similar to 1936 models, 1969-1993)^[6]
• SD12-45 (12-string, two made in 1971 and 1973)^[6]
• D-45LE (with hexagonal outlines, 1987)^[6]
• D-45 Deluxe (with upgraded binding, inlays, etc., 1993)^[6]
• D-45 Gene Autry (12-fret neck, "Gene Autry" on fingerboard, 1994)^[6]
• D-45SS (Stephen Stills signature model, based on Stills' 1939 model, 1999)^[6]
• D-45 Celtic Knot
• D-45 Golden Era
• D-45 Authentic

Value

Models produced between 1933 and 1942 (also referred to as "pre-war Martins") are among the most expensive production-model guitars ever made. A listing for $135,000 was noted in a 2005 publication,^[10] and in 2011, a Vintage Guitar ranking of valuable guitars saw the D-45 (models made between 1936 and 1942) in first place, worth between $250,000 and $400,000.^[2] George Gruhn remarked that pre-war D-45s fetch "more than 20 times as much as a recent issue D-45, even though there is relatively little difference in design."^[11]

Notable owners

• David Crosby, who retired his own D-45 after the Stephen Stills signature version was produced^[12]
• Marty Stuart owns a D-45 which was formerly owned by Hank Williams, Jr., who gave it to Johnny Cash, who gave it to Stuart^[13]
• Stephen Stills owns a 1939 D-45^[6]
• Travis Tritt owns a custom D-45^[14]

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Johnston p. 116-17.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Greenwood 38.
3. ^ Johnston pp. 82-83.
4. ^ Boak p. 7.
5. ^ Soros.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Gruhn p. 450.
7. ^ Gruhn p. 421.
8. ^ Bacon p. 12.
9. ^ ^{a b} Johnston p. 90.
10. ^ Brookes 274-75.
11. ^ Gruhn p. 7.
12. ^ Boak p. 71.
13. ^ Boak p. 21.
14. ^ Boak p. 23.

Bibliography

• Bacon, Tony; Dave Burrluck, Paul Day, Michael Wright (2000). Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. Thunder Bay. ISBN 9781571452818. 
• Boak, Dick; Steve Miller (2003). Martin Guitar Masterpieces: A Showcase of Artists' Editions, Limited Editions, and Custom Guitars. Hachette Digital. ISBN 9780821228357. 
• Brookes, Tim (2005). Guitar: an American life. Grove Press. ISBN 9780802117960. http://books.google.com/books?id=fT6Pesat3hwC&pg=PA274. 
• Greenwood, Alan; Gil Hembree (April 2011). "25 Most Valuable Guitars". Vintage Guitar: pp. 38–40. 
• Gruhn, George; Walter Carter (1999). Gruhn's guide to vintage guitars: an identification guide for American fretted instruments. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9780879304225. 
• Johnston, Richard; Dick Boak, Mike Longworth (2008). Martin guitars: a history, Book 1. Music Dispatch. ISBN 9780634037856. http://books.google.com/books?id=_sLskDHcU3QC. 
• Soros, Bianca (December 1999). "Great Acoustics -- Jackie Kid Moore's 1934 D-45". TheMOMI.org. http://www.themomi.org/museum/articles/singingcowboys/2.html. Retrieved 15 February 2011.