A Bluegrass champion has risen, just in time for the holidays! And it comes to us straight from the hands of a Bluegrass legend, Mr. Tim Stafford of Blue Highway fame. This 1946 Martin D-28 of Stafford’s has been one of his staple guitars for quite a long time, and now you have the opportunity to add it to your arsenal, instead. Featuring the kind of straight-grained Brazilian Rosewood that was then an industry standard (and now is all but impossible to find) and a darkly sunburst Sitka Spruce top, this D-28 is a jaw-dropper. This kind of vigorous, muscular tone, you know it’s a Bluegrass machine, with clean highs and a low-end that is big, but controlled. Almost 70 years old, this working relic plays like it’s 20, and is set up for Bluegrass-style attack. With all that bark, you’d think it was a three-headed dog–take one bite, and you won’t like the taste of anything else. According to Wayne Henderson, this guitar was retopped by Martin in the late 40s, when it was still a baby, so the top has been played in and fully opened up since then. This D-28 is true vintage, and bears the marks of musicmaking with pride.
This guitar is going to make some Bluegrass player very happy. Between the strength of its vintage tone and the quality of its Brazilian and Sitka, there are only a small number of guitars that can compete. Tim's sorry to see it go, I'm sure. 
It was all I could do to keep from selling two of my favorite guitars in order to buy this one. It's one of the best playing and best sounding dreadnoughts I've ever laid hands on. It has that nice chunkier neck that I love on the older Martins and it would be perfect for fingerstyle or flatpicking. The plain strings have lots of round tone and the bass is powerful, but controlled and balanced. So, if you like vintage Martins and you like that sunburst look, don't hesitate on this one. It's perfectly set up and won't need any work for years to come. | Scale Length | 25.4 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.72 in |
| String Spacing | 2.13 in |
| Woods | Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Brazilian |
A Bluegrass champion has risen, just in time for the holidays. And it comes to us straight from the hands of a Bluegrass legend, Mr
This guitar is going to make some Bluegrass player very happy. Between the strength of its vintage tone and the quality of its Brazilian and Sitka, there are only a small number of guitars that can compete
It was all I could do to keep from selling two of my favorite guitars in order to buy this one. It's one of the best playing and best sounding dreadnoughts I've ever laid hands on 