More than 70 years after its first appearance, the
dreadnought remains the most
popular flattop body style among
acoustic guitarists. The big-body
dreadnought (named after the
HMS Dreadnought, a revolutionary British battleship launched in
1906) was originally designed by
C.F. Martin & Company in 1916
for the Oliver Ditson Company
of Boston. These guitars were sold
under the Ditson brand until the
late 1920s, when Ditson went out
of business.
At the time, Martin believed
such a large guitar produced too
much bass and spoiled the delicate
balance of the Martin sound.
This philosophy changed during the hard times of the Great
Depression, which started in 1929.
The slowdown in business motivated the family-owned company
to try new ideas to keep musicians
interested in Martin instruments.
One of these ideas was to release
dreadnought-size guitars in 1931
under the Martin brand.
This month’s 1937 Martin
D- 28 has the classic features that
make it among the most celebrated
guitars of the Golden Era. These
include a spruce top with Brazilian
rosewood back and sides, scalloped
X bracing (until 1944), a “belly”
bridge (introduced on Martins in
1929), 14 frets clear of the body
(a 1934 innovation), a mahogany
neck with an ebony fretboard,
diamond-shaped fretboard inlays
(until 1944), and herringbone top
trim (offered until 1946).
If you’re interested in exploring the history of the mighty
D- 28 and other classic Martin
steel-strings, you’ll find a wealth
of information in the two-volume
Martin Guitars: A History Revised
and Updated by Richard Johnston,
Dick Boak, and Mike Longworth,
Martin Guitars: An Illustrated
Celebration of America’s Premier
Guitarmaker by Jim Washburn
and Richard Johnston, and in The
Martin Book by Walter Carter.
DAVE’S GUITAR SHOP
Dave Rogers’ collection is tended
by Laun Braithwaite and Tim Mullally
and is on display at:
Dave’s Guitar Shop
1227 Third Street South
La Crosse, WI 54601
davesguitar.com
Photos by Mullally and text
by Braithwaite.
TOP: With their slender buttons, the vintage tuners enhance the elegant simplicity of this D- 28’s headstock. MIDDLE:
Like modern D-28s, this vintage beauty
has a solid spruce top, an ebony “belly”
bridge, and a 14-fret neck joint. INSET:
This D- 28’s Brazilian rosewood back and
sides make it particularly desirable to
collectors and players alike.
