Hank Snow’s Martin D-28 Guitar – A Vintage Collectible Item

Martin D-28 Guitar – A Great Collectible Item

Hank Snow with Martin D-28 Guitar

Martin D-28 Guitar

Martin D-28 Guitar

Elvis Presley with Martin D-28 Guitar

History of Martin Guitars -

The body shape of the guitar, with a wider waist than was then customary and a deeper body, first appeared in 1916 on a range of guitars made by a partnership of the C.F. Martin guitar company of Nazareth PA and the Oliver Ditson Company, a retail and wholesale distributor with outlets in Boston and New York.Very few of these 111 style guitars were made and, while they had little impact on guitar players at the time, they now fetch staggering prices, should an example come onto the guitar market.

History of Martin D-28 Guitars -

In 1931 C.F. Martin introduced the D body shape guitars, the D-1 and the D-2. The D stands for Dreadnought, the largest British battleship. Extremely limited numbers of the D-1 and D-2 were made, so limited that these guitars must be the most collectable acoustics of all. When the guitar went into a proper production cycle it was slotted into the familiar Martin guitar numbering system - a letter of the alphabet to designate body size and shape followed by a number to indicate the style of finish and woods used. The D-18 was less ornate and had a mahogany back and sides paired with dark body bindings, while the D-28 used Brazilian rosewood for the back and sides and had herringbone trim and a zipper style back stripe. More expensive models - the D-35 and D-45 were produced but it was the D-28 that found its way into the hearts of guitarists from all spheres.

Elvis Presley had a Martin D 28 guitar. He loved the big bodied sound it gave in his early days of singing real rock and roll. In October of 2009, Elvis Presley's Martin D 28 that he played in his final concert in Las Vegas sold for $106,200 at auction. Maybe it was his country influenced background that made the big guitar attractive for Elvis, for after all, many of the big stars of Nashville's Grand Ole Opry used a Martin D 28 guitar.

Hank Williams is perhaps the most famous country performer to use a Martin D 28 guitar. It was perfect for him and you can hear its rich ringing tone being strummed in Hank's inimitable style on all his recordings. Another "Hank," this time Hank Snow, also knew and loved the Martin D 28 guitar. Snow was a very accomplished acoustic guitarist and his unique solo playing style can be heard on many of his recordings. He managed to really bring the tone of this classic guitar to life.

Other greats of southern country who proudly played a Martin D 28 guitar include, Merle Travis, Marty Stuart, Lester Flatt, Neil Young (he has one of Hank Williams's old guitars), George Jones, Dan Tyminski and many, many more. Since the first Martin guitars were made in the late 1800s, many models have been favorites, but this big generous sounding guitar has especially won the hearts and souls of practically everyone who has heard its ringing tones.