Martin D-28 1939, Natural
$72,500.00
| Instrument | Dreadnought |
| Brand | Martin |
| Model | D-28 |
| Finish | Natural |
| SKU | GF8073-A |
| Handedness | Right |
| Made In Year | 1939 |
| Top | Adirondack Spruce |
| Back and Sides | Brazilian Rosewood |
| Neck/Fingerboard | Mahogany/Ebony |
| Bridge Material | Ebony |
| Tuners | Grovers |
| Neck Profile | C |
| Neck Depth | 0.84" - 0.98" |
| Scale Length | 25.5" |
| Nut Width | 1.72" |
| String Spacing at Saddle | 2.21" |
| Contains Brazilian Rosewood (Y/N) | Y |
| Electronics | N/A |
| Case | HSC |
| Modifications/Repairs | Neck reset, refret, fingerboard planed, TJ Thompson bridge, replaced saddle, replaced nut, replaced bridge pins, re-glued bridge plate, side crack on lower treble bout repaired with 12" strip cleat, X-brace scalloped and capped to reinforce, X-brace re-glued, 11" center back crack repaired with 3 cleats, 5" back crack glued, 6" side crack on treble side waist glued, top crack near treble side fingerboard extension, footprint from previously installed oversized bridge, binding re-glued on back near bass side upper bout, rosette partially re-glued on treble side |
| 1 9/16” | 1.563” |
| 1 5/8” | 1.625” |
| 1 11/16” | 1.688” |
| 1 3/4” | 1.750” |
| 1 7/8” | 1.875” |
This lovely D-28 was purchased in Memphis when teen aged Dottie Arnold and her friend Sonny James were performing together and bought matching Martins.
In the early 40’s Dottie married Dusty Rhodes. Along with Dusty’s brothers Slim and Speck and steel player John Hughey, they had several national radio programs and traveled the country extensively. In the '50s and '60s they had the Rhodes Show TV show in Memphis.
By the mid '60s their daughters Sandy and Donna became a duo and recorded for RCA as the Lonesome Rhodes. The group was managed by Skeeter Davis and produced by Chet Atkins.
Sandy Rhodes went on to become a songwriter and in demand guitar player and background vocalist in Memphis, Nashville and Muscle Shoals. This D-28 was used extensively by Sandy during the '60s through the '80s.
This guitar delivers the powerful tone characteristic of a pre-war D-28, featuring resonant bass and chiming highs. According to the owner, one of the cracks in this guitar resulted from an incident on the Grand Ole Opry stage where Norma Jean ran into Porter Wagoner! This 1939 model is still in good condition and has undergone the following essential repairs to give it a new lease on life: a neck reset, re-fret, fingerboard planing, installation of a TJ Thompson bridge, replacement of the saddle, nut, and bridge pins, re-gluing of the bridge plate, repair of a side crack on the lower treble bout with a 12" strip cleat, scalloping and capping of the X-brace for reinforcement, re-gluing of the X-brace, repair of an 11" center back crack with three cleats, gluing of a 5" back crack, gluing of a 6" side crack on the treble side waist, a top crack near the treble side fingerboard extension, a footprint from a previously installed oversized bridge, re-gluing of the binding on the back near the bass side upper bout, and partial re-gluing of the rosette on the treble side.
This guitar plays beautifully with low action and delivers a harmonically rich, and warm tone.
HSC included.
