1973 Martin D-28 : Natural : Fully Restored with K&K Pickup

A genuine Nazareth-built D-28 from early 1973 that has been through a complete, no-shortcuts restoration and come out the other side as a serious working instrument. This is not a survivor left alone to be admired. It has been made right.

The work list is extensive. But plays and sounds incredible.

Work done by a local professional trained luthier. The neck has been reset. The fingerboard was removed, resanded, planed true, and refretted, and compression fretting (wider-tang wire) was used to pull the neck back into proper relief. Top cracks have been cleated from the inside and a new bridge plate was installed, so the bracing and string ball anchoring are fresh and solid. The result is a fifty-plus-year-old dreadnought with modern structural integrity underneath vintage tone wood.

Solid Sitka spruce top over solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, with an ebony fingerboard and belly bridge. The top has aged to a deep amber and shows honest checking and playing wear. Tone is exactly what people chase in a 70s Martin: dry, woody midrange, a big fundamental low end, and a top that has been vibrating for five decades and has no intention of stopping.

Two upgrades make this one easy to live with. Waverly open-gear tuners replace the original hardware, a substantial improvement in feel, accuracy, and looks. A K&K Pure Mini passive pickup system is installed, which is the standard by which acoustic transducers get judged. Plug straight into a DI or acoustic amp and it sounds like the guitar, not like a piezo.

Action is low and even, intonation is dialed in, and it is ready to gig, track, or hang on a wall hook and get grabbed every day.

Specs

• Year: 1973, Nazareth, PA
• Serial: 313331
• Top: Solid Sitka spruce
• Back and sides: Solid East Indian rosewood
• Neck: Mahogany, ebony fingerboard, 25.4" scale, 1 11/16" nut
• Bridge: Ebony, belly style
• Tuners: Waverly open-gear (upgrade, non-original)
• Electronics: K&K Pure Mini passive (added)
• Finish: Natural gloss
• Condition: Fully restored and structurally sound. Neck reset, refret, cleated cracks, new bridge plate. Cosmetic wear and finish checking consistent with age.