D-42 Pre-War Homage
Brazilian Rosewood
Adirondack Spruce
Body: D-42 Brazilian Rosewood Pre-War Homage
Woods: Very old and rare master grade Brazilian Rosewood. Mastergrade old-growth Adirondack Spruce. Honduran Mahogany neck, Adirondack bracing. Bridge, fretboard, and headplate Brazilian Rosewood.
Construction Details: This is a D-42 12-fret built to dreadnought pre-war specs, from tracings of original period Martins. An homage second to none. Grained nitrocellulose binding, and the most vivid handpicked abalone shell frame this stunning instrument. Mastergrade old-growth Adirondack spruce has even grain spacing across the top – a characteristic rarely seen in Adirondack spruce guitars built in the last sixty years. The Brazilian Rosewood presents incredible color depth with old-growth landscape ink in the sides, as one would expect a pre-war 42 or 45 series instrument to possess. Extremely dark Brazilian Rosewood is used in place of ebony, for the bridge and fretboard, to improve the guitar’s sonoral presentation. The headstock, inlaid with a traditional abalone flower pot, is beautifully bound in nitrocellulose binding encasing the heavily landscaped Brazilian Rosewood headplate. Pre-war scalloped Adirondack spruce bracing pattern. Period correct center strip in the backset. Based on an early 40’s Martin, the neck specifications reproduce the soft-v neck profile and volute.
Stainless steel frets and a hidden bolt-on neck ensure a lifetime ability to maintain this instrument in top shape. The bolt-on neck block is carefully made with a front face plate which hides the bolts and maintains an internal original look. Waverly tuners with ivoroid buttons. Nitrocellulose pickguard. Sound reinforcement is a custom configuration – LR Baggs Anthem with Tru-mic, coupled with 3 piezo elements mounted on the bridge plate in place of a UST. This allows for a full microphone/piezo pickup system without the interference of a UST under the through saddle.
A sonoral powerhouse, this guitar sounds as good as it looks. Powerful, balanced, with a fast attack and projection. Trebles are bright, the mid-tones lush, and the bass powerful and tight.
Notes: This is a one-of-a-kind dreadnought. Search far and wide, the woods are simply no longer available, and craftsmanship in an instrument like this comes along once in a while. This was a 2-year pursuit of mine, with attention to every detail. Comes protected in a Hiscox case.