Gene Autry's original 1933 D-45, s/n 53177, photographed at the Autry National Center; one of only three pre-war D-45s with 12-fret neck (and longer body), all the remainder have 14-fret necks.
The Martin D-45 is a steel-string acoustic guitar model made by C. F. Martin & Company. The model was manufactured from 1933 to 1942, and in a second production series since 1968. Martin originally made the guitar's sides and backs of Brazilian rosewood. Martins are ranked among the highest-quality, as well as among the most expensive guitars, and the D-45, regarded as one of the first "luxury guitars",[1] was listed in 2011 as the most valuable production-model guitar.[2]
The first D-45 was a dreadnought guitar based on the Martin D-28 with luxury ornamentation (the "45" designation),[2] made especially for Gene Autry who, in 1933, ordered "the biggest, fanciest Martin he could."[3] This guitar is now encased in glass in the Gene Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, California.[4] The next year, Martin made one for Jackie "Kid" Moore, a "12-year-old singing cowboy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin."[5] These first two had a 12-fret neck; most others (except for the 6th, made in 1937) made afterward had a 14-fret neck.[6] Two more were made in 1936 and two again in 1937;[6] the D-45 wasn't catalogued until 1938.[7] Other versions included a D-45S (with a special neck, 1939) and a D-45L (left handed, 1940).[6] The D-45 was the top model of the dreadnought line,[8] which also included the D-28 and D-18 models, priced much lower.
In 1942, as a result of World War II, Martin officially ceased production of the D-45 (as well as other Martin models such as the archtops).[6] This first series of D-45's consisted of only 91 instruments.[1]
Second series, from 1968
David Crosby with his well travelled, second series Martin D-45, live in Belgium, 2018
The luxurious D-45 resembled the less ornate D-28 model enough to entice entrepreneurial guitar builders and craftsmen to modify the latter to look like the former by adding a pearl border and changing the stamps on the neck block, so they could sell them as the more expensive model. One of those craftsmen was Mike Longworth, a banjo player from Tennessee, who Martin hired specifically to bring the D-45 back. The new D-45, released in 1968, cost $1,200 and was the most expensive flat-top steel-string guitar made in the United States at the time. By 1969, Martin sold twice as many D-45s as during the entire 1933–1942 run; customers included David Crosby and Jimi Hendrix.[1] In 1971, a 12-string model was made,[1] and in 1973, another one.[6]
Longworth also designed a more affordable model, the D-41, making sure that the pearl inlays were done in such a way that the guitar could not be modified to look like a D-45.[1] Since 1968, Martin has produced a number of special versions, including the C.F. Martin Sr. Commemorative D-45 (200 guitars in 1996) and the C.F. Martin Sr. Deluxe D-45 (91 guitars in 1996).[6]
Post-1968 models, selection
D-45S (with 12-fret neck and slotted peghead, similar to 1936 models, 1969-1993)[6]
D-45 Gene Autry (12-fret neck, "Gene Autry" on fingerboard, 1994)[6]
D-45SS (Stephen Stills signature model, based on Stills' 1939 model, 1999)[6]
D-45 Celtic Knot
D-45 Golden Era
D-45 Authentic
Value
Models produced between 1933 and 1942 (also referred to as "pre-war Martins") are among the most expensive production-model guitars ever made. A listing for $135,000 was noted in a 2005 publication,[9] and in 2011, a Vintage Guitar ranking of valuable guitars saw the D-45 (models made between 1936 and 1942) in first place, worth between $250,000 and $400,000.[2]George Gruhn remarked that pre-war D-45s fetch "more than 20 times as much as a recent issue D-45, even though there is relatively little difference in design."[10][11]
Notable owners
David Crosby, who owns three of these—of them at least two are late '60s models.
Bacon, Tony; Dave Burrluck; Paul Day; Michael Wright (2000). Electric Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. Thunder Bay. ISBN978-1-57145-281-8.
Boak, Dick; Steve Miller (2003). Martin Guitar Masterpieces: A Showcase of Artists' Editions, Limited Editions, and Custom Guitars. Hachette Digital. ISBN978-0-8212-2835-7.
