Braz Rosewood Martin From 1971?

jimmyguitar

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F223516406105

What say you guys? I’ve read about possible 1970 examples but Martin seemed to be using Indian rosewood exclusively from 1970 onwards...

I used to have a ‘67 D-28 which I regret selling so would be keen on this if it’s a genuine anomaly with Brazilian.

Jez6345789

Certainly not expert enough to advise
Probably best send an email and a picture to the Nazareth boys also you can see the serial so they be able to shed some light. 

All that said I seem to recall that by then they were fairly heavily build and people do have the bracing lightened or so the article I read said. LOL

but may be a nice find

tone1

Birth year for me...June if anyone fancies buying me a pressie 

jimmyguitar

tone1 said:

Birth year for me...June if anyone fancies buying me a pressie 

Hands off! 

tone1

Lol.... Dibs then..You’ve always got such good taste Jimmy! 

KKJale

Not an expert either. It's a nice-looking colour, but that grain sort of mutters "Indian" to me. I'm just not seeing any of the spider-webbing or slight slabbiness of a fair amount of late-period Martin Brazilian, there's zero close-ups of the sides, and it's about 4000 guitars away from the supposed cut-off point. Anyway, at that price they're not exactly showing confidence in their hand. 

mgaw

I would be reasonably confident in saying that was Indian Rosewood...

Jez6345789

Never say Never but I just did a google image search and it certainly looks lesss likely. 

Andy79

I think it’s pushing it to say it’s Brazilan as late at ‘71. Rare bird if it is. A clue maybe to ask if it has the small maple bridge plate or larger rosewood one. 

ICBM

Looks like Indian to me, very similar to my '71 D12-35.

There would be absolutely no reason for Martin to hold back a Brazilian rosewood back & sides set and then use it on as ordinary a model as a standard D-28... a D-45, just possibly.

Andy79

ICBM said:

Looks like Indian to me, very similar to my '71 D12-35.

There would be absolutely no reason for Martin to hold back a Brazilian rosewood back & sides set and then use it on as ordinary a model as a standard D-28... a D-45, just possibly.

That makes the most sense to me

earwighoney

I'd say that's Indian RW, but very nice IRW. 

Warblington

It would be interesting to see some photos of the sides.The nearest you get is the figuring that can be seen on the inside in the serial number picture."Strongly believe" isn't much of a validation.Pity it's in Germany ,it's not as though you can closely inspect it or try it out.

jimmyguitar

Price directly is £2500 so about right for a regular 71. Tempted but need to check saddle height etc

Brize

Indian.

ICBM

Warblington said:

It would be interesting to see some photos of the sides.The nearest you get is the figuring that can be seen on the inside in the serial number picture.

I didn't spot that earlier. The serial number is more than 15,000 higher than my '71 D12-35, which is definitely Indian rosewood.

Given that the D-35 was originally introduced because getting Brazilian rosewood blanks in pieces wide enough for 2-piece backs was getting difficult and Martin wanted to find a way of using up their stock of not-quite-wide-enough pieces, and even those had gone well before the time my 12-string was made, I think the chances of this guitar being Brazilian rosewood are about the same as of me being Ayrton Senna.

jimmyguitar

Thanks one and all, think i’ll hold off for now.