1968 Martin D-28 *Formerly Owned by Sonny James*
1968 Martin D-28 formerly owned by 50s heartthrob Sonny James "The Southern Gentleman," known for his hit single "Young Love." An incredible sounding D-28 featuring a small Brazilian rosewood bridge plate, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, an ebony fingerboard, and an ebony bridge. In good overall condition with signs of wear and a few cracks in the top repaired by Mark Tossman. A well-aged guitar and an incredible example of Martin's quality craftsmanship! Includes hardshell case.
Check out the feature from our luthier Tyler in the ECG Newsletter:
"If you don’t know who Sonny James is, then you probably weren’t dating a teenager in 1957. Along with the provenance of one of the era’s most popular crooners, this instrument has an incredible story to go along with it.
Bought new by Sonny James in 1968 and immediately adorned with his name, this guitar saw its first (and last) commercial airline flight just weeks after its purchase. As unbelievable as this may sound, the TWA baggage handler on duty that day didn’t have the gentlest touch, and the brand new D-28 ended up with a trio of top cracks near its lower bout. After some deliberation, TWA agreed to pay Sonny enough cash to buy a brand new D-28, and sent him on his way.
This left the airline with a guitar in need of repair. In a lucky twist of fate, another one of the company’s young baggage handlers happened to be an aspiring luthier, and managed to purchase the now-damaged guitar from TWA. This employee executed some decent repairs for the time, then played and enjoyed the guitar up until last year, when we purchased the guitar directly from him. As structuraly solid as the repairs were, they weren’t quite up to our standards, so we carefully removed and repeated the repairs with period-correct materials and glues.
This D-28 is a rare example that features a small rosewood bridge plate, a brief transitional feature of the time that is highly preferred to the later, large plate. An absolutely beautiful Brazilian Rosewood back and sides make this one of the last of the truly coveted Martin D-28s, and its unlikely life of heartbreak and redemption make it an unforgettable piece of musical history." - Tyler Geske
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