Why you should buy a Martin D-45 dreadnought acoustic

Something I don't do often is talk about expensive guitars. The Martin D-45 dreadnought acoustic is a very expensive guitar. Is it worth it to buy one? Yes it is.

Before I get into why it's worth it, there are certain guitar brands where if I had the money, I would put down the cash to buy and not think twice about it. Brands like Gretsch, G&L, Epiphone (as in the upper-end Epiphone like the Broadway model), and so on. I may talk about those brands later. But for now I'm talking about Martin.

When people talk about "the D", they're usually talking about a Martin D-45.

What makes the D so special? What is it about the D that's so desirable?

The best way I can describe a D is that it is "the sound" of what a natural acoustic is supposed to sound like. It more or less defined the country-and-western acoustic tone, and later on defined the acoustic you hear on any movie soundtrack that's worth listening to that features an acoustic guitar.

The D is a gentleman's guitar. It is not something meant to be played nor even touched by pimple-faced metalhead kids that don't understand what a D is all about. To appreciate a D takes a man who understands the value of a properly made acoustic that just sings whenever you play it.

Do you have to be an expert player to wield a D? Not at all, and that's part of the beauty of it. The size and shape feels 100% comfortable, and the sound projection makes anything you play on it sound amazing, even if it's just your standard campfire song style chords.

As a collector's piece...

As a collector's piece, a D appreciates in value very quickly. If there was ever a no-brainer investment instrument, the D is literally a can't-go-wrong purchase. If you buy one today, it's pretty much guaranteed it will be worth more in the future. A lot more.

What does owning a D say about you?

It says you've arrived. You've saved up your money and want something that's a real show-stopper of a guitar. That's the D.

Proper guitar players know how to spot a D instantly. It's not a flashy guitar, nor is it meant to be. The D is simply a 100% proper acoustic, front to back, top to bottom.

There are very few guitars where I say "whoa" when I see one. The D-45 is one of them.

Why is a D-45 so expensive?

Mainly because it's made just like Martin used to make them in the pre-war era.

You've heard the old saying "they don't build 'em like they used to". Well, Martin does build D-45s exactly like they used to, very much on purpose so it's as authentic as they could possibly construct them. That's a good thing.

As crazy as this sounds, I honestly don't believe the price is too high for it. I think it is appropriately priced for what it is.

Some guitars (*cough* Gibson *cough*) are priced way too high for what they are. But not the D-45. You will get exactly what you expect from it, which is a perfect-playing, perfect-sounding acoustic guitar.

Is the D-45 good for stage?

No. The D is meant to be privately owned and appreciated that way.

If you want a proper acoustic stage guitar, the Yamaha A-Series is the much better choice. Looks great, has a proper electric-acoustic setup with modeling, and gets the job done in fine style. Great for stage.

If on the other hand you want cheap-and-good, again, it's Yamaha with their APX500II model. Not as good or ritzy-looking as the A-Series, but gets the job done nicely.

Now if you wanted a Martin acoustic that's proper for stage use, that would be the D-35. Not cheap by any means, but it can withstand stage environments a whole lot better. But even so, I'd still recommend Yamaha acoustics first over Martins for stage use.

"Why buy an expensive D-45 if I can't play it on stage?"

If you asked yourself this, you're missing the point of owning a D in the first place.

Owning a D-45 is not about bringing it on stage and performing with it. It is about owning one of the best proper acoustic guitars money can buy.

There are men out there who get to a point in life where they want to buy "that one really good guitar" and have the money to spend, but honestly don't know what guitar to spend it on. You would be surprised how often this happens.

For those men out there that want a gentleman's guitar where you really get what you pay for, you want a D-45. If you've got the money, get one now.

Published 2014 Feb 2