C. F. Martin & Co. is proud to mark its 190th anniversary in the industry. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, the company is excited to announce the release of the all-new D-19 190th Anniversary model ($4,000).
Since its founding in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin, Martin Guitar has been a trailblazer in the world of acoustic guitar craftsmanship. Over the course of nearly two centuries, the company has become synonymous with quality, innovation, and enduring musical heritage. The Martin name has graced countless stages and recordings around the world, earning a place of distinction among musicians and collectors alike.
In honor of this 190-year legacy, Martin Guitar is thrilled to introduce the limited edition D-19 190th Anniversary – a stunning guitar that pays tribute to tradition, while embracing innovative design and quality craftsmanship.
The new D-19 is part of a limited edition of 190 guitars that Martin built to celebrate their 190th Anniversary. This guitar is based on a model Martin introduced in 1976, which was essentially a D-18 with a top stained brown to match the mahogany back and sides. Like that earlier version, this new guitar has a dark top, but unlike the original, which had a Sitka spruce top, the top on this beauty is Adirondack spruce. The back and sides are solid genuine mahogany, the fingerboard and bridge are Guatemalan rosewood and it has a traditional dovetail neck joint. This new D-19 has forward shifted scalloped braces and an adjustable truss rod, two features absent in the 1976 version. Perhaps the most fascinating variation between the old and new D-19s is the way the brown color is applied. On this guitar, the color is applied using a Mimaki printer, a process that lets Martin add some visual texture to the top.
“One hundred and ninety years ago, on November 6th, my great, great, great grandfather and grandmother and their two children arrived in New York City from Germany. They came to America seeking opportunity and freedom. They initially settled at 196 Hudson Street and opened the first Martin Guitar workshop in the New World. I was looking for a way for us to celebrate this milestone. In 1976 (the anniversary of the founding of our nation) we introduced the D-19. It was designed as an upmarket D-18. We stained the top to utilize spruce that was cosmetically challenged. An early nod to sustainability. I thought it would be appropriate to dust off that model designation and make 190 contemporary D-19s to honor our 190th anniversary. This model also embraces sustainability by utilizing cosmetically challenged Adirondack spruce tops that we have had in inventory for a while. We sent them through our Mimaki printer to achieve a figured mahogany look for the top. Hope you like it.”
– C.F. Martin IV
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