2021 Blazer & Henkes D-28H Shaded Dark

SN: 626. Friends, here is another powerhouse from the most recent “magical” batch of guitars received from Blazer & Henkes. I don’t know whether it’s the elves in the forests of Tubingen or a super-wolf full moon on harvest night but there is something special about these recent builds. This one-of-a-kind build is a reproduction of a 1936 Martin D-28H. Only two were made and just one with a shaded top. With its dark mid-30s sunburst, style 40 fretboard adornments, slotted headstock on a 12-fret neck, it’s one of the most beautiful and powerful guitars Martin ever made. The original guitar is pictured on page 181 on “Acoustic Guitars: An Illustrated Encyclopedia” by Walter Carter. This Blazer & Henkes masterpiece is in many ways just as stunning. The dark top is fashioned from Haselfichte the most sought after of the Alpine Spruce. It’s has some very light Bärentatze (bear clawing) a characteristic of this wood. Back and sides are BRW with well-defined fairly straight grain, some small figuring and zigzag back strip. The top and back are bound with ivoroid and the top is trimmed out with herringbone. The 12-fret neck features a slotted headstock with Waverly tuners, volute, ebony board, 40-style position markers and B&H inlaid logo.The width at the nut is just shy of 1-7/8 and string spacing at the bridge is 2-5/8. It’s all hand-built with hot hide glue and pure nitrocelulose. The exquisite workmanship is a testament to Willi and Rudi’s legacy and their love of prewar instruments. The tone is dynamic with big and powerful on one end and responsive and nuanced on the other. I made a run at the original and didn’t get it (sadly) but I can attest to the fact that the price of this one is less than 1/10th the price of the original. Both are worth every penny. This comes in a 5-ply TKL-like wood case but I have a new second-generation Hoffee for a 12-fret dread that I can offer at a nice price.

Top: Full moon harvested Alpine Spruce
Band & Sides: Brazilian Rosewood
Bridge & Fretboard: Ebony
Appointments: Herringbone trim, zigzag back strip, diamonds and snowflake markers
Nut width: 1-7/8”
String spacing: 2-3/8”
Body width: 15-5/8”
Depth: 4-7/8”
Scale length: 25.4”
Case: Hardshell