2001 Martin D-15
The Martin D-15 acoustic guitar is a full dreadnought style body with a satin finish, solid mahogany top, back, sides, and neck, and the traditional Martin resonance which high quality mahogany tonewoods produce. Recent MSRP’s range around $1650, so the D-15 is not the most expensive or ornate Martin; however, with its tortoise pick guard and herringbone decal rosette, it is still a striking instrument. The solid East Indian rosewood belly-style bridge with white black-dot pins, solid rosewood fingerboard with pearl-dot inlay, solid mahogany neck with rosewood headstock overlay, and enclosed chrome Martin small-knob tuners finish the picture of a quality guitar, topped off, of course, with the raised gold foil C. F. Martin name on the headstock which says it all.
The playability and sound verify the quality promised by the name. The bright tone of the solid mahogany tonewoods in an American-made Martin makes the D-15 a tremendous value, promising a lifetime of great performances. As one of the many reviewers online says,
“As a guitar player, if you're lucky, you may come across that one special guitar that you know you will never ever sell in a million years, even for a "better" guitar. My Martin D-15 is that guitar. I'll never get rid of it. I bought it used 4 years ago, and it just keeps getting better. The sound is fantastic. It's so rich. I've written my best songs on it. It teaches you how to be a better player, and rewards you for everything you do right. It's crazy, I know, but it's like a living and breathing thing that partners with you to make excellent music.” [Posted by Brian from Charlotte, NC on Jun 7, 2007]
The D-15 has a 14/20-fret fingerboard, a 25.4” scale, a width of 1 11/16” at the nut and 2 1/8” at the 12th fret, and a compensated saddle. The Martin mortise/tenon neck joint and “A-frame” X-bracing of the top combine with the great strength of mahogany to allow for thinner, more responsive tonewoods, making for the rich hard-driving sound characteristic of the D-15. The serial number (803717) indicates that this Martin was produced in 2001—just long enough ago to age the tonewoods toward maximum resonance.
This guitar is not quite perfect, as you might expect of a 2001 Martin: straight neck, comfortable action, little fret wear, flat top, solid bridge, tight tuners, and so on, but cosmetically there are a few dings and bruises and some faint pick marks on the pick guard if you look really closely. The guitar plays and sounds great, with the action set up at a bit over 3/32” at the 12th fret low E.
The included original hard shell case is worn but overall in good condition. The familiar green plush lining is fuzzy and soft, and structurally it is solid as a rock. It is an excellent complement for this vintage guitar—and of course offers outstanding protection.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have made every effort to describe and illustrate this guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Martin guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.