Martin Custom Shop “D” Sloped Shoulder Dreadnought 28-Style Acoustic Guitar, Sitka/Wild Grain EIR

The Martin Custom Shop “D” Sloped Shoulder Dreadnought draws from a long lineage of large-bodied Martin acoustics while deliberately shifting the silhouette toward a more nuanced playing experience. Rooted in the dreadnought tradition that Martin pioneered over a century ago, this Custom Shop build nods to vintage slope-shoulder forms without abandoning the authoritative presence associated with square-shouldered classics. As part of the Custom Shop program, it also benefits from the Martin team’s most skilled luthiers and Russo Music’s ongoing relationship as a Custom Shop Expert Dealer—ensuring a high level of collaborative input and attention to detail.

The top is built from Bearclaw Sitka spruce, chosen not only for its visual texture but for the controlled stiffness it offers under tension. It’s bound and finished with an aging toner to evoke a pre-worn character. The back and sides are cut from two-piece Wild Grain East Indian rosewood, selected for its visual complexity and structural reliability. Internally, the top is supported by forward-shifted 5/16" Golden Era scalloped spruce bracing in an X configuration—Martin’s historically informed pattern that allows the top to move more freely without compromising structural integrity.

Aesthetically, the Style 28 Boltaron rosette and HD Zig Zag back purfling ground the guitar in classic Martin territory, stylistically. The black ebony fingerboard is set on a select hardwood neck, shaped to a Modified V profile and featuring a High Performance taper—providing a more contemporary feel without losing the sense of tradition. Twenty standard frets, a 16" fingerboard radius, and Style 28 mother-of-pearl inlays complete the playing surface. Tuning is handled by Grover StaTite machines with vintage-style buttons and an 18:1 gear ratio for precise adjustments. At the other end, a GE-style modern belly ebony bridge anchors the setup with a compensated bone saddle.

There’s no onboard electronics to interfere with the instrument’s acoustic integrity. The body wears a gloss finish, while the neck is satin for smooth movement. Housed in a 5-ply hardshell case, this Custom Shop “D” model blends time-honored Martin craft with select modern refinements—customized for the player who values clarity, depth, and playability above all else.