I want to sell a Martin guitar. It is a D 35 special. Had it appraised by a reputable appraiser 5 years ago and he appraised it at a conservative $6800. He said it could be worth even more to some collectors. Any thoughts on how I might do this? I know of e bay but I am not wise enough to know how to do this. I am not expecting to get the full price for it but would like to not get ripped off either.
What is a D-35 SPECIAL? Value probably depends on condition and how old it is. If you don't want to go through ebay or Craigslist, some dealers will take instruments on consignment for a percentage. If you sell outright to a dealer they'll want to pay some kind of wholesale price so they can make a profit. It used to be that Elderly Instruments would give a free appraisal if you sent them pictures. Don't know if they still do that, but its worth contacting them. You could always try a classified ad in the newspaper.
Good luck.
Could probably post it here but banjo Hangout would get you more viewers. I think there's a guitar hangout too, or something like it. They all have classified ads.
There's an "Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum" that has a "Buy and Sell" section. Trouble with classifieds is you need to set a price. But you can look around and see if you can find what similar instruments are going for.
many things make it special. The Martin company gave it that tag. One of the last to have a rosewood back, one of the last to be autographed by C.F. Martin the third. It was made in 1988. And yes it does have a genuine Rosewood back. They found a stash of it someplace and made a few of these. I have it all documented in the appraisal.
Interesting, and something new to me. I looked around just a little and found this beautiful 1968 Brazilian rosewood D-35 offerred at $5500 at a reputable dealer in Vermont. northernlightsmusic.com/produc...sQof2rS6w I'm not up on guitar prices these days at all. I still have my 1963 D-28 I bought new when I was in high school. Doesn't look too great but it sounds fine.
Edited by - DougD on 05/22/2024 17:27:44
Good luck with your efforts to sell the Martin. I seem to remember that "Special" designated a guitar with a slightly wider neck and a scallop braced top (to lend the sound more life). Me and the wife have had...and still possess...more than our share of Martin Guitars. We actually toured the Martin Factory maybe ten years ago, and met CF Martin IV.
To be sure, there's a good deal of subjectivity when it comes to musical instrument makers & models, but if there had to be a Rolls-Royce among acoustic guitar brands, Martin would certainly be the top choice. I love 'em truly. Whether the guitar is vintage or just off the assembly line, you can pretty much count on it being an excellent musical instrument. A lifelong companion.
Brazilian rosewood is pre-1969.
I don't think there's anything wrong with Indian rosewood.
Don't forget lots of clear pictures. If you were buying a Martin, you'd want to see every bump and bruise.
this is Brazilian Rosewood! Believe it or not. Unless the Martin Co. lied to me which I doubt. I am the original owner and still carry the lifetime warranty. The man who did the appraisal is the official repair man for the Martin Co. who does the warranty repairs in this part of the country. He has done some of the repair work on this one in the past. He has a repair shop in Columbus Ohio. I may take it to him and let him sell it for a commission.
That sounds like a good idea, at least for starters.
farmerjones - I'd always thought Martin stopped using Brazilian rosewood at the end of 1969, but I looked this up and its not quite so cut and dried. I have a 1970 Martin 00-21, probably made in May or June judging by the serial number that has really wild looking back and sides. I've showed it to a few dealers, and gotten several suggestions ranging from "That's just old slab cut Indian rosewood" to "Cocobolo?"
old cowboy - Martin did make some guitars with Brazilian rosewood after 1970, as supplies turned up, and I think still do. If they said yours is Brazilian, then it is. Its pretty easy to distinguish and of course the repairman would know. Looking at some photos of some of the later ones, perhaps my 00-21 really is Brazilian, but I doubt it.
Good luck with your sale. I hope this doesn't mean you're giving up playing the guitar.
Not a guitar person at all, but I do hear people talking about them a lot. If memory serves, I believe a friend of mine also had one of those “special” guitars that had a Brazilian RW back. He sold it several years ago. I have no idea what he got for it, but I think he was satisfied with the sale.
There are a lot of shops that do guitar work and sales, but I agree that if the main repairman for Martin is an option, that’s a great place to start. For an appraisal, Fred Oster in Philadelphia might be a good person to contact if you want something in addition to Martin’s own documentation. Oster started out selling high end vintage guitars and still maintains a legendary store. He was the appraiser for Antiques Roadshow for years and has seen a bit of everything!
Sometime back in the 20th Century I shopped for both Brazilian and Indian Rosewood-bodied Martin guitars at various high end musical instrument stores in the L.A. area. The Brazilian ones looked a lot prettier, for sure, but I ended up with an Indian Rosewood bodied M-38 (now marketed as a 0000 sized instrument). And, oh yeah, if you want to be a true Martin Guitar snob, you must pronounce the zeros as "aughts," not "oh's."
In any case, I reaffirm that my two Martins are strong candidates as the best musical instruments this music nut has ever possessed. To be sure, my workshop Dimbath fiddle is excellent, and so is my 60" tall turn-of-the-20th Century Mason & Hamlin upright piano, but those two Martins are crazy good.
I was wrong on the year I purchased it. It was 1984.
Here's a 2022 UMGF thread about this model: umgf.com/1984-brazilian-d-35v-t220943.html
With the Wayback Machine I was able to see this store's ad from October 2022:
*MARTIN D-35V Brazilian, 1984, 1 of 50, signed by both
CF Martin III and IV, this old growth Rosewood is from the old days- not
typical 'modern" Martin Brazilian but the real deal
with a classic brick red color and modest grain, like
many pre-69 Martins, non-adjustable truss rod as per the originals,
1 11/16" at the nut, some checking on the top, great action
and superb sound, exc-, ohsc....$7500
An old ad from the Music Emporium: themusicemporium.com/products/...tion-1985
Thanks screecher. Very nice guitars.
old cowboy - If things don't work out in Columbus there are prominent dealers who probably would be interested in your guitar. The advantage is that they have a national, and even international presence among collectors. They may even already know someone who might be interested.
Let us know how it goes, and again, good luck!
I believe this is a current listing from Lark St. Music that includes a similar guitar, listed at $6500. larkstreetmusic.com/stock.html
I have sold a guitar, banjo, and fiddle though Elderly Instrument's consignment program. Things sold fast and I received more money than I ever would have selling anything locally.
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