My Favorite Guitars - Best Selling Guitars

The Martin D-28, introduced in 1931, is an icon of American guitar-making and probably the most famous acoustic guitar in the world. The D-28 is modeled after the wide, deep-bodied, style 111 guitars that Martin produced for the Ditson Company of New York and Boston in 1916. The workhorse of Martin acoustic guitars, the D-28 features a Sitka Spruce top, East Indian Rosewood back & sides, 5/16” bracing for brightness and clarity, and a 1 11/16” nut width. Balanced, loud, and beautiful!

The D-35 was first made in 1965. It differs from the D-28 in several significant ways: it features a 3-piece Indian Rosewood back (as opposed to two-piece); and a bound-fingerboard with hand-rolled edges. The D-35 also has ¼” bracing (compared to the 5/16” bracing of the D-28), giving it a darker, bassier, woodier sound. The sides are also Indian Rosewood, and the top is Sitka Spruce.

A D-28 on steroids! The basic construction of a D-28, but with some important differences: Scalloped bracing makes it louder and bolder, with strong bass and clear mids and trebles. Herringbone purfling top, HD Zig Zag purfling in back and a tortoise pickguard set it apart cosmetically.

A D-35 on steroids! The basic construction of a D-35 (including the distinctive 3-piece back and ¼” bracing); but this one also has scalloped braces, herringbone purfling on top, HD Zig Zag purfling in back and a tortoise pickguard.

A D-28 with a variety of Marquis appointments: an Adirondack top, braces that are both scalloped and forward shifted, herringbone purfling on top, HD Zig Zag purfling in back, a modified “v” neck, fossilized ivory nut, saddle and bridge/end pins (as opposed to bone in the D-28), ivoroid binding, long diamond headstock with a Golden Era-style headplate, 1 ¾” nut, 2 5/16” string spacing, diamonds & squares inlay on the fretboard, long saddle, butterbean tuners, and a paper label inside. Whew!

The OM (“Orchestra Model,” or small-bodied) version of the D-28 Marquis. It features: an Adirondack top, scalloped braces, herringbone purfling on top, HD Zig Zag purfling in back, a modified “v” neck, fossilized ivory nut, saddle and bridge/end pins, ivoroid binding, long diamond headstock with a Golden Era-style headplate, 1 ¾” nut, 2 5/16” string spacing, diamonds & squares inlay on the fretboard, long saddle, butterbean tuners, and a paper label inside.

The following are guitars we custom build through the Martin Custom Shop. We are able to offer substantial discounts on our custom built Martins because we get an extra discount from Martin when we build them in large numbers.

A special 16-series 000 long-scale 12 fret guitar, built exclusively for My Favorite Guitars. It’s based on Martin's (discontinued) 000-16SRGT. This guitar features Indian Rosewood back/sides, a Sitka Spruce top, scalloped braces, a modified low-oval neck, slotted headstock, 12 frets to the body, 1 ¾” nut width, 2 ¼” string spacing, Waverly tuners, and a gloss-top finish. The neck block is stamped “Custom.”

The Golden Era (or “GE”) guitars are based on the “golden age” of Martin guitar making – basically considered to be the 1930’s. Golden Era guitars feature the following: Adirondack top, Scalloped/Forward Shifted braces, a modified v-neck, fossilized ivory nut & saddle, old-style “18” neck inlay and rosette, aging toner, and in interior label signed by CF Martin IV. The Dreadnought also has a 1 ¾” nut width.

We custom order these with an Amberburst finish. The neck block is stamped “Custom.”

The 000-18 Golden Era guitars are very similar to the D-18 Golden Era models, with just a few differences. The braces are scalloped, but not forward shifted; they are short-scale (not long-scale), and they have a 30’s-style neck heel.

We custom order these with an Amberburst finish. The neck block is stamped “Custom.”

This is a very popular guitar, with the specs put together by members of the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum (or UMGF). It’s a 00-18VS: 00 body size (smaller than on OM or 000), quilted mahogany back/sides, Sitka spruce top, scalloped ¼” braces, modified V neck, 1 ¾” nut, 2 ¼” string spacing, 12-frets to the body and a slotted headstock.

We custom order these in both natural and Amberburst finish. The neck block is stamped “Custom.”