Up for sale, a 2018 Martin D-42 dreadnought in near-mint condition, upgraded with an L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup assembly and Schaller GrandTune tuners, complete with the original hardshell case and hangtags. Featuring a solid Sitka spruce top with forward-shifted, scalloped X-bracing paired with solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, the D-42 can trace its upscale dreadnought lineage back to Martin’s Pre-War D-45. And while Martin’s style 42 has been around since the late 1800s, it wasn’t applied to a standard production model until 1996, making the D-42 a relatively recent addition to Martin’s lineup. Premium cosmetic appointments include abalone top binding and rosette, snowflake fingerboard inlay, and a vertically inlaid Martin logo on the headstock.
This Martin is rich and detailed, with ample projection, and a particularly warm, brassy lower midrange. The trebles are crisp and round, with a sparkling zing, and this Martin is emblematic of the company’s top tier craftsmanship, with excellent string-to-string balance and a high volume ceiling. The L.R. Baggs Anthem features a hybrid of Baggs’ proprietary TRU-MIC technology with an Element piezo pickup. The TRU-MIC comprises a microphone mounted 3mm away from the surface of the bridge plate: this unique mounting system frees up the mic, enabling it to perform as though it were outside the guitar while maintaining great feedback suppression. As such, it’s incredibly faithful to the natural tone of the instrument while offering more onstage flexibility than a traditional mic’d setup, and the Mix control enables blending with the bright, immediate tone of the Element piezo. This D-42 weighs 4lbs 13oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 12-53 bronze strings and easy-playing action.
Neck Specs:
-Wood: Mahogany
-Shape: Soft slender V, measuring .800” 1st fret, .900” 9th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, snowflake inlays, bound
-Frets: Slender, light wear beneath the plain strings on frets 1-9
-Scale Length: 25.4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone
-Tuners: Schaller GrandTune, butterbean buttons (replacement)
Body Specs:
-Wood: Sitka spruce, Indian rosewood
-Bracing: Forward-shifted, scalloped X-bracing
-Bridge: Ebony, snowflake inlay, compensated bone saddle
-Electronics: L.R. Baggs Anthem undersaddle TRU-MIC microphone/Element piezo pickup
-Controls: Volume wheel, Mix wheel, Phase button
-Serialization: Stamp on heel block dates to 2018
This guitar features Martin’s aging toner on top, and cosmetic wear on the gloss lacquer finish is limited to just a couple faint scratches in the clear coat on the body as whole. The finish on the neck profile is flawless.
The original black tolex hardshell case is included, along with the factory paperwork.