Of all the guitars made in Martin’s nearly 200-year history, none are more prized than the original 91 D-45 models produced from 1933 to 1942. These highly ornamented acoustics command prices well over the six-figure mark today, with hushed reports of private sales crossing over the million mark.
To honor these legendary instruments, Martin has quite literally re-created history with their ambitious Project 91 collection. From the very first D-45 built to order for the Singing Cowboy Gene Autry to the final model made in 1942, the 91 instruments of the Project 91 lineup take direct inspiration from their prewar predecessors, right down to the serial number. Only one of each number will be made, and Sweetwater was bestowed with one of the most storied models in the series. Originally special ordered by the young cowboy singer Jackie “Kid” Moore, the second-ever D-45 is reborn in the Martin D-45 1934 Project 91-2.
The Dawn of a Dreadnought Icon
In 1933, the legendary country musician Gene Autry commissioned Martin to build him the “biggest, fanciest Martin” that Nazareth could muster. Martin had only been officially offering their dreadnoughts for two years at that point, and the D-28’s big-bodied form only fulfilled half of Autry’s extravagant request. Even today, D-28s are rather understated in their appearance, and that simply wouldn’t do for the Singing Cowboy’s larger-than-life image.
Thus, the D-45 was born. Martin began with the standard tonewoods and profile of the D-28 then applied the visual accoutrements of the brand’s tried-and-trusted Style 45 series. From the top to the back, even to the fingerboard extension and headstock, just about every inch of Gene’s D-45 was graced with gleaming abalone. Of course, the most striking appointment was the “Gene Autry” signature inlaid into the ebony fingerboard — a move that Gene borrowed from fellow country pioneer Jimmie Rodgers, who had his name inlaid into a 000-45 by Martin back in 1928.
The grand total? Somewhere in the ballpark of $200, clocking in at double the price of a D-28 at the time and around $5,000 in 2026 dollars. Five grand is a princely sum for a performing guitarist in the best of times, and 1933, the heart of the Great Depression, was not a time when many could afford such a luxurious expenditure. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the D-45 was far from Martin’s biggest seller, and the model was discontinued in 1942 due to material shortages caused by the war effort. Still, the D-45 did, in fact, catch the eyes of 91 discerning musicians before its unceremonious death, including a 12-year-old country and western singer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Story of the Second D-45
Jackie “Kid” Moore would have been less than 12 years old when Gene Autry began performing with his signature-adorned D-45. Clearly, both Gene and his guitar left a strong impression on the young boy — Jackie ordered a custom D-45 of his own in 1934, and Gene’s guitar is specifically mentioned several times in Martin’s documented correspondence of the guitar’s build process. And so, the second D-45 in music history was spec’d by Jackie to be built largely in the same formula as the original, barring the swap of signatures on the fingerboards.
However, while Jackie was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his custom order, he chanced upon a brand-new batch of 1934 Martin dreadnoughts in a shop that looked slightly off to his discerning eyes. These guitars had 14-fret neck joints, resulting in a longer neck and a somewhat smaller body. It’s a shape that’s certainly familiar, as the 14-fret dreadnought is simply “a dreadnought” today, and Martin has continued building their dreads almost exclusively in this fashion right up to the present.
But for all its ubiquity and adoration over the past 90-odd years, the 14-fret dreadnought was not to young Jackie’s liking — it simply wasn’t the same shape as Gene’s guitar. Alarmed that his custom order might be built in this unwanted mold, Jackie had his dealer reach out to Martin, only to discover that they were in fact building his custom D-45 with a 14-fret neck. After a few tense telegrams between Martin and the dealer Jackie placed his order through, it’s stated that Jackie “positively insists” that his D-45 be built with a 12-fret joint. Martin begrudgingly began work on an entirely new build.
This sequence of events led to Jackie’s guitar being one of the more distinct prewar D-45s in history, as only three of the original 91 guitars were built with 12-fret joints. What happened to the in-progress D-45 that Jackie turned down? Wasting fine tonewoods and precious production time was out of the question for Nazareth in 1934, and the bones of Jackie’s original order were recycled by Martin into a new instrument. Funnily enough, that accidental guitar lays claim to an equally historic heritage as Jackie’s D-45, becoming the very first D-42 model.
Enter Project 91
92 years after Jackie ordered his custom D-45, Martin’s Project 91 pays homage to that pivotal instrument with the Martin D-45 1934 Project 91-2. Almost every element of this one-of-a-kind guitar mirrors the original specs of Jackie’s original, replicating the original D-45’s (and D-28’s) mythologized combination of Adirondack spruce, ebony, genuine mahogany, and true Brazilian rosewood. All the luxurious trim of the original is precisely emulated to ensure authenticity, from the iconic “CMF” block logo inlaid into the headstock to the assortment of abalone that adorns the top, back, sides, fingerboard extension, and headstock.
That said, the Project 91 team opted for one major deviation from this guitar’s vintage predecessor — the D-45 1934 Project 91-2 wears the more typical Style 45 snowflake inlays on its fingerboard instead of Jackie’s inlaid signature. Sure, it’s not 100% vintage accurate, but we agree that it’s likely an improvement for any guitarist who’s not a die-hard Jackie “Kid” Moore fan.
To top it off, every Project 91 guitar comes with a framed poster that features your exact guitar and its connection to the original D-45 that it replicates. It all adds up to a museum-worthy bit of Martin history and a truly stunning capstone to even the most prestigious six-string collections.
Join the Martin Legacy – Call Sweetwater Today!
From six-figure showpieces to vintage reissues and stage-ready workhorses, Sweetwater’s vast range of Martin instruments runs the six-string gamut. In fact, our close relationship with the fine folks over in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, allows us to provide seriously inspiring acoustic guitars for our customers — whether they be one-of-a-kind masterpieces, such as this Martin D-45 1934 Project 91-2, or Martin Custom creations with every tonewood personally selected by our team of guitar experts. Looking to pick up a Martin of your own? Be sure to reach out to your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700 for industry-leading advice on how to secure your dream Martin guitar!
