A Priceless Guitar, Reimagined
In 2019, David Gilmour auctioned off over 100 guitars from his massive private collection at Christie’s in New York, in what was reportedly the auction house’s biggest and most comprehensive sale of music instruments. While many of the music legend’s guitars commanded a hefty sum, his 1969 Martin D-35 sold for a stunning $1,095,000. (Not to be upstaged by an acoustic, Gilmour’s infamous black Strat fetched a jaw-dropping $3,975,000.) No stranger to philanthropy, Mr. Gilmour, who has supported many worthy charities over the decades, donated the proceeds from the auction — $21,490,750 — to ClientEarth in support of their efforts to fight the climate crisis. Given that Gilmour had just auctioned off the guitar that was his main composition and recording companion for over 40 years, he collaborated with Martin to design a replacement. Naturally, it had to be very special — and indeed, it is. Sweetwater is delighted to present to you the Martin D-35 David Gilmour Custom Signature Edition acoustic guitar.
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Very special tonewoods for a very special guitar
While rosewood is traditionally used for the sides and 3-piece back of the D-35, David Gilmour specified exquisitely grained sinker mahogany for his new instrument. Why? Probably because mahogany-bodied acoustic guitars are simply a better choice for tracking. As a back and side material, mahogany exhibits a natural compression, punchy midrange bloom, and strongly focused, earthy, and somewhat dry fundamental without a preponderance of ringing overtones. An acoustic guitar with mahogany back and sides sits nicely in a track without requiring excessive processing, which is why engineers and studio guitarists tend to prefer “hogs” for layering in full arrangements. But the “sinker” mahogany used for the back and sides of the Martin D-35 David Gilmour Custom Signature Edition is no ordinary mahogany. Sourced from old-growth trees that have been (partially) submerged in riverbeds, the wood’s age and altered cellular structure make for a very special, stable tonewood with unique sonic characteristics. These attributes are complemented by another prized tonewood that was used for the guitar’s top: Adirondack spruce.
An ultra-premium top tonewood, Adirondack spruce is loud and punchy, with powerful, focused low end and more overall resonance than Sitka spruce. Adirondack spruce offers a combination of strength and elasticity that responds well to a strong pick attack and delivers robust volume, projection, and tonal richness with a broad dynamic range and crisp articulation that’s ideal for most playing styles. In this guitar, Adirondack’s inimitable sonic signature is further enhanced through Martin’s Vintage Tone System (VTS). Together, the tonewoods that comprise the Martin D-35 David Gilmour Custom Signature Edition join forces to create a harmonious relationship between the notes you play, helping chords to ring out in cohesive splendor.
Martin’s Vintage Tone System
Sweetwater’s tone connoisseurs are always in search of the perfect guitar tone, and in the acoustic world, one of the most beloved tones is that of a vintage Martin. Martin’s Vintage Tone System (VTS) is a proprietary torrefaction (thermochemical aging) process applied to the tops and braces of their VTS guitars to achieve the sound of an aged and played-in instrument. The Vintage Tone System allows Martin to age the woods to a specific time period without the typical change in color that results from most roasting processes. Martin VTS guitars not only look and play like lovingly-cared-for vintage guitars, they also have that sought-after sound.
The Martin D-35: drenched in history
The political turmoil and social upheaval of the 1960s served as an incubator for some of the greatest music ever made. Martin dreadnoughts had played a major role in the folk music of the post-war years, and as folk and rock music edged inexorably closer, Martin launched a new guitar in 1965. In sync with the ’60s zeitgeist, the D-35 was born of ecological concerns. Brazilian rosewood was fast becoming unsustainable, but Martin had a stash of rosewood from D-28 2-piece backs that had been set aside due to the presence of small defects. The solution? Using smaller pieces of wood, Martin luthiers could trim away any flaws and fashion a guitar with a stunning 3-piece back.
But the D-35 was not just a D-28 with a fancier back. To differentiate the sound of this new model, Martin used lighter bracing: 1/4-inch for the top, and 000 back bracing. This created a louder, more resonant tone that lends itself beautifully to vocal accompaniment. Perhaps that’s why artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Judy Collins, and David Gilmour gravitated to the D-35. Style 35 appointments such as a bound fingerboard, more ornate body binding, and of course, the striking beauty of its 3-piece back also add a touch of distinction to this child of the ’60s. Gilmour’s original D-35 was made in 1969 — the year of the Woodstock Festival, the event that changed music and pop culture forever — and the iconic model has remained a mainstay of the Martin lineup for over a half century. Now the next chapter begins, with the Martin D-35 David Gilmour Custom Signature Edition. It’s a limited edition of only 250 guitars worldwide (each hand signed by David Gilmour), so you’d better order yours from Sweetwater today!
Martin D-35 David Gilmour Custom Signature Edition Acoustic Guitar Features:
- Limited edition of only 250 guitars worldwide
- Each interior label hand signed by David Gilmour
- A reimagining of Gilmour’s 1969 D-35
- Adirondack spruce VTS top and sinker mahogany 3-piece back for unique tone
- Torrefied Vintage Tone System top for enhanced vintage vibe
- Body finish: Gloss top, Vintage gloss back and sides
- Sinker mahogany neck with custom Gilmour profile, satin finish
- Ebony bridge and fingerboard with David Gilmour Dot pattern
- Bone nut; Aged Waverly Nickel open-back tuners
- Handcrafted by Martin luthiers in Nazareth, PA
