Martin M-36 (1980)

Description

Here at the Denver Folklore Center, we rarely carry much in the way of jumbo-sized guitars, so when one makes our roster, it's usually something pretty special. Take, for example, this gorgeous Martin M-36 from 1980 - it's about the loudest and fullest-sounding steel string you'll find outside of a dreadnaught. With a three-piece rosewood back and a Sitka spruce top just like you'd find on Martin's iconic D-35, the M-36 boasts crisp, bell-like highs and some truly stunning lows that allow it to fill out the frequency range in a string band, provide rich accompaniment to a singer/songwriter, or really any other role you care to name. The quad-0 size body gives the M-36 some tremendous presence, but it's still fairly tucked in at the waist, like any other non-dreadnaught design. Cosmetics are, as is typical of most Martins, modest: the company is content to let the beautiful grain pattern of the rosewood do the talking.

This instrument has seen a fairly typical amount of playwear for one now over 40 years of age. There is a crack that runs along the center seam from the bottom of the bridge to the binding at the bottom of the guitar, which we repaired and should not reopen assuming this guitar is properly humidified by its next owner. Picking wear on the top is below the amount typical of a guitar of this age. The neck is very clean, with nothing in the way of divots or wear from capos. There is a small amount of scuffing on the back, but below what is to be expected on a guitar of this vintage. There is some minor wear around where the binding meets the body, but all well within the range of normalcy for a guitar that has spent decades in a dry climate. We consider this M-36 to be in very good condition. It has been recently set up, and included in the price is the original Martin hard-shell case.