Elaborate craftsmanship for the discerning guitar player.
On the drawing board but never produced, the Ditson Style 333 Dreadnought was originally intended as the most elaborate dreadnought guitar in the first series of unique instruments manufactured by Martin exclusively for the Chas. H. Ditson Store in New York. Under the direction of Ditson's musical instrument manager, Harry L. Hunt, the guitar was initially offered in three different sizes: the Ditson Standard, Concert, and largest model — the Dreadnought. The Ditson 333 Dreadnought features a dark stained Adirondack spruce top, similar to the Style 44 guitars Martin was producing during the 1920s for Vahdah Olcott-Bickford. The multiple-bound body is similar to the Martin Style 3 ukulele, as is the bound genuine mahogany back and sides. The ornate shell inlay pattern on the ivoroid-bound ebony fingerboard is special to the Ditson 3-series models, as well as the dark stained mahogany neck embossed with the original Oliver Ditson stamp. The Brazilian rosewood headplate has Waverly Deluxe tuners with ivoroid buttons. The Ditson 333 guitar also features a multiple white/ivoroid/black pattern rosette and ivoroid bound soundhole, a striking contrast against the dark stained Adirondack spruce top. The original spec sheet Frank Henry Martin created for the Ditson 333 Dreadnought still resides in Martin's archives and was used for this guitar. Although Martin had produced a handful of Style 3 Ditson guitars in the two smaller Ditson sizes, no records show a 333 Dreadnought being shipped.
