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Martin

collapse expand iconDescription

The Martin Special D all-solid dreadnought acoustic guitar is a testament to Martin's renowned craftsmanship, offering exceptional tone and durability at an accessible price. Built with all-solid wood construction, the instrument features a Sitka spruce top paired with sapele back and sides, delivering a balanced, resonant sound with defined bass and shimmering highs. The dreadnought body shape provides bold projection, making it ideal for solo performances or ensemble settings. The satin finish enhances the natural beauty of the wood while allowing it to resonate freely. With its focus on tonal richness and responsive playability, this guitar is designed for players who demand quality and reliability in their instruments.

Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar With Sitka Spruce Top for Clear Projection

The solid Sitka spruce top of this acoustic guitar provides exceptional tonal clarity and dynamic range. Spruce is widely regarded for its ability to produce a punchy, articulate sound that suits both strumming and fingerpicking techniques. The top's stiffness allows it to handle dynamic playing styles without sacrificing responsiveness, ensuring every note rings out with precision. Paired with scalloped X-bracing, the spruce top vibrates freely while maintaining structural integrity, delivering bold projection and balanced resonance. This combination ensures a lively, clear tone that holds its own in both intimate and larger settings.

Martin Sapele Back and Sides for Warmth and Depth

The sapele back and sides of this instrument contribute to its warm and full-bodied sound. Known for its tonal similarity to mahogany, sapele enhances midrange warmth while providing a touch of brightness for balanced harmonic output. Its dense grain structure ensures durability and stability, maintaining consistent tone over time. The satin finish complements the natural beauty of the wood while allowing it to resonate freely. Together, these elements create a guitar that delivers rich, nuanced tone with a pleasing blend of warmth and clarity, ideal for musicians seeking depth and character in their sound.

Comfortable Martin Neck Profile for Extended Playability

The neck of this dreadnought acoustic guitar is designed for comfort and precision, featuring a Modified Low Oval shape that provides a relaxed yet secure grip. With a Performing Artist taper, the neck transitions smoothly for effortless movement across the fingerboard, making it ideal for both intricate fingerstyle techniques and aggressive chord strumming. The FSC-certified Richlite fingerboard offers a smooth playing surface and excellent durability, ensuring consistent performance even under demanding conditions. This ergonomic design minimizes hand fatigue, enabling extended playing sessions without sacrificing control or comfort.

Durable All-Solid Wood Construction

This guitar's all-solid wood construction ensures both tonal richness and long-term durability. The Sitka spruce top and sapele back and sides are carefully chosen for their acoustic properties and ability to age gracefully, improving tone over time. The dovetail neck joint reinforces structural integrity, while the satin finish protects the wood without compromising resonance. These high-quality materials and thoughtful craftsmanship make the guitar a dependable choice for players seeking an instrument that will stand the test of time and deliver consistent tonal performance.

Built for Serious Guitar Players Seeking Quality Build and Tone

The Martin Special D all-solid dreadnought acoustic guitar offers a perfect balance of tonal richness, projection and durability for musicians who demand excellence. Its all-solid wood construction and responsive neck design ensure superior sound and effortless playability. Whether you're performing on stage or recording in the studio, this guitar delivers the quality and reliability needed to inspire your musical journey.

Martin Special D Classic Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Natural
Martin Special D Classic Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Natural
Martin Special D Classic Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Natural

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Solid Sitka spruce top delivers dynamic tone and excellent projection
  • All-mahogany body creates warm rich sound with enhanced resonance
  • Dreadnought body shape ensures bold volume and balanced low-end response
  • Hand-rubbed finish enhances natural wood tone and aesthetic appeal
  • Modified low oval neck provides comfortable playability for all styles
  • 20-fret fingerboard allows smooth navigation across the entire neck
  • Bone nut and saddle improve sustain and tonal clarity
  • Forward-shifted X-bracing enhances resonance and overall tonal balance
  • Ideal for both strumming and fingerstyle techniques with versatile sound
  • Premium craftsmanship ensures durability and exceptional sound quality

collapse expand iconSpecs

Body
  • Body type: Dreadnought, non-cutaway
  • Top wood: Solid spruce
  • Back & sides: Solid sapele
  • Bracing pattern: X
  • Body finish: Satin
Neck
  • Neck shape: Modified Low Oval
  • Nut width: 1.687"
  • Neck wood: Select hardwood
  • Fingerboard: Ebony
  • Scale length: 25.4"
  • Number of frets: 20
  • Neck finish: Hand-rubbed
  • Bridge: Ebony
Other
  • Tuning machines: Chrome
  • Orientation: Right handed
  • Number of strings: 6-string
  • Case: Gig bag
  • Country of origin: Mexico

collapse expand iconWarranty

One year warranty on Martin Backpackers, Little Martins and ukuleles. Limited lifetime on other Martin guitars.

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.64

14 Reviews

83%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Very Special Indeed

I took basic Mel Bay guitar lessons when I was 10 years old with a backyard guitar that cost my mother I think $50 back in the day. As usual for an undisciplined kid, I found the process of practicing difficult and got bored easily. I excelled in singing instead so I laid the guitar down only to wonder for the rest of my life, could I have actually been a good guitar player had I just stuck with it? Now in my 50s I decided I would buy this Martin Special D Road Series Dreadnought solid spruce topped guitar and am completely satisfied. The tone is full and rich with distinctive highs and lows that's described for this guitar. I'm making sure that I'm keeping it in a humidified room between 40 to 50% stored in its case. After the initial break in tune period of the first couple of days, it's holding in tune very nicely. The high strings need to be adjusted as they rattle a bit. The Guitar Center technician explained this may happen and to bring it in for adjustments as this is a known Martin trait. So I plan to take care of that soon and begin my lessons with a local instructor. Wish me well in my journey and I wish you well in your journey as well. Happy playing. You'll love this guitar.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

1

G string would not tune. E string broke on within an hour.

Got my first Martin today. Brand new out of the box yet the G string would not tune. Tried different tuning apps after clean and lube the nut but still no luck. The E string broke while tuning. So disappointed. This will be my first and last Martin.

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Practicing11
  2. Jamming10
  3. Small Venues6
  4. Recording4
  5. School Bands3
Cons
  1. Not Consistent2
  2. Poor Quality1
  3. Requires Constant Tuning1
  4. Action a little high. Easy fix1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced7
  2. Novice4
  3. Professional Musician1
Pros
  1. Good Audio13
  2. Good Feel12
  3. Stays In Tune12
  4. Fun To Play11
  5. Consistent10
  • I never thought I'd be able to afford a Martin guitar!

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted3 months ago

    byJoe

    fromEugene Oregon

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    Guitar center had a killer deal on this particular Martin guitar model, and I decided to give it a go. Very sweet, the most I ever spent on a guitar, and I would do it again. Very nice finish, not shiny, kind of satiny. Easy to play, it was fretted well. My friends are all jealous! I like the fact that it's solid wood, it's not all glued together plywood or some other materials that the lower echelon guitars tend to use. It has very good resonance, I noticed that when I plucked the string the tone went on for a looooong time. It came with a really nice case too. It reminds me of my old trombone case kind of velvety inside. In short, it's probably the best acoustic guitar I'll ever have. Thanks for building the quality even into your lower level guitars, Martin!

  • Amazing MIM Martin

    5

    submitted4 months ago

    byRob

    fromVirginia Beach

    Bought this guitar to join my MIM DX2E as I was curious to see what a higher quality of materials (solid back and sides vs. HPL, ebony v. Richlite) would do to the feel and sound. I was not disappointed! Feels great and sounds even better. Even my wife could tell the difference between the X and this Road Series. Haven't been able to justify the investment into my dream HD-28e yet (but I will), and this will tide me over until I do.

  • Love this Road Series

    5

    submitted6 months ago

    byRob Cannizzaro

    fromVirginia Beach

    Bought this Special D on Black Friday at a 33% discount. Already have an X series and wanted to see if the solid body would make a difference in sound. Boy did it. The true test was playing both for my wife and she even heard the difference. This is a keeper… next my HD28!

  • G string would not tune. E string broke on within an hour.

    1

    submitted7 months ago

    bySean

    fromVirginia

    Got my first Martin today. Brand new out of the box yet the G string would not tune. Tried different tuning apps after clean and lube the nut but still no luck. The E string broke while tuning. So disappointed. This will be my first and last Martin.

  • My first Martin

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitteda year ago

    byJoel

    fromGreenville SC

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    I love my new Martin Special D Road Series

  • Excellent, no-frills guitar.

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted3 years ago

    byDD

    fromNorthern Calif.

    I have always owned Guilds, but always wanted a Martin. I love my guilds, but this guitar blows them away.

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collapse expand iconQ&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

  • asked byFILO

    fromRichland Hills, TX

    Are the top, sides, and back of the guitar solid wood?

    Are the top, sides, and back of the guitar solid wood?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Yes, the Martin Special D Classic Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar features an all-solid wood construction.
  • asked byBob

    fromLake Isabella, CA

    Which hard shell case will this guitar fit?

    Which hard shell case will this guitar fit?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Martin Molded Dreadnought Hardshell Case Black
  • asked byJohn

    fromLaGrange,Ga..

    Is this guitar played by others ? Like demo

    Is this guitar played by others ? Like demo

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    No, this is new.
  • asked bySAB

    fromundisclosed

    Does this guitar have a pickup system in it?

    Does this guitar have a pickup system in it?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    No, it doesn't.
  • asked byEdward

    fromJackson, NJ

    does this product fall under the 45 day return policy?

    does this product fall under the 45 day return policy?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Yes, it does.
  • asked byBeverly

    fromPalatine, Il

    Does the Special D Martin guitar go through the Plek process?

    Does the Special D Martin guitar go through the Plek process?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Yes, it does.
  • asked byHowie

    fromSan Diego, Ca

    What strings does it come with?

    What strings does it come with?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Martin uses Authentic Acoustic Lifespan® 2.0 Guitar Strings Phosphor Bronze
  • asked byZac

    fromMissouri

    Does this have a truss rod?

    Does this have a truss rod?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    The Martin Special D does have a truss rod.
  • asked byArnold

    fromPahrump Nv

    What kind of gig bag is included?

    What kind of gig bag is included?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    Martin 12B0012 Acoustic Guitar Gig Bag Black(113570154)
  • asked byArnold

    fromPahrump Nv

    How's the action on this guitar?

    How's the action on this guitar?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    Excellent. In regard to acoustic's, one of the best.
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