Happy 30th Birthday to my D16H!
 

This guitar turns 30 years old this month. I distinctly remember going with my Dad to Russo Music in November 1992. I was a sophomore in High School and we were on our way to pick up my brother from the Trenton SEPTA station. He was coming to visit us for Thanksgiving during his first semester in college. I was hoping to upgrade from my cheap Ovation Celebrity and played a nice Guild. After playing the Guild, the salesman said "Wait, we just got this Martin in, let's see what you think".... I didn't know much about Martins beyond that they were one of the top brands. I played it and really liked it! My Dad must have liked it too (or he saw how excited I was) as he bought it for me! I couldn't believe I was actually going to be a Martin owner!

This guitar has been with me through High School, College, Grad School, an apartment, a townhouse, two houses, a wife and two kids, and so on and so on...

And this Thanksgiving, here I am sharing the wonderful music with the next generation.

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I have collected many guitars over the years (including four more Martins, one of which is a 1956 I inherited from my great uncle) but the first Martin will always be special.

Nice! Happy Birthday!

That's a nice collection you've got there.

Nice guitar…….great story!

Happy birthday to a GREAT Martin guitar. I have its cousin, a 1986 D-16M so I know how fortunate you are to own this guitar. These early D-16's are not like the newer 16's that were made later on, which have a mortise/tenon neck joint and more standard X bracing (this does not apply to the current version of the D-16).

Yours and mine have scalloped forward shifted bracing and a dovetail neck joint, basically a souped-up D-18 with somewhat lesser grade of tonewoods. They are killer sounding guitars that can stand with many a dreadnaught for Bluegrass, fingerstyle and just plain strumming.

Congratulations!

Very nice! H series are definitely gems. Enjoy, and good luck with the next generation. The only thing my kids want to do with instruments is telling me to stop playing.

What a great story and pic!!
A '64 D-18 followed me on a similar path many years ago. College, our folk group, grad school, early family, etc. It was my one and only guitar for 30 years.

I do think the D-18's and 16's tend to hang around for a while! LOL!

Nice pic egordon. It so nice when a parent shows such interest in their kids interests to the extent of funding the tool of the trade. Your son will be feeling the same way about you.:up:

Thanks for the story, egordon. You made my day. Enjoy your family and your Martin.

SEPTA station must be from Philly. My mom-in-law had a cousin who retired from SEPTA.

It' great that you have had the guitar for so long. My wife and I have been married 42 years. I have guitars that I have had longer than her. Some 50+ years.

Happy guitar-iversary to you! My "good" guitar from that era was an electric (first new, decent guitar until I returned to playing about 7+ years ago), which I gave away, was able to track down, fixed it up, and sold it again. It would be 35yo this year. I wish I had invested in a decent acoustic guitar back then, but like you, I'm preparing the next generation, so perhaps one or more of mine will get handed down. They both started on the uke too. Cheers to you both!

I finally looked in on this thread, and was richly rewarded. Some things are special to us. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story with us.

Thanks everyone for reading! It is a really special guitar.

Great thread! Thanks for sharing.

Great story. Heirloom material for sure.

I must have been standing on the wrong line when they were handing out doting parents. Consequently, I lived on a steady diet of used Harmonys and Kays when in Junior High and High School. I did not get my first Martin until around 1970 when I got my first real (albeit temporary) job. It was a D18 which cost me a princely $350 or so. But yeah, it was the first of what I have now come to realize was way too many guitars to follow.

Love the photo. One of the quirks of my life has been that even though my daughter turned out to be a gifted musician, the one instrument she has never taken to has been the guitar. Figures because even though that is what I have in the house I ended up bringing home a piano, a bass, and a bunch of ukes and various percussion instruments.