Martin D35s, is the centerpiece Brazilian?

Dorre · #1 02-19-2020, 01:34 AM

Hi everyone,

I recently acquired a Martin D35s from the early 1970 and I’m wondering if the centerpiece of the back is Brazilian or Indian rosewood.
Many things point in the direction that it could be Brazilian, the fact that it’s a very early 1970 model and the centerpiece does look different from the other two and the d35’s seem to be the model that benefited the most from Brazilian leftovers due to the 3 piece back.
Also I tracked the serial number and have seen other d 35 with Brazilian centerpiece that were made later than mine.

Here is the serial number of my guitar : 257342
I’ve tracked D35’s with Brazilian that have this serial number: 260803

Any thoughts and informations are much appreciated.

Here is a link with picture of the guitar:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-ins...nd./1365707752

maxtheaxe · #2 02-19-2020, 02:05 AM

I would say no; it doesn't really look much like Brz, although it has a bit of 'wildness' to the grain due to the knot. Really, the only reason for doing three-piece backs is in order to utilize nice sets that would otherwise be too small for the entire back, so a wedge is used in the center. This can be anything the builder wants...a lesser piece of the same species, a contrasting species of wood, etc.

I guess the point is that it would be unlikely for a builder to use Brz for the wedge unless the main pieces were even better Brazilian.

I notice that the seller says he "thinks it might be Brazilian"...just sounds to me like he's rationalizing... that doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't a nice guitar, but it is something of a red flag with regard to his credibility. Proceed with caution...

Dorre · #3 02-19-2020, 02:43 AM

Thanks for your response. The D35’s are known for having only one piece of the back being Brazilian though.

Goodallboy · #4 02-19-2020, 06:48 AM

The D-35 has a Brazilian center wedge. The S is most certainly there to indicate the slotted head, not "special". My playing partner has a very nice D-18S from 1976, and it's special but not because there's an S in the model name.

J Patrick · #5 02-19-2020, 06:57 AM

It looks like an EIR center wedge to me...love the sunburst on that one...I bet that’s a great sounding guitar...

mcduffnw · #6 02-19-2020, 06:58 AM

Hi Dorre

That is a truly gorgeous old D-35S! Congratulations!!!

That center wedge looks to be just good ol' true old growth Indian Rosewood. If it would have been Brazilian, it would have looked very markedly different in color and and grain, and it is clearly very very similar in color and grain to the main two pieces of the back.

What a fantastic guitar though...enjoy!

duff
Be A Player...Not A Polisher

Dorre · #7 02-19-2020, 07:22 AM

Thanks every one for the responses.
Opinions differ and it’s hard to tell, renowned guild experts Hans Moust believes the centerpiece to be Brazilian. I’ll try to contact Martin to be sure

Goodallboy · #8 02-19-2020, 07:42 AM

The “reddish” appearance, quite different than the other wood, indicates that it’s likely Brazilian.

RustyAxe · #9 02-19-2020, 08:25 AM

No idea what wood ... just wanted to say "wow!". Nearly 50 years old, 12 fret, slot head D35. And a beautiful finish.

redir · #10 02-19-2020, 08:33 AM

The wedge and the head plate may very well be BRW. In fact it looks like it to me but it's hard to tell. I have BRW that looks like that center wedge though. BRW comes in all kinds of manor, dark chocolate to light brown with dark lines and so on. What I would do is take a smal square of 320 grit sand paper and reach in through the sound hole maybe towards the back of the guitar and scratch up some dust and smell it. IF it smells like the bubble gum that they used to sell with those old baseball cards then it's BRW. IT has a very distinctive smell.

ljguitar · #11 02-19-2020, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorre

…Any thoughts and informations are much appreciated.[/url]

Hi Dorre

First of all HELLO and Welcome to the forum. It's good you jumped in with a question and pictures!!

I love Martin slot-heads. In the early mid-20th-century D models Martin often used Brazilian and EIR interchangeably without noting it. What makes them valuable is not the wood, but the way they sound and play. They also misplaced bridges by up to ¼" at times (so the intonation was totally out of whack).

The slot-heads also have a 1¾" nut, which as a fingerstyler is great. D-35 have a reputation for a bigger-than-normal bass bump to the tone.

During the folk-era and before the amplify-everything trend, a D-35 was great for accompanying a choir or keeping up with a loud-singing folk trio/quartet while fingerpicking.

I had a friend who used to string his D-35 with .014 (heavy gauge) strings for choir tours, and use a thick pick. His produced a very BIG sound without pushing it hard.

You say it sounds great, that and how well a guitar is setup and fits your style are what count. You cannot spot Brazilian by sight, and unfortunately Martin was not always as consistent as we'd like. I think contacting Martin is a good idea. There were times they would use whatever Spruces were in the yard as well as whatever Rosewood was on hand.

After CITES came along, then they became more selective and specific (and eventually Brazilian models were priced higher).

Please let us know what you find…

charles Tauber · #12 02-19-2020, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorre

I’m wondering if the centerpiece of the back is Brazilian or Indian rosewood.

Based on appearance, likely, yes.

keith.rogers · #13 02-19-2020, 09:22 AM

Looks likely to be Brazilian. That amount is not going to affect sound, though the combination of the 12-fret slothead with it probably makes it very interesting to some folks.

The misplaced bridges occurred later than 1970 and is not something you need to worry about, unless it was moved later.

robey · #14 02-19-2020, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Some people think the S stands for 'slotted' and others claim it means 'special.'

I'm going with neither. The 'S' is nothing more than Martin's designation for a 12 fret to the body dreadnaught. Though rare, I've seen D's with 12 frets to the body and solid peg heads with the 'S' designation. Probably custom ordered.

J Patrick · #15 02-19-2020, 10:54 AM

...after looking more closely I have changed my initial impression and I do think it’s a BRW center edge....the presence of that knot is the deciding factor....you will be hard pressed to find any EIR with a knot in it being used by Martin during that period...or any period since really....and it makes sense that by 1970 they were at the bottom of their BRW remnants...

...killer score on that one...