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#1
04-02-2024, 01:44 PM
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Bought my dream guitar - a Martin D41 Dan Fogelberg. Need advice
Hey guys! After years of refreshing Reverb and AGF, I finally found a 2002 Martin D-41-DF in great condition. Dan Fogelberg was my idol and one of the reasons I wanted to play fingerstyle guitar as a junior high kid. In 2002, they made 141 of these with each one being signed by Dan inside the sound hole. This particular one is coming from Wildwood Guitars and is #139.
Looking at photos and talking to Wildwood's sales team (phenomenal by the way!!!), they said the guitar looked to be largely a case queen over the past 20 years and has minimal play to it. Whenever I receive it from FedEx, I will have a 48 hour "trial" period where I can choose to return it if I so desire. While I certainly don't foresee that, what are some things I should look for in a 22 year old Martin? Prior to this guitar, the oldest Martin I ever owned was a 2010 HD-28 that I sold in 2020. I know the neck and frets are common ones and both seem secure according to their luthier. What are some other things to keep an eye on?
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2002 Martin D-41 DF (Dan Fogelberg Signature) 2015 Cole Clark AN2ce MJ (Maneli Jamal Signature) 
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#2
04-02-2024, 01:53 PM
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Proper neck set would be my primary concern. Loose binding, braces, worn frets, body cracks.
That being said...Wildwood is a very reputable shop and if they find no fault it's likely you won't either. Best of luck...from another Fogelberg fan!
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Jim Dogs Welcome......People Tolerated!
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#3
04-02-2024, 02:15 PM
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I agree with Jim. If Wildwood’s luthier says its good to go then you’re probably fine. Great find! Congrats and enjoy that beauty!
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Walker Clark Fork (Adi/Honduran Rosewood) Edmonds OM-28RS - Sunburst (Adi/Old Growth Honduran)
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#4
04-03-2024, 02:59 AM
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Maybe confirm truss rod functions.
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"I see absolutely nothing wrong with eating Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream for breakfast" ~ anonymous guitar player
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#5
04-03-2024, 03:55 AM
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There's very little to worry about with it coming from Wildwood. If it's taken you this long to find one, my advice would be to accept its potential minor imperfections. Even a belly bulge/potentially needing a neck reset could only be an investment of around 5-800 bucks to fix. The only things that would scare me away in this situation would be major cracks / seam separations. Those only may exist in this instance because of shipping damage. Congrats on finding the one you've been looking for!
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Atkin - Boucher - Bourgeois - Collings - Gibson - Goodall - Huss & Dalton - Kopp - Lowden - Martin - Preston Thompson - Santa Cruz - Taylor
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#6
04-03-2024, 05:37 AM
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Lucky guy! I've been hoping to run across one of those for years!
Martin gave the prototype to Dan himself, who gave it to his caregiver just before he passed away. She used to live in the Pagosa Springs area. I got this from the owner of a great little guitar shop in Durango (which is no longer there), so it's still out there somewhere. I've said it here more than once- Martin was firing on all cylinders in the 1998-2008 time frame, give or take, and making some outstanding guitars. I think you are going to be very happy with your new acquisition.
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2002 Martin OM-18V 2012 Collings CJ Mh SS SB 2013 Taylor 516 Custom
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