Martin D-35 1970s

About the Martin D-35 1970s

The 1970s D-35 is a 14-fret dreadnought with a solid Sitka spruce top, a three-piece Indian rosewood back, rosewood sides, a mahogany neck and an ebony fingerboard and bridge. The board is bound in white with pearl dots, the top braces are a light 1/4 inch and non-scalloped, and the neck holds a non-adjustable square rod. It has a 25.4 inch scale, a 1 11/16 inch (43 mm) nut and a 16 inch radius. Original parts include Grover Rotomatic tuners, a black pickguard and a rosewood bridge plate; the case is often a blue hard case.

Martin moved from Brazilian to Indian rosewood around 1969 and 1970. Some early-1970s backs still carry Brazilian pieces, in the center wedge or the outer wings, but Martin kept no record of which, so they are hard to prove. Serials run about 272,000 to 300,000 on 1971 and 1972 guitars, 322,000 to 351,000 on 1973 and 1974 ones, and 408,000 to 424,000 on 1979 ones. Necks are called a soft V by some and a medium C by others, about 0.81 to 0.87 inch deep at the first fret. Weighed examples run about 4.2 to 4.9 lb (1.9 to 2.2 kg).

Many have had a neck reset; others have a shaved bridge or cut-down saddle, and the saddle height left shows how far the action can still drop. Bridges get reglued and bridge plates patched or replaced. Original pickguards shrink and curl, and a top crack along their edge is common. Refrets, binding repairs, heel strap buttons and added pickups are frequent.

In one paragraph

The page's figures as one paragraph, assembled for quoting; not written by hand.

Sellers are asking a median of €3,110 for the Martin D-35 1970s today, 59% over the €1,950 it actually sells for (13 recorded sales, last 6 months; most sold between €1,700 and €2,400). Sold new in the same family, the Martin D-35 Johnny Cash, costs €6,299 at Thomann (read 6 October 2026). There are 67 listings live right now across Reverb, eBay United States, eBay Germany, from €1,955 asking. Figures computed 18 October 2026 by Doirado from cross-platform listing data.