pre war martin

Rig Rundown: Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

The country and bluegrass power duo show off a selection of their acoustic and electric guitars, which include gems like an original Frying Pan and a 1927 Montgomery Ward acoustic.

Read MoreShow less

World War II was over, but this D-28—Martin’s highest model at the time—still got shipped with about the cheapest tuners you could imagine, with no bushings and black screws, because of supply chain issues.

It’s not a bait and switch. This year is a throwback to the post WWII-era of instrument manufacturing, for better or worse.

As we all remember, Covid hit the music industry hard in early 2020: music stores and concert venues were closed, guitar manufacturers shut down, and in-person instruction essentially disappeared almost overnight. Fortunately, lockdowns and the resulting surge of interest in playing music at home proved that even a pandemic couldn’t kill our love for the guitar. And thanks to YouTube tutorials and Zoom lessons, the number of hours that people actually played their instruments went from hardly-ever (for some) to all-the-time. Maybe you couldn’t find that new guitar model you’d been saving for, but at least you could play the guitar(s) you already had.

Read MoreShow less