For sale:
1969 Martin D41 with the rare and highly collectible German Spruce top. Comes with the original case.

I prefer to sell locally instead of shipping somewhere far away...

Excellent condition. Not only a wonderful sounding instrument; but also, a very good investment for the serious collector and/or (professional) musician.

“I think these are sleepers in that it doesn't occur to anyone to charge more for them on the used market seeing that everyone is entirely fixated on Brazilian rosewood.........the presence of a German top on a guitar has more influence on the way it sounds than whether the back and sides are Brazilian. “

This guitar had a neck reset and a new bridge and saddle installed so the action/playability is outstanding. Also, a refret and new black pickguard; ready to enjoy for the next 55 years!
I’m the second owner; at one time the first owner had the tuners replaced with Waverly Gold tuners and a Fishman piezo pick up installed.
Apart from that, the guitar is all original. Stunning hand inlayed Abalone – in those days they used all (small) individual pieces.

No trades please.

The D41 was introduced in 1969 and C.F. Martin built (completed) 49 guitars that year. The first 31 were made with Brazilian Rosewood and for the other 18 they used East Indian Rosewood.
The plan was to build fifty D41’s that year but one guitar was not finished on time due to the factory closing during the Christmas Holidays from December 23rd, 1969 to January 2nd, 1970.
When the factory reopened on Friday, January 2nd 1970, work resumed on this (50th) D41 and the neck block was stamped.
So, this is the last D41 of 1969 and the first of the 1970s all in one!

Here is the reply to my email from C.F. Martin:
“Hello Joe,
All is well in sunny Nazareth Pennsylvania. Our records indicate SN 256387 was assigned to a D41 built on Shop Order 192 dated November 18, 1969 and the neck block was stamped on January 2nd, 1970.
We crafted 426 in 1970 with a full retail price of $800.00.”

A C.F. Martin shop order was an internal production batch ticket or number used by the factory to group guitars with similar woods or custom specifications together on the production line.
Historically, Martin produced guitars in small, sequential batches. When a specific number of guitars (usually 7 to 10) of a particular style were scheduled to be built simultaneously, they were assigned a "shop order" number so factory workers and Martin's ledgers could track them together.

The date on a shop order was a few weeks before the actual build of a guitar started.
First the wood and materials for the guitar were selected.
Then the two (book matched) pieces for the top and the back were glued together, the sides were bent and a (rough) neck was shaped.
At the same time Inlay work for the fret board and headstock commenced.
After that the neck block was stamped with a serial number (already assigned in the shop order) and model designation when the block and the side wood panels are first glued together to form the instrument's rim.

Today, tracking shop order numbers is a popular way for collectors to date the origins of vintage Martins.