It was the summer of 2001 in Munich and a strange obsession had overtaken me.  I had recently picked up a used copy of Bob Dylan’s Unplugged DVD in a favorite Schwabing haunt and took notice of the acoustic guitar that Dylan played throughout the concert.  I had recalled seeing the  guitar on numerous occasions, most notably the same acoustic guitar seemed to always be in Neil Young’s hands on other concert films such as Silver and Gold and The Last Waltz.

Some quick research led me to the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum which is where the obsession really began to take hold.

This web forum features endless threads and posts from prospective Martin Guitar purchasers and existing owners obsessing over every known detail concerning the “Cadillac of acoustic guitars”.

After all, this guitar is synonymous with some of Rock and Roll’s most acclaimed songs and collected works including Jimmy Page’s acoustic intro to Stairway to Heaven and Neil Young’s standout Harvest album.

After a month or so of reading the forum, I really began to get “Martin fever” and started to think about buying my own Martin D-28.  It didn’t matter that I had never played an acoustic guitar before, I simply  had to have one regardless.

After some web shopping and recommendations of good dealers via some correspondence on the forum, I settled on Edlerly Instruments, based in Lansing, Michigan.  After a quick phone call, I placed my order and was told the guitar would be with me in approximately 2 weeks.

Two weeks came and went and I began to worry about the EU/German post office regulations and envisioned my guitar being locked away in some customs storage container never to be recovered.  Another week passed and  I finally received the Post Office pick-up package notice in my mail box and set off for my local Isartor post office the next day after work.

The guitar was packaged in a very long and large cardboard box with an endless amount of Styrofoam pellets.  I eventually was able to lift out the thermoplastic Martin case and proceeded to snap open the case.   Inside was my beautiful new gleaming Martin D-28; nestled in the case against a luminous green felt bed.  I slowly lifted the guitar and  strummed the strings.   A resonance filled my living room and the guitar felt substantial in my hands.

I quickly followed up this purchase with my Idiot’s Guide to Learning Acoustic Guitar and a few high quality picks.  One of this year’s resolutions will be to bear down and finally learn how to play this beauty!

Bob Dylan Unplugged 1994 (note the D-28)