Brief History of the D-76:
The D-76 was commissioned by the C.F. Martin Guitar company in 1975 for the upcoming 200th birthday of the United States the following year. When originally released, they weren't met with an overwhelming response. In fact, they sat at dealers' stores for a while. A long while. Although they weren't terribly popular at the time, the D-76 remains a highly valued collectable today.
Essentially a D-35 with patriotic appointments, the D-76 is easily distinguished from other Martins of this era (or any other for that matter!) by the star inlays in the ebony fretboard, a beautiful pearl eagle inlay in headstock and a commemorative brass plate inscribed in the neck block with the guitars limited edition numbering and the Martin serial number.
There were 1,976 D-76's manufactured for the public and an even fewer number of employee models.
All of the major guitar manufacturers ramped up production to meet the increasing demand in the '70s so they all had quality control problems. Although unfair to characterize it as a very bad time for Martins, it was more of a relatively bad time compared to the guitars built before and afterward due in large part to the mismanagement of the company at the time.
Most Martins built at that time had heavy non-scalloped bracing and huge Rosewood bridgeplates which contribute to it's distinctive sound.
Johnny Cash used a Martin D-76 on stage throughout his career. His D-76 sold at auction for $50,400.
Specifications:
D-size, 1-23/32" nut width, star inlays in ebony fretboard, pearl eagle inlay in headstock, herringbone trim around soundhole, rosewood sides and back, 3 piece back with herringbone trim separating pieces.
Comments from the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum (UMGF):
"Back in early 1980 I had a chance to buy one that had been sitting in a music store in Buffalo since he got it in '76. It was new and had never left the shop.
They didn't move well back then. Just goes to show you how a few years can change perspective."
"I read somewhere that it took Martin over 2 years just to sell out to dealers. I'm sure that if it came out in this market, they'd sell out within a week."
"I've played six or seven of these over the years - aside from the bicentennial ornamentation, which is very tasty given the guitar's 70's origins, they seem basically like good, consistent, D-35s of that era. The main thing I want to add though, is that I know of at least three of these guitars that were unstrung and put away in their cases purely as collectibles back in '76; and as such I suspect an atypically large number of these exist in mint condition. There still may not be enough to go around if demand ever really heated up, but then again there might be for the foreseeable future."
"It chords great! Wonderful for backing up a singer, or playing rhythm in a group, and it is resonant, clear and crisp on recordings. I played a loud E chord to end a song while recording years ago, and it sounded like a cymbal crashing on the play-back. But it didn't cut through well on leads/flatpicking, so it's basically sat in its case for about the last 20 years. I just ordered a D-18 GE, and was considering selling the '76 - put on a new set of medium strings and it sounds better than I remembered... and it still records very well, so I now plan to keep it. It is not a cannon, but sounds pretty good for being 30 years old... the bridge plate is too large, so it does not project nor ring as well as other Martins. The neck fits my playing, and it's held up real well (except for the pickguard). It was my main guitar from '76-'84 or so, when I picked up a 1968 D-21."
