Martin releases history containing guitar to mark America’s 250th

Nazareth‘s C. F. Martin & Co.   has gotten into the spirit of the nation’s birthday with the launch of a patriotic-themed guitar. 

Martin has released the HD-28 Semiquincentennial, a limited-edition acoustic guitar created to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.  

Built on the iconic HD-28 platform, the model brings together American history, original artwork, and nearly 200 years of Martin craftsmanship. 

The release is limited to just 250 guitars and features wood from the Basking Ridge white oak, a 600-year-old tree that stood through the Revolutionary War and generations of American history.  

It also features a reclaimed Sitka spruce top with custom artwork by longtime Martin collaborator and artist Robert Goetzl. 

The guitar maker said the release coincides with another significant milestone — the 50th anniversary of the Martin HD-28. 

 Introduced in 1976, the year of America’s Bicentennial, Martin said the HD-28 has become one of its most recognized and beloved rosewood Dreadnought models. 

“This is one of those projects where a lot of history comes together,” said Chris Martin IV, chairman of the board and sixth-generation leader of C. F. Martin & Co. “Martin has been part of the American story for nearly 200 years, and our family has its own connection to the Revolution, so celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary feels especially meaningful. It also brings us back to 1976, when Martin marked the Bicentennial and introduced the HD-28. Fifty years later, using that same model as the foundation for this guitar just felt right. It’s a really special way to celebrate the past while creating something that can carry the story forward.” 

An important component of the guitar is that it uses wood from the Basking Ridge white oak, also known as the Holy Oak. Located a little more than 50 miles from Martin’s home in Nazareth,  the tree stood in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, for approximately 600 years before being taken down in 2017 after reaching the end of its natural life. 

The tree witnessed the First Great Awakening, the Revolutionary War, and centuries of American history. Local lore holds that George Washington’s troops drilled within view of its branches and that Washington himself picnicked beneath it with the Marquis de Lafayette.