Guitar
Maker
C. F. Martin & Co.
Date1975
Place MadeNazareth, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
ModelD-35 / Dreadnaught / Dreadnought
Serial No.377704
SignedBranded on bass side back graft: [lettering curved downward at each end] C.F.MARTIN & Co / ―∙― / NAZARETH, PA.Gold and black decal on head: [lettering curved downward at each end] CFMartin&Co. [sic] / EST. 1833
MarkingsBranded on neck block: D-35 / 377704
DescriptionThis guitar was used in 29 of Elvis’ live performances between 1976 and 1977. At a concert on February 14, 1977 in St. Petersburg, Florida, a string and the blue corduroy strap of the guitar broke. Elvis tossed the guitar into the air and it fell onto the stage, damaging the instrument’s lower edge. He offered the guitar as a gift to a young woman in the audience, Kathy Waldorp.
Stringing: six steel strings
Soundboard: two-piece sitka spruce of medium grain broadening toward the flanks
Back: three-piece Indian rosewood, the two outer pieces are matched with a contrasting center piece; assembled so the center section is broader at the base of the instrument than the neck; back pieces separated by three-piece inlay of light/dark/light wood
Ribs: two-piece Indian rosewood separated by white end graft strip (slightly wider at the top than at the bottom) with thin black and cream celluloid purfling on either side, one strip each
Head: mahogany with rosewood veneer on face
Neck: mahogany
Heel cap: white and black boltaron in five layers w/b/w/b/w with the final white layer nearly as thick as the four thin layers combined
Binding: white boltaron with matching purfling in black and white, five-ply purfling on the top (b/w/b/w/b); top and back bindings have purflings on the ribs, four-ply (b/w/b/w); back binding has two-ply (w/b) purfling
Fingerboard: Ebony, 20 nickel-silver frets; 7 mm mother-of-pearl dot inlay behind 5th and 9th frets; two 7 mm mother-of-pearl dot inlays behind 7th fret; two 5 mm mother-of-pearl dot inlays behind 12th fret; single 5 mm mother-of-pearl dot inlays behind 15th and 17th frets; bound in a single piece of white boltaron binding with black side position markers at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 17th frets
Nut: Micarta
Bridge: Ebony; belly-style bridge; angled cream colored saddle of Micarta; six white with black dot plastic bridge pins
Pegs: Six Grover Rotomatic tuning machines, three on a side, chrome plated with enclosed gears, “GROVER” in raised text on housing.
Strap button: White plastic with black dot
Rosette: wide band of white and black striped celluloid (9 strips), surrounded on each side with narrower bands of the same material (5 strips each), with natural wood in between
Pick guard: Black acetate
Finish: gloss nitrocellulose lacquer on body; satin nitrocellulose lacquer on neck
Linings: kerfed mahogany
Neck block: mahogany; chamfered corners
End block: mahogany; chamfered corners
Top braces: spruce X-brace, the joint is reinforced by white linen; two transvers braces in lower bout, two finger braces on each side to the outside of the X-braces; upper transverse brace and wide/low upper transvers brace; rosewood bridge plate
Back braces: two spruce back grafts; four spruce back braces, the two braces in the lower bouts with rounded edges, and wider and lower in height than the two braces in the upper bouts
DimensionsTotal guitar length: 1031 mm (40-9/16″)
Back length: 508 mm (20″)
Upper bout width: 291 mm (11-1/2″)
Waist width: 273 mm (10-3/4″)
Lower bout width: 398 mm (15-5/8″)
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 99 mm (3-15/16″)
Rib height, at waist: 111 mm (4-5/16″)
Rib height, at end block: 124 mm (4-29/32″)
Head length: 160 mm (6-9/32″)
Head width, top: 72 mm (2-11/16″)
Head width, bottom: 60 mm (2-3/8″)
Neck length (nut to ribs): 359 mm (14-1/8″)
Neck width, nut: 42 mm (1-11/16″)
Neck width, heel: 56 mm (2-3/16″)
Soundhole diameter: 102 mm (4″)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): high E: 645 mm (25-3/8″); low E: 648 mm (25-1/2″)
Nut to 12th fret: 323 mm 12-11/16”
ProvenancePreviously owned by Elvis Presley, who gave it to audience member, Kathy Waldrop in 1977. By 2013, in the possession of an anonymous owner, who donated it to the National Music Museum.
Published ReferencesGlynn, Carroll. “Auditorium workers drape poster in black in mourning for Elvis.” The Tampa Times 18 August 1977. Print.
Smith, Jeff. “Elvis fans: The screaming….” The Tampa Times 16 February 1977. Print.
Credit LineAnonymous gift, 2013
Object number14715
On View
On view
