The Ditson Company famously commissioned the first dreadnaught guitar to be built by the Martin company. Not all Ditson guitars were produced by Martin (many by Lyon & Healey and others), but many collectors can appreciate the fine wood and construction elements seen in even the lesser coveted examples.

Heavily rebuilt by our dear friend Robbie Mortillaro, this is a nice sounding small body guitar likely from the turn of the century. This example is stamped "Aud." at its neck block and the inside of its top - likely an Auditorium size specification - but it's speculation. The top is built of solid Adirondack Spruce, which has been well repaired with its finish redone - ready for another 100+ years. Wide significant cracks have been filled with additional spruce, and cleated internally - yielding a strong structural condition currently. The back and sides are made of laminate Brazilian Rosewood - that regardless of the laminate build yields a strong tone. The body measures 14.5" at the lower bout, with an 8.25" waist, and a 10.25" upper bout. Marquetry binding + rosette, it immediately has a nice old-time-y aesthetic. Internally, it is ladder braced, yielding a Gibson-esque dry tone, with a thin maple bridge plate. The bridge is made of ebony and has been reglued with a tall replaced bone saddle. Nicks and dings are present, but structurally this is a very sound and great playing example.

The neck has been reset on this example making it superbly playable. The neck is designed with a 24.75" scale length, with a wide 1 27/32" nut width (a hair slimmer than 1 7/8"). The neck is made of a Spanish cedar, and has a deep feeling V profile - typical for the era. The original fingerboard on this example was Pearwood, which has since been replaced with a nice rosewood. With a recent re-fret by Robbie, the fingerboard is radius'd and playing better than ever. Slotted peg head, with original tuners that function as they should with clean functional buttons. Given the recent neck set- the action is low, measuring an industry standard 5-6/64" in height at the twelfth fret, with plenty of room for future adjustment at the saddle.

No case.