Prior to around 1900, Martin acoustic guitars were available in sizes that to today's players would seem very small, ranging from size 5, 4, 3, and 2 (all or less across the lower bout) to size 1 (). Larger sizes, introduced by 1898, were size 0 (), size 00 (), size 000 () and, subsequently, the 12-fret D plus its successor, the 14-fret D (both at the widest point). In fact, the first model to be produced in the "dreadnought" size was the largest of several models manufactured by Martin for the
Oliver Ditson Company; of the nine models catalogued (1, 11, 111; 2, 22, 222; 3, 33, 333) the 111, 222 and 333 shared the large (dreadnought) dimension and differed only in the degree of ornamentation. Although catalogued, it seems that no "333" Ditson models were ever shipped, although some may have been; The dreadnought guitar was first announced in the Music Trades Review on August 19, 1916, with the copy reading as follows: "New Use Found for Steel Guitar..." "A new steel guitar called the "Dreadnought," and said to produce the biggest tone of any instrument of its kind, is now being used in the making of phonograph records. It is also said to be an excellent instrument for use in auditoriums and large halls. Chas H. Ditson & Co. will soon have the above instrument ready for delivery..." (The designation "
steel guitar" is taken to indicate that the instrument was intended to be played with a steel bar, that is, in the
Hawaiian style which was popular at the time.) The supplier of this information also states that Harry L. Hunt, the manager of the Ditson New York City Store, may have been inspired to order a guitar to be built to this design as a cross between an extra-large, but narrow waisted guitar already built by Martin for the Hawaiian guitarist
Mekia Kealakai, and the smaller, but wide waisted designs already being sold by Ditson. These guitars were produced by Martin for Ditson from 1916 to 1921; a small number (19 instruments) were subsequently made in the same style as the 111, in dreadnought size, between 1921 and 1930, including #19734 for Roy Smeck. According to Mike Longworth, the design for the "111" size, later to become famous as the dreadnought, was suggested to Martin by Hunt, and "most likely" prototyped by Martin worker John Deichman. Up to 1923, the early dreadnought-size guitars constructed by Martin were fan braced, not X-braced, that innovation being first combined with the "dreadnought size" body in 1924. In 1931 Martin began producing dreadnought guitars (sometimes also spelled "dreadnaught") under its own name, the first two models named the D-1 and D-2, with bodies made of mahogany and rosewood respectively; later that year, these 2 styles were renamed the D-18 and
D-28 with "D" indicating body size, and the numbers the timbers used and degree of ornamentation as per other Martin models of the time. A small run of dreadnought guitars manufactured by Martin for the E.U. Wurlitzer store in Boston designated "SW" for "Special Wurlitzer" in the early 1960s also featured the 12-fret design. and the D-28 at $100.00 (approx. $2,223 in 2024 dollars), although the D-45 was also available at that time to special order only. A later 1930s catalog does include the D45 at $225.00, by which time the prices of the D-18 and D-28 had increased to $75.00 and $115.00, respectively. and were used by many bluegrass musicians to produce a signature sound. The popularity of, and demand for, Martin dreadnought guitars was increased by their use by folk and popular musicians of the mid-20th century, such as
Paul Simon,
Joni Mitchell,
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and
Van Morrison as well as in the early
rock and roll field by artists such as
Elvis Presley. While most players prefer the tone of the standard, 14-fret instrument, noted for its more penetrating sound especially when played with other instruments, a few prominent players—including
Peter Yarrow of the group
Peter, Paul and Mary,
Norman Blake, and on occasion
Paul Simon (per the cover of his 1974
Live Rhymin' release)—have still favoured the slightly different sonority produced by the 12-fret, larger body shape. The
Gibson Guitar Company's response to the Martin dreadnought was the round-shouldered
Jumbo, which it introduced in 1934. It introduced its first square shouldered guitar, the
Hummingbird, in 1960.
Guild also offered "dreadnought" size guitars from 1964 onwards, their D-40 and D-50 offerings (in mahogany and rosewood bodies, respectively) closely paralleling the Martin D-18 and D-28, and being described as "Guild's improved version of the popular dreadnaught guitar". Since then, dreadnoughts have been made by nearly all major guitar manufacturers worldwide in both standard and single-
cutaway forms; among high grade "boutique" makers of dreadnought-style guitars are the Gallagher Guitar Company (whose instruments were endorsed by
Doc Watson), the
Santa Cruz Guitar Company (whose line includes a
Tony Rice model),
Mossman Guitars, and
Dana Bourgeois, whose signature model for
Ricky Skaggs is very well regarded. More recently, younger players such as
Billy Strings and
Molly Tuttle have both had their own instruments, plus limited edition signature dreadnought model runs created by the guitar manufacturer
Preston Thompson. Up to approximately the mid 1970s, dreadnought guitars from Martin, the original maker, were available in a fairly basic set of model styles, comprising the "D" designation for body size, plus the numeric designation—drawn from the range 18, 21, 28, 35, 41 and 45—indicating the degree of ornamentation, and wood used for the body construction (custom models were also sometimes available upon request); the D-45, however, was out of production between 1943 and early 1968, in which year it was re-introduced to the Martin line. The D-21 was introduced in 1955, while the D-35, a new model and style designation, was added to the line in 1966; 12-string models, a favourite of the "folk boom" of the late 1950s and 1960s, were first made in 1954 on a limited basis, and were added to the official line in 1964 with the D12-20 (a 12-fret model), followed by the D12-35 in 1965, D12-45 in 1969, and D12-41 in 1970; following user demand for 14-fret models, the D12-28 was introduced in 1970, followed by the D12-18 in 1973, both of which had 14 frets clear of the body. By contrast, in more recent decades the range has grown massively; a 2024 query to the Martin website yields 170 varieties of 14-fret dreadnoughts (including discontinued models) plus a further 6 12-fret models (and this list is not complete). Further information on these instruments is available on the website of the manufacturer and of various resellers, while other stores such as Gruhn Guitars and Carter Vintage Guitars offer a glimpse into the world of vintage and/or collectable guitars, the most valuable of which are frequently Martin dreadnoughts from the classic "pre-war" (pre 1942 in collector's terminology) manufacturing period. ==Construction==