Acoustic Magazine March 2016 Back Issue

Do you remember your first? I do. I was in my mid-teens. It was a Hohner, and it didn’t belong to me. The first one I actually owned was a Washburn, which was purchased from Rose Morris in London’s Denmark Street. It was my prized possession until an unfortunate accident involving an ironing board and a momentary loss of balance. Although your memories will be unique to you, I’d hazard a guess that everyone who’s ever strummed an acoustic guitar has owned or at least played a Dreadnought-shaped model. The lucky ones may have even had their hands on the ‘real thing’, a Martin Dreadnought. In its centenary year, we celebrate and salute this most iconic of musical instruments.
In preparing for this special feature, some things stood out as being noteworthy. Firstly, a little digging reveals that, at the time of conception, there was no world-conquering strategy, no grand masterplan for the Dreadnought. From today’s standpoint and bearing in mind how ubiquitous Dreadnought guitars are worldwide – indeed, I can’t think of any manufacturers that don’t offer a Dreadnought shape – the Dread’s rise to fame has been nothing short of meteoric, not to mention unplanned.
The other aspect of the Martin Dreadnought’s history that I find so fascinating is how interweaved the guitar is with the history of modern music. The birth of specific musical genres can be traced back to the effect the Martin Dreadnought had on the creation and production of music. Be it Hank Williams with country, Bill Monroe with bluegrass, Elvis Presley and the Beatles with rock‘n’roll or Bob Dylan with folk-rock, the Martin Dreadnought was there, facilitating, inspiring and fashioning. No wonder it’s the most copied guitar of all time. No wonder its appeal continues to this day. No wonder luthiers, artists and everyday guitar players alike hold it in such high esteem.
So happy birthday Mrs D. The world of music wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Steve Harvey, Editor