Martin D-45The first D-45 was custom built for legendary cowboy star Gene Autry in 1931. Today, the D-45 still holds the distinction of being the most costly and lavishly trimmed guitar in the standard Martin line. More than 900 individual pieces of abalone pearl inlay are hand filed, mitered and fitted into the bindings of the top, sides, back and rosette. Large C. F. Martin" letter inlays, also of colorful abalone, adorn the headstock; abalone hexagon inlays are used as position markers on the bound ebony fingerboard. Pearl work alone requires more than 20 hours per guitar to complete. Martin's finest selection of tonewoods are used to build the D-45 - tight, straight-grained Sitka spruce, bookmatched East Indian rosewood and genuine ebony. The tuning machines are gold plated enclosed Schallers. The D-45 truly represents the culmination of the guitar making art; a spectacular instrument in both sound and appearance."