Martin 5-28 Terz Acoustic Guitar

The Interstellar Tone Traveler has orbited the Martin universe long enough to know that the company's greatest innovations are sometimes its oldest ideas brought back to life. The 5-28 Terz is exactly that — a return to one of the earliest chapters in Martin's nearly two-century history, now reintroduced as the smallest guitar in the entire Martin lineup and one of the most distinctly voiced acoustic instruments available anywhere. The Size 5 body is ultracompact and deeply intimate, designed not for the standard tuning most players know but for Terz tuning — a minor third higher than standard pitch — delivering a focused, bell-like voice with shimmering clarity and presence that no standard-tuned guitar can replicate. In an ensemble, it adds a layer of shimmer and textural definition that transforms arrangements. Played solo, it inhabits its own sonic world entirely. With a 21.38" scale length — extraordinarily short even by parlor guitar standards — and a 12-fret neck join, this is a guitar built around a specific musical purpose, and it fulfills that purpose with the full weight of Martin's Style 28 craftsmanship behind it.

The Style 28 appointments dress this compact instrument with the same premium care Martin reserves for its finest dreadnoughts: solid East Indian Rosewood back and sides, gloss spruce top with aging toner, antique white binding, abalone Style 28 fingerboard inlays on an ebony board, a bone nut and saddle, and the multi-stripe purfling and rosette that have defined the Style 28 aesthetic for generations. The ebony bridge and non-scalloped X-bracing are chosen specifically to support the Terz tuning's higher tension demands, keeping the voice clear and focused rather than boomy. No pickguard keeps the aesthetic clean and period-correct. For players curious about Terz tuning, the 5-28 can also be strung and tuned to standard pitch for added versatility — making it a genuinely playable companion in any setting. This is Martin going back to its roots and finding something genuinely new.

Top: Spruce 
Finish Top: Gloss
Top Color: Aging Toner
Top Inlay Material: Multi-Stripe
Top Detail: None
Binding: Antique White
Bridge Material: Ebony
Bridge Style: Size 5 Modern Straightline
Bridge String Spacing: 2 5/32"
Bridge Pin Material: White 
Bridge Pin Dots: Faux Tortoise
Pickguard: None 
Pickguard Inlay: None
Rosette: Style 28 Multi-Stripe
Saddle: Bone
Saddle Radius: 16"
Body Size: 5 Terz 12 Fret
Construction: Dovetail Neck Joint 
Back Material: E. Indian Rosewood
Side Material: E. Indian Rosewood 
Body Finish: Gloss
Back Purfling/Strip: Style 28 w/Black Stripe
Back Inlay Material: Multi-Stripe
Bracing Pattern: X-Brace
Brace Shape: Non-Scalloped
Brace Material: Spruce 
Brace SIze: 5/16"
Heel Cap: Antique White
Endpiece: Antique White
Endpiece Inlay: Multi-Stripe
Neck Shape: Modified Low Oval
Neck Taper: High-Performace Taper
Neck Material: Mahogany 
Neck Color: Dark Mahogany
Neck Finish: Satin
Scale Length: 21.38"
Number of Frets: 18
Neck Joins Body: 12 Fret
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Fingerboard Width at 12th Fret: 2 1/8"
Nut Width: 1 3/4"
Inlay Style: Style 28 
Fingerboard Inlay Material: Abalone
Fingerboard Binding: None
Headstock Shape: Solid with Square and Taper 
Headplate Material: East Indian Rosewood
Headplate Logo Style: Authentic Script Style Overlay
Headplate Binding Material: None
Headplate Detail: None
Tuning Machines: Nickel Open Gear
Knob: Butterbean
Nut Material: Bone
Case: Hardshell