David Gilmour's 1969 C.F Martin & Co. D-35
Musician
David Gilmour
(English, born 1945)
Maker
C.F. Martin & Company
(American, founded 1833)
Date1969
ClassificationsMusic
DescriptionDavid Gilmour's 1969 C.F. Martin & Co. D-35, serial number 244869, in natural finish. The guitar features a dreadnought style body with a spruce top and rosewood back and sides, including its original pickguard.. It has a mahogany neck and ebony fretboard. In a later hardshell case.This guitar was Gilmour's primary studio acoustic guitar since he purchased it from someone selling it on the street outside Manny's Music in New York City in 1971. The guitar comes with facsimile copies of invoices for repairs carried out by Chandler Guitars in 2003 and Knight Guitars in 2010.
This D-35 was the primary studio acoustic for both Pink Floyd and Gilmour's solo recordings since late 1971. Gilmour confirmed that the guitar was present for writing purposes during the recording sessions for Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon at London's Abbey Road Studios between May 1972 and January 1973.
The D-35 is most associated with the acoustic title track of the band's next album Wish You Were Here (1975). The guitar can also be heard on "Welcome To The Machine." After performing the famous intro and instrumental passages on his twelve string Martin D12-28, Gilmour performed the songs acoustic solos and accompanies himself on the D-35. Despite the band using Ovation Custom Legends guitars Gilmour continued to use this D-35 as his primary studio instrument stating once that it was too precious to modify for use during live stage performances. Gilmour used the guitar on subsequent albums Animals (1977), The Wall (1979), A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), and The Division Bell (1994) as well as his solo albums About Face (1984) and On An Island (2006).
Gilmour has commented about this guitar publicly responding to Guitar Player Magazine in 2003 about which of his guitars has the most songs attached to it: "I guess it would be my Martin D-35. I used it on Wish You Were Here, and I've been using it ever since." When asked by BBC4 Radio host Sue Lawley in 2003 what his luxury "desert island' item would be Gilmour answered: "Well to me it's not a luxury, it's an essential. I need to take my guitar with me, my acoustic Martin D-35 guitar, because life is impossible without a guitar.
David Gilmour (b. 1946) rose to fame as Pink Floyd’s guitarist and vocalist, joining the band shortly before the departure of original frontman Syd Barrett in 1967.
Gilmour’s distinctive playing style features large textures, timely solos, and ambient richness that propelled Pink Floyd into one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Pink Floyd were pioneers of the 1960s British psychedelia movement before transitioning to a more progressive rock sound in the 1970s. They became known for their sophisticated live shows and experimental sounds.
Their 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best-selling albums of all time. It has sold more than 45 million copies and spent a total of 962 weeks on the Billboard top album chart.
