Sometime in June 1970, Jimmy Page purchased a Martin D-28 and first played it live during the song That’s the Way at the Festival of Blues & Progressive Music on June 28, 1970. From that point on, he regularly used the guitar for That’s the Way and Bron-Y-Aur throughout the remainder of the 1970 U.S. tour, and again during the 1973 tour.
Before bringing the guitar back on stage in 1975, Jimmy outfitted his D-28 with a Barcus-Berry Model 1355 Transducer pickup, paired with a Barcus-Berry Model 1330S Preamp. This allowed him to amplify the guitar directly, without relying solely on a microphone.
Around 1977, he appeared to acquire a second Martin D-28, likely as a backup. For a time, his main D-28 could be identified by a small white sticker on the pickguard, though this sticker was later removed.
Specs
Assuming the guitar was purchased second-hand and built sometime before 1970, it most likely featured a solid Sitka spruce top with Brazilian rosewood back and sides—before Martin switched to Indian rosewood in 1970 [The Martin Dreadnought Story by Richard Bamman]. The neck was made of mahogany, paired with an ebony fretboard featuring Pearloid dot inlays.
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