Martin caves to player demand and revives its smallest guitar body shape – but it’s not tuned like your regular acoustic

Martin has brought back a gem from the archives in the form of the 5-28 Terz – a reissue of the smallest acoustic body shape it's ever produced.

Forget your parlor guitars and travel guitars, the 5-28 Terz is a different proposition altogether. With a pint-sized 21.28” scale length and a total fret count of only 12, this newly revived Size 5 model is officially the smallest guitar Martin has on its books.

Its return has been a long-time coming. Martin says the 5-28 Terz answers “long-standing player demand” for its comeback. And while at $3,599 it might not have returned in the form everyone was hoping (surely there’s a cheaper version in the pipeline?) it’s nice to see a bit of extra history in the Martin lineup.

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As per the price tag, Martin has rolled out the red carpet for this one. There’s East Indian rosewood back and sides, a spruce top with “Aging Toner” top color for a vintage feel, and an ebony-topped dark mahogany neck.

Flourishes include mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays, multi-stripe body binding, and a Style 28 multi-stripe rosette. There’s also an ebony bridge with bone pins, a compact 1 ¾” fingerboard width at the bone nut, and a Modified Low Oval neck with High-Performance taper.

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Because of the tiny setup, this one features Terz tuning – which pitches it a minor third above standard. So, not only is this unusually small, it is also unusual-sounding. Plus, it kinda looks like that priceless 1870s acoustic that Kurt Russell mistakenly smashed in The Hateful Eight, so that’s a plus.

In its pitch, Martin writes, “The Martin 5-28 Terz answers long-standing player demand for the return of this uniquely voiced Size 5 model to the Martin lineup – now the smallest guitar we offer.

“With roots dating back to the earliest days of Martin, this ultra-compact 12-fret instrument features a short 21.38" scale length and is designed for Terz tuning – a minor third higher than standard – delivering a focused, bell-like voice that adds shimmer, clarity, and new sonic texture to any arrangement.”

The 5-28 Terz has been released alongside three other new acoustics – the OM-35 Inception, and Custom Shop 0-18 and 0-28.

Head over to Martin to find out more about the new models.