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Dolly Parton made a massive impact on music history with her little size 5 Martin terz guitar, and even before her passing there was a groundswell of players asking for the return of such a short-scale instrument to the line.
The Martin 5-28 Terz is a 12-fret Standard Series model in Style 28, meaning it’s made in America with solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, a solid spruce top, and classic Style 28 appointments, including a multi-stripe design for the rosette and top inlay, and mother-of-pearl fretboard inlays.
For those unfamiliar with the terminology, a terz guitar is a small-scale acoustic guitar designed to be tuned a minor third higher than standard. From low to high it’s tuned G, C, F, A#, D, G. The resulting tone is bright and rings like a little bell.
Size 5 is an old-world designation that was around before the 0 system was introduced. Back in the late 1800s, all guitars were tiny by modern standards, and a size 5 was small even back then. According to the old system, the smaller the number, the larger the guitar, so a size 1 was the largest. There was essentially nowhere to go from there but 0, which is how we got from there to the current system. What we pronounce as “Oh” is actually zero. In any case, “0” is now the smallest, and a 0000 or M Grand Auditorium is the largest in the traditional hourglass body shape.
Back in the old days, the guitar’s body shape was a bit more elongated, harkening to predecessors such as the Renaissance Guitar, and that old-world parlor guitar form is back in play on the Martin 5-28 Terz. It looks truly historic hanging on a wall next to modern guitars, and you can really appreciate just how tiny it is by comparison hanging next to a 00 — the Terz is way smaller. Its Size 5 Modern Straightline ebony bridge is a classic old-world appointment, giving it a look like some of the earliest Martins ever made.
The Terz makes you play differently, but not because of any limitations on the fretboard. It’s just that, again, size matters. It affects one’s overall approach, from the angle of the arm dangle to the feel of its fingerboard with 12 frets to the compact body.
I found crazy chords I’d never played before and wound up playing more chromatic passages in single-note runs, simply because of the way one’s fingers fall on such a short-scale neck of 21.38 inches. For reference, a typical 00 measures 24.9.
The 5-28 Terz is so small that you don’t really need a strap to walk around and play; you can cradle it like a ukulele under your strumming arm. But it definitely plays like a “real” guitar. In fact, the width at the nut is 1 3/4 inches, the same as the modern standard for a full-sized acoustic. The neck is what Martin refers to as “Modified Low Oval with High-Performance Taper.” It feels like a very playable modern Martin neck. Every note on the fretboard is a viable musical option.
The Martin 5-28 Terz sounds alive. Projection is impressive as the sound bursts forth from the top, and the same for the sustain that seems to hang around for eternity before a gradual, natural decay. It’s fun to hold the petite body on your lap and feel its pronounced resonance. Harmonics are downright heavenly.
It’s also fun to try alternative, slack-terz tunings. For example, dropping the top and bottom strings a whole step puts it in drop F. So, when you finger and strum what would be a dropped D chord, the sound is a high, extra-resonant F. Playing a powerful tune like Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” sounds crazy cool. And the Martin Terz has plenty of headroom to handle powerful playing. It’s a tough little cookie.
You can also simply tune it down to standard, but for that Martin recommends putting on medium-gauge strings and getting a setup to accommodate the change.
As for who the Martin 5-28 Terz is for, I can think of several player categories. Anyone looking for a new tool in the studio could find the Terz handy as well as inspirational. You will wind up playing unique parts. Songwriters will certainly come up with different stuff. Students and all small folk will appreciate its diminutive body, which is surely one of the reasons Dolly Parton was a terz player. Her fans will likely dig the Martin 5-28. Collectors seeking something unique will also appreciate it.
I had a ball putting this instrument through the paces. I can’t really think of anything negative to say about the experience. It plays and sounds like a dream, and the craftsmanship is impeccable. The only cautionary statements I’d mention concern price and tone.
Having spoken with prominent makers at length about the topic of small guitars, I can testify that they’ll all tell you it’s harder to make a great-sounding little acoustic — not easier. That makes them more labor-intensive to build. So, while it’s natural to expect, say, a hamburger at McDonald’s to cost less than a quarter pounder, that doesn’t apply to acoustic guitars. A small guitar may take a little less wood to make than a big one, but it’s more arduous to assemble, leading to a comparable cost.
As for tone, a terz guitar is supposed to sound bright, chimey, and ring like a little bell. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. This one has that light tone in spades, and it springs forth from the instrument like a ray of sunshine bursting through a cloudy day. Pick one up if you’re down to brighten up your tonal palate.
SPECIFICATIONS
Terz 5-28
CONTACT martinguitar.com
PRICE $3,599 street, hardshell case included
NUT WIDTH 1.75″, bone
NECK Select hardwood, satin finish, Modified Low Oval with High-Performance Taper
INLAYS Mother-of-pearl
FRETBOARD West African ebony, 21.38″ scale
FRETS 18
TUNERS Nickel open gear with butterbean knobs
BODY Solid East Indian rosewood back & sides, solid spruce top with Aging Toner color and gloss finish
BRIDGE Ebony with bone saddle
ELECTRONICS None
FACTORY STRINGS Martin Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 Phosphor Bronze Custom Light gauges .011—.052
WEIGHT 3.1 lbs (as tested)
BUILT USA
PRO Fantastic, fabulous pop, projection and playability from the smallest Martin
CON None, but be aware a terz guitar is meant to be tuned up a minor third for a bright tone
