Now Available at Northeast Music Center!
New for 2026 • Size 5 Terz • Solid Spruce & East Indian Rosewood • 21.38" Scale • Hardshell Case
Don't let the size fool you.
The C.F. Martin 5-28 Terz, serial number 3077853, may be the smallest guitar currently offered by Martin, but the particular instrument we have here at Northeast Music Center is extremely resonant and projects with surprising authority.
New for 2026, the 5-28 Terz brings one of Martin's most historic small-body formats back to the Standard Series. Its ultra-compact Size 5 12-fret body, remarkably short 21.38" scale, solid spruce top and solid East Indian rosewood back and sides create an acoustic with a voice and playing experience unlike anything else in the current Martin lineup.
Traditionally tuned a minor third above standard pitch, the Terz produces a focused, articulate upper-register voice that can add an entirely different texture to songwriting, recording and ensemble work.
This isn't simply a miniature Martin.
It's a different musical instrument with a voice and purpose of its own.
Available now at Northeast Music Center with its Martin hardshell case.
The defining feature of the 5-28 isn't simply its compact body.
It's the tuning.
A traditional Terz guitar is tuned a minor third—three semitones—above standard guitar tuning.
Instead of standard E–A–D–G–B–E, the 5-28 Terz is designed around:
G–C–F–B♭–D–G
You can use the same chord shapes you already know, but everything sounds three semitones higher.
The result is a clear, concentrated upper-register voice with a bell-like character that occupies a different sonic space from a conventionally tuned acoustic.
That's particularly interesting in the studio.
Layer the 5-28 Terz alongside a standard acoustic and it can add shimmer, definition and dimension without simply doubling the exact same frequency range.
It can also completely change the character of familiar chord shapes and inspire songwriting simply because you're hearing the guitar differently.
The biggest surprise with serial number 3077853 is what happens when you actually play it.
This particular guitar is extremely resonant and projects exceptionally well.
Its Size 5 body might suggest a delicate or quiet acoustic when you first pick it up.
It isn't.
There is an immediacy and liveliness to this guitar that makes it considerably bigger sounding than its dimensions suggest. Notes jump off the top, chords have excellent definition, and the instrument has enough projection to remind you very quickly that body size alone doesn't determine how engaging an acoustic guitar will be.
That's something we can tell you from having the actual guitar here at Northeast Music Center, rather than simply reading its specifications.
Part of the charm of the 5-28 Terz is that Martin didn't treat it like a novelty instrument.
This is a Standard Series Martin with genuine Style 28 appointments.
The solid spruce top receives an Aging Toner and gloss finish, while the back and sides are solid East Indian rosewood.
You'll also find an ebony fingerboard and bridge, Style 28 multi-stripe rosette, mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays, antique white binding, bone nut and saddle, nickel open-gear tuners with Butterbean knobs and an East Indian rosewood headplate.
The construction is equally serious, with a traditional dovetail neck joint and X-bracing.
Viewed from across the room, it looks like someone distilled the essence of a classic rosewood Martin into an extraordinarily compact format.
Pick it up, however, and the 21.38" scale immediately tells you this is something very different.
That ultra-short scale makes the 5-28 remarkably comfortable.
The neck uses Martin's familiar Modified Low Oval profile with High-Performance Taper, paired with a 1 3/4" nut width and ebony fingerboard.
The 12-fret neck joint also fits naturally with the historic proportions of the Size 5 body.
Traditional Terz tuning is the obvious reason to own this guitar, but it isn't the only option.
The 5-28 can also be used at standard pitch when set up with an appropriate string gauge, giving players another way to explore the unusual feel and response of its short-scale design.
Body
Neck
Hardware
Additional
This is exactly the type of Martin we're excited to have at Northeast Music Center.
We're located close to the Martin factory in Nazareth and have spent years working closely with Martin guitars, but even with the number of instruments that pass through our store, something this different gets our attention.
And serial number 3077853 absolutely did.
The first surprise is the size.
The second is how much sound comes out of it.
This particular 5-28 Terz is alive, resonant and remarkably strong in projection. Its higher register gives it a musical space that a dreadnought, OM or 000 simply isn't intended to occupy.
For a songwriter, it can inspire completely different ideas.
For a recording musician, it can provide another acoustic texture.
For the collector, it represents the return of one of Martin's historic body formats in a beautifully appointed Style 28 configuration.
And for someone who simply loves unusual acoustic guitars, it's tremendously fun to play.
Small Martin. Very big personality.
The C.F. Martin 5-28 Terz 12-Fret, serial number 3077853, is available now at Northeast Music Center with its Martin hardshell case.
