The Martin 5-28 Terz is a parlor-format acoustic built around a 21.38″ scale length and Martin’s Size 5 body – the brand’s smallest guitar format – purpose-designed for terz tuning (G-C-F-Bb-D-G, a minor third above standard). That short scale makes the elevated tuning practical without fighting string tension, and the same guitar can also run standard E tuning with medium strings or strung Nashville high-strung, giving a single instrument three distinct sonic identities. Construction follows Martin’s Style 28 spec: solid spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, and an ebony fingerboard and bridge anchored by a bone nut.
The Modified Low Oval neck profile and 21.38″ scale suit players who want a physically smaller instrument, whether for travel, studio texture work, or ensemble playing where a guitar tuned a minor third up occupies harmonic space a standard guitar can’t. This is a Custom Shop production model, comes with a hardshell case, and at just over three pounds it travels well. Righteous Guitars includes complimentary PLEK service and a limited lifetime warranty.
