A 1975 Martin D-35 Acoustic Guitar kept by Freddie Mercury at home, from c.1977 onwards

A Martin D-35 Acoustic Guitar, 1975, kept by Freddie Mercury at home from c.1977 onwards

Serial number 357736, in natural finish, spruce top with rosewood three-piece back and sides, bound body and sound hole, mahogany neck, rosewood headplate, twenty fret bound ebony fingerboard with dot inlays, chrome Grover Rotomatic tuners, ebony pin bridge with four dot inlays, black pickguard and endpin jack socket; in contour case with gold plush lining containing a woven red guitar strap decorated with a floral design and an unopened set of Martin guitar strings – This guitar has been modified with an internal pickup system and two of the four dot inlays added on the bridge appear to correspond with the locations of the installed pickups 

Freddie wanted a "good guitar" to have at home, although it is not in its original case. It appears that Freddie and Brian May were both keen on this model of Martin as Brian is photographed playing a similar Martin D-35 on stage in 1976 during Queen’s appearance at Hyde Park, London, 28 September, 1976 and during the News Of The World tour of North America, November-December, 1976. The fact that Freddie’s Martin D-35 has an interior pickup system installed suggests it may have been used on stage at some point in its life.