Serial number 106809 was stamped on September 10, 1948 and cleared final inspection on December 14 that year. The tuners are Kluson K-210 machines with rounded metal buttons. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Sitka spruce Purfling: Lines Binding: Tortoiseshell celluloid Other period features: Straight X-bracing Brazilian rosewood fingerboard Ebony belly bridge Steel […]
Serial number 71476 was stamped on October 21, 1938 and cleared final inspection on December 9 that year. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate tuners with unseamed butterbean buttons. Style 21 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Lines Binding: Rosewood Sound hole decoration: Herringbone Backstripe: Herringbone Other period features: […]
Martin made the 14-fret Ochestra Model (OM) guitars from 1929 to the end of 1933. Beginning in 1934 the OM designation was dropped and these guitars reverted to the 000 designation. However, for a time in 1934 continued to use long scale (25.4″) necks on 000-18 guitars. In effect, these can be considered OM guitars. […]
Serial number 26709 was stamped on October 2, 1926. The brass tuners are probably Waverly G-2 machines with white celluloid buttons. The ebony straight bridge is a replacement. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Lines Binding: Rosewood Backstripe: Single line of rosewood purfling Other period features: 12 fret neck […]
Serial number 11219 was stamped on January 11, 1911 and was shipped t0 Eilere Music House in Seattle WA on December 15, 1911. The tuners are German silver Handel machines with inlaid ivory buttons. Style 42 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Abalone and lines on top and around fingerboard […]
Martin 0-18K guitars are relatively common in the period from 1918 to 1934. The 00-18K guitars on the other hand are quite scarce, only 55 were made from 1918 to 1925. Serial number 14156 was stamped on October 1, 1919 and was shipped to Sherman, Clay & Co. in San Francisco CA on Novermber 1 […]
Serial number 14308 was stamped on October 31, 1919. Style 45 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Abalone and lines on top, back and sides Sound hole decoration: Abalone and lines Binding: Ivory Style 45 snowflake Japan pearl inlays Style 45 abalone “flowerpot” headstock inlay Style 45 backstripe purfling Other […]
Serial number 13602 was stamped on April 8, 1919. It was shipped to Southern California Music Co. in Los Angeles CA on July 30, 1919, which explains the Southern California Music Co. metal plaque on the back of the headstock. Style 45 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Abalone and […]
Serial number 83391 was stamped on February 10, 1943 and cleared final inspection on April 9 that year. The tuners are Kluson 502 machines with white celluloid buttons. The backing plates still retain the stamped rim seen in earlier Klusons machines. Later war-time Klusons had plain backing plates. Typical of war time Martin guitars the […]
Serial number 59229 was stamped on February 23, 1935 and cleared final inspection on May 8 that year. The tuners are clipped plate Grover G-98 machines with rounded metal buttons. Style 17 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Mahogany Purfling: Single white line Binding: Mahogany (?) Other period features: Scalloped X-bracing Rosewood fingerboard Dot inlays […]