Serial number 41927 was stamped on March 21, 1930 and cleared final inspection on May 13 that year. The banjo tuners are modern replacements while the white celluloid buttons are original. The ebony pyramid bridge is a modern replacement made by luthier TJ Thompson. OM-28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) […]
Serial number 66724 was stamped on June 24, 1937 and cleared final inspection on October 7 that year. This guitar has advanced X-bracing and a 1-3/4″ wide neck. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate machines with unseamed butterbean buttons. Style 28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Herringbone Binding: […]
Between 1916 and 1921 Martin made a special line of guitars for Charles H. Ditson & Co. in New York. These guitars had a wide-waisted design since they were meant to played Hawaiian style and the normal narrow waist was no longer necessary. These guitars did not have a flat fingerboard or high saddle as […]
Serial number 33324 was stamped on October 11, 1927. The tuners are Waverly chrome-plated G-32 machines with white ivoroid buttons. The bridge is a replacement made by noted luthier TJ Thompson. Style 45 features: Back and side: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Abalone purfling on the top, back, sides and sound hole Style 45 […]
Serial number 44066 was stamped on September 23, 1930 and cleared final inspection on October 7 that year. A small number of 1930 00-21 guitars were made with a “dark top” but this sunburst finish is so subtle is often referred to as amberburst or teaburst. Style 21 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: […]
Serial number 99590 was stamped on April 2, 1947 and cleared final inspection on August 1 that year. The tuners are probably three-on-a-side D & J (Dinsmore & Jager) #31 machines. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) – Although Sitka spruce was the norm for Martin guitars at the time, […]
Serial number 72686 was stamped on May 23, 1939 and cleared final inspection on September 24 that year. The guitar has rear-X bracing but retains the 1-3/4″ wide neck. Style 18 guitars usually had black celluloid binding but the binding on this guitar is tortoiseshell celluloid. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate machines with […]
Serial number 74767 was stamped on April 11, 1940 and cleared final inspection on October 8 that year. The tuners are Waverly 5038 mchines with rounded metal buttons. These tuners have a distinctive backing plate and are sometimes called “Yoda head” machines. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Binding: Tortoiseshell […]
Here is one of the rarely seen 12-fret D-28 guitars. It is also one of the very last regular 12-fret D-28s made (although a few more 12-fretters were made on special order in subsequent years). Serial number 55082 was stamped on December 29, 1933 and cleared final inspection on January 23, 1934. This might also […]
This guitar can be identified as one of the earliest OM-28 guitars because it has an original pyramid bridge. A total of 102 OM-28 guitars were made with pyramid bridges between late 1929 and April 1930. However, existing pyramid bridge OM-28 guitars are even rarer than the 102 production figure would suggest since many were […]