The guitar featured in this entry is one of the very last 12-fret 0-18 guitars made by Martin. The guitar was stamped on January 4, 1932 and cleared final inspection on September 13 that year. Nine months was a very long time in production for the period. The long delay was the result of Martin […]
The popularity of 12-fret 00-28 guitars began to waver in 1929 as the first Martin 14-fret six-string guitars appeared on the market. The 00-28 models had been a very popular up-market guitar for some time and were what Martin considered one of their best sounding guitars they made, being in their opinion better balanced than […]
Serial number 33002 was stamped on September 15, 1927 at the beginning of the production process. The tuners are Waverly G-32 chrome plated machines with ivoroid buttons. Style 45 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Abalone Binding: Ivoroid Back Stripe: Style 45 Other period features: Scalloped X-bracing Ebony fingerboard Ebony […]
Serial number 39272 was stamped on April 4, 1929 and cleared final inspection on October 22 that year, just two days before “Black Thursday” of the 1929 Stock Market Crash and truly marking the very end of the “roaring 20’s”. The tuners are Waverly G-30 machines. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red […]
Serial number 60245 was stamped on June 26, 1935 and cleared final inspection on August 27 that year. It was shipped to Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. in New York on October 22, 1935. The tuners are Grover G-97 machines with unseamed butterbean buttons. Style 42 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: […]
Serial number 12915 was stamped during October/November 1917 and was shipped to William Lewis & Son in Chicago on December 26, 1917. Although the tuners are reported as newer, they do appear to be period-correct Dinsmore & Jager #26 machines. The ebony pyramid bridge is a replacement. Style 28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood […]
Serial number 69345 was stamped on February 9, 1938 and cleared final inspection on July 7 that year. The guitar and case have decals for Wittich’s Music Shop. The Wittich’s branch in Reading PA were Martin dealers from 1929 to 1962 and this guitar was ordered by them on April 28, 1939. The tuners are […]
Serial number 44750 was stamped on November 13, 1930 and cleared final inspection on December 11 that year. The current tuners are modern replacements but with the original white celluloid buttons. The original tuners would have been Grover #90 banjo pegs. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Lines Binding: […]
Serial number 65836 was stamped on March 18, 1937 and cleared final inspection on June 17 that year. Like all 00-18H guitars it originally had a flat fingerboard, raised nut and saddle and a “dark top” (sunburst) finish. Also, like many 00-18H guitars it has been converted to Spanish playing by replacing the flat fingerboard […]
A total of six D-2 guitars were made in 1931 and 1932, of which this guitar was the last regular D-2 built. A seventh D-2 was made in 1934 with a carved top, being basically a C-2 up-sized to a Dreadnought 12-fret body. Clearly the D-2 a very rare guitar but adding to the story […]