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 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: […]
Serial number 69899 was stamped on March 25, 1938 and cleared final inspection on October 27 that year. This guitar was once owned by Smiley Burnette who was Gene Austry’s sidekick in many western movies. Like all style 45 guitars it has thin abalone strips inlaid around the top, back and sides as well as […]
Here is a very unusual guitar. It started off life as a 1938 000-45S that was supposed to have received an F-9 neck 1-11/16″ wide at the nut. However, the special order was cancelled after the body had been made so Martin kept the body and re-used it for another 000-45S in 1940. So the […]
Here is an example of the rare and much sought after 14-fret 00-21 from the 1930s. Almost all 00-21 guitar from the period were 12-fret models but between 1935 and 1938 a total of twelve 00-21 guitars were made with 14 fret necks, all were sold to dealers in Chicago but all but one was […]