Serial number 62166 was stamped on January 28, 1936 and cleared final inspection on July 9 that year. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate machines with seamed metal butterbean buttons. Style 28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Herringbone Binding: Ivoroid Back Stripe: Zig-zag purfling pattern Other […]
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 […]
Serial number was stamped around mid-June 1920. One interesting feature of this guitar is the coarse grain structure of the wood used for the neck. This type of wood is Philippine Mahogany (genus Shorea) which is not considered a true mahogany (genus Swietenia). It was used for the necks of Martin guitars circa 1919 to […]
This guitar was finished in 2001. It started out as a 000-18 12-fret guitar but received some style 28 features; herringbone purfling, white celluloid binding and a volute on the back of the headstock. Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Photos courtesy of Folkway Music
Here is one of the very early 1932 14-fret 0-18 “Model 32” guitars. The “Model 32” guitars received what Martin referred to as a “dark top” finish but is now commonly known as honeyburst, amberburst or shaded top. Serial number 50739 was stamped on April 13, 1932 and cleared final inspection on July 12 that […]
Serial numbe 38471 was stamped on April 25, 1929 and cleared final inspection on August 27 that year. During March 1928 Martin slightly increased the thickness of guitars tops. Having been made after that date this guitar has the thicker top that makes it fully capable of accepting steel strings. Since it was made in […]
Serial number 63489 was stamped on June 9, 1936 and cleared final inspection on October 8, that year. As an earlier 14-fret 000-28 this guitar has advance-X bracing, distinctive herringbone purfling around the top and a zig-zag backstripe. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate machines with smooth-edged butterbean buttons. Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood […]
Seial number 88780 was stamped on August 22, 1944 and cleared final inspection on November 18 that year. This guitar retains the scalloped braces that define pre-war Martins (the transition to straight braces occurred in December 1944). The tuners are probably Kluson 502 machines. It will be noted the bushings are missing from the front […]