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 83225 was stamped on January 20, 1943 and cleared final inspection on March 12 that year. The tuners are Kluson 502 machines with white celluloid buttons. Style 18 features: Back and sides: Mahogany Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Lines Binding: Black celluloid Other period features: Rear-X scalloped bracing Ebony fingerboard Ebony belly bridge […]
Serial number 90740 was stamped on March 5, 1945 and cleared final inspection on June 6 that year. Martin appears to have received a supply of steel T-bar in early 1945 so unlike most wr-time Martin guitars this one has the steel T-bar neck reinforcement rather than the ebony bar. The T-bar didn’t last for […]
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 […]
Serial number 93211 was stamped on November 23, 1945 and cleared final inspection on February 11, 1946. The tuners are probably Kluson 502 machines (this is still a little up in the air because the celluloid buttons come in either white or black) and document the reappearance of bushings on the front of the headstock. […]