The first documented 000 size guitar was this 000-21 shipped to Henry Spahr on November 7, 1901. This guitar was discovered by Eric Schoenberg about 35 years ago. The top was in very poor condition. Dana Bourgeois attempted to save the severely thinned top but it eventually had to be replaced by TJ Thompson to […]
Serial number 10009 is one of the earliest 000-sized Martin guitar. It was stamped around January 30, 1905 and was shipped to Henry Spahr in Jersey City, NJ on March 28, 1905. Henry Spahr was a music teacher and had an important infleunce on Martin in the early 20th century. It was Spahr who ordered […]
This guitar is a great example of an early high-grade Martin guitar. Styles 40 and 42 were the two fanciest grades of Martin at the time with style 40 being slightly commoner than style 42. The main difference between stlye 40 and 42 is that on style 42 the abalone purfling extended around the fingerboard […]
This guitar made before serial numbers were instituted but “3/92”, for March 1892, is written in pencil on the underside of the top near the soundhole. The guitar has three-strut fan bracing typical of the less expensive models Martin offered during this period. All Martin guitars from the period have back and sides of Brazialian […]