Serial number 81120 was stamped on March 24, 1942 and cleared final inspection on October 22 that year. The tuners are Waverly 5038N (nickel plated) machines with rounded metal buttons. These are sometimes referred to as “Yoda head” machines due to the shape of the ends of the backing plate. Style 28 features: Back and […]
Serial number 44124 was stamped on September 26, 1930 and cleared final inspection on November 22 that year. The tuners are Grover #89 Deluxe banjo pegs. Style 28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Herringbone Binding: White ivoroid Backstripe: Zig-zag pattern Other period features: Scalloped X-bracing Ebony fingerboard Ebony belly […]
Serial number 90987 was stamped on March 28, 1945 and cleared final inspection on June 25 that year. This guitar is one of the earlier war-time Martin guitars that got the re-issued steel T-bar neck reinforcement. Martin, due to war-time restrictions, had been forced to eliminate the steel T-bar neck reinforcement in early 1942 and […]
Serial number 41927 was stamped on March 21, 1930 and cleared final inspection on May 13 that year. The banjo tuners are modern replacements while the white celluloid buttons are original. The ebony pyramid bridge is a modern replacement made by luthier TJ Thompson. OM-28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) […]
Serial number 66724 was stamped on June 24, 1937 and cleared final inspection on October 7 that year. This guitar has advanced X-bracing and a 1-3/4″ wide neck. The tuners are Grover G-98 pointed plate machines with unseamed butterbean buttons. Style 28 features: Back and sides: Brazilian rosewood Top: Red spruce (Adirondack) Purfling: Herringbone Binding: […]
Between 1916 and 1921 Martin made a special line of guitars for Charles H. Ditson & Co. in New York. These guitars had a wide-waisted design since they were meant to played Hawaiian style and the normal narrow waist was no longer necessary. These guitars did not have a flat fingerboard or high saddle as […]
Here is one of the rarely seen 12-fret D-28 guitars. It is also one of the very last regular 12-fret D-28s made (although a few more 12-fretters were made on special order in subsequent years). Serial number 55082 was stamped on December 29, 1933 and cleared final inspection on January 23, 1934. This might also […]
This guitar can be identified as one of the earliest OM-28 guitars because it has an original pyramid bridge. A total of 102 OM-28 guitars were made with pyramid bridges between late 1929 and April 1930. However, existing pyramid bridge OM-28 guitars are even rarer than the 102 production figure would suggest since many were […]
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 […]
Serial number 45317 was stamped on December 31, 1930 and cleared final inspection on February 21, 1931. Since it was made prior to March 1931 it retains the “small” pick guard and banjo tuners of the original OM guitars but has a belly bridge that became the norm in April 1930. Typical for style 28 […]