DescriptionA standard 00 model Martin guitar from the second half of the 19th century.
Soundboard of bookmatched spruce, soundhole 91mm diameter. Soundhole purfling consists of narrow bands of ebony and maple then a wide band of ebony, followed by narrow bands of maple and ebony, then soundboard, about 3mm wide, then narrow bands of ebony and maple then wide bands of ebony/ivory/narrow band of ebony/wide ivory/ebony then narrow bands of maple and ebony, then another 3mm area of soundboard wood, and then narrow bands of ebony and maple, a wide band of ebony, then narrow bands of maple and ebony. Edging of soundboard of ivory, with ebony and maple, then a half-herringbone, then maple and ebony bands.
Back and sides of bookmatched rosewood with ivory edging and a rosewood and maple line on the back. Bottom of the guitar has an ivory piece running from the soundboard to the back, with rosewood and maple strips around it. Endpin of ebony. There is a zigzag pattern in rosewood and maple down the centre of the back with maple/rosewood/maple strips either side.
Heel, neck and head of mahogany, the heel flowing smoothly into the neck. Ivory heel cap. The neck has a pronounced V shape, and there is a V joint between the neck and the head. Machine heads of brass with ivory buttons. Ivory nut.
Fingerboard of ebony with metal bar frets, 1.5mm wide. Nut 47.5mm wide at nut, 59.3mm wide at body join. Fingerboard is slightly cambered, and is above and glued to the soundboard. 18 frets in total. Decoration on the fingerboard consists of mother-of-pearl inlays, diamonds at frets 3 and 7, and two dots at frets 5 and 10.
Stamped on the centre strip below the soundhole "C.F. MARTIN & CO / NEW. YORK". The same stamp appears on the inside of the heel. Although stamped New York, Martin had moved to Nazareth, Pennsylvania in 1839. The company's guitars continued to be stamped “C.F. Martin, New York” until 1867 and then “C.F. Martin & Co., New York” until 1898 because of a sales arrangement with a New York distributor.
Overall size: 961
Body length: 477
Body width, upper bouts: 237
Body width, waist: 192
Body width, lower bouts: 326
Body depth: 107.5 (bottom) - 88.5 (heel)
String length: 634
Stamped on the centre strip below the soundhole "C.F. MARTIN & CO / NEW. YORK". The same stamp appears on the inside of the heel. |