C. F. Martin 2-15 Carved Top Mandolin (1949)
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Item # 11659
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C. F. Martin 2-15 Model Carved Top Mandolin (1949), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 19203, sunburst top, shaded maple back and sides finish, maple back, sides and neck; spruce top, ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a nice example of a late 1940's Martin F-hole mandolin, a generally overlooked instrument many players are not even aware of existing. C.F. Martin offered several styles of oval and F-hole carved-top mandolins starting in 1929 but after WWII only the 2-15 remained in full production. It is an F-hole version of the earlier Style 15 and was first offered in 1936, subsequently made up through 1964 in fairly small numbers. 125 of these were shipped in 1949, with a list price of $85 (Without case).
The 2-15 is built with a carved maple back and a heavily arched carved spruce top, with a much sharper neck angle than traditional Gibson style. The bridge is a non-adjustable ebony piece, the tailpiece a standard clamshell type with an engraved cover and the tuners are openback Waverly strips which look like leftover pre-war stock. The neck has a fairly slim but deep profile and is carved from a single piece of maple, with a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and a rosewood headstock veneer.
This is a very good playing mandolin, with a different feel from the average Gibson and a more delicate tone that can be quite useful for a number of musical styles. Martin mandolins are fairly obscure but like all the company's products this is a very good-playing and sounding instrument with its own character.
Overall length is 26 1/4 in. (66.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 7/8 in. (352 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.).
This 70+ year old Martin remains in excellent playing condition with some general wear and a couple of minor modifications. The all-original finish has some dings, dents and scrapes overall, with one deeper spot worn into the wood on the top just above the tailpiece, probably from a strap hook. The finish on the back of the neck is worn partially through to the wood but has no noticeable dings or dents. The tailpiece cover has had three decorative brass studs added and the pickguard inner edge has been cut away slightly, probably to fit a DeArmond pickup long ago. All else remains as it left Nazareth in 1949. The original frets show some minor wear but the instrument plays very well and it remains complete with its original hard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a nice example of a late 1940's Martin F-hole mandolin, a generally overlooked instrument many players are not even aware of existing. C.F. Martin offered several styles of oval and F-hole carved-top mandolins starting in 1929 but after WWII only the 2-15 remained in full production. It is an F-hole version of the earlier Style 15 and was first offered in 1936, subsequently made up through 1964 in fairly small numbers. 125 of these were shipped in 1949, with a list price of $85 (Without case).
The 2-15 is built with a carved maple back and a heavily arched carved spruce top, with a much sharper neck angle than traditional Gibson style. The bridge is a non-adjustable ebony piece, the tailpiece a standard clamshell type with an engraved cover and the tuners are openback Waverly strips which look like leftover pre-war stock. The neck has a fairly slim but deep profile and is carved from a single piece of maple, with a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and a rosewood headstock veneer.
This is a very good playing mandolin, with a different feel from the average Gibson and a more delicate tone that can be quite useful for a number of musical styles. Martin mandolins are fairly obscure but like all the company's products this is a very good-playing and sounding instrument with its own character.
Overall length is 26 1/4 in. (66.7 cm.), 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm.) wide, and 2 in. (5.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 7/8 in. (352 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/8 in. (29 mm.).
This 70+ year old Martin remains in excellent playing condition with some general wear and a couple of minor modifications. The all-original finish has some dings, dents and scrapes overall, with one deeper spot worn into the wood on the top just above the tailpiece, probably from a strap hook. The finish on the back of the neck is worn partially through to the wood but has no noticeable dings or dents. The tailpiece cover has had three decorative brass studs added and the pickguard inner edge has been cut away slightly, probably to fit a DeArmond pickup long ago. All else remains as it left Nazareth in 1949. The original frets show some minor wear but the instrument plays very well and it remains complete with its original hard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.