C. F. Martin 0-21 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1930), made in Nazareth, PA, natural lacquer finish, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard, original black soft shell case.
Here is a fabulous small-body Martin with more sound than a room full of jumbos! This 0-21 dates from the era when the steel string rosewood Martin was still a novel idea -- the Style 21 was cataloged as a gut strung guitar until 1927 -- and it is a featherweight tone machine. The belly bridge seen on this guitar was a brand-new feature in 1930; otherwise, the instrument's specs are little changed from the 1920's. The scalloped bracing is extremely graceful and delicate.
The 0-21 was C.F. Martin's least expensive rosewood guitar but still relatively rare with just over 100 shipped in 1930, after which it quickly dropped out of favor and was only built in extremely small numbers. Few will have survived in as fine condition as this one!
Martin's preference for straight-grained rosewood also results in style 21 instruments often carrying the most dramatically figured Brazilian back and sides, which is certainly true of this guitar. The precisely bookmatched back has a spectacular center seam area around the herringbone backstrip that is so finely figured it almost looks like an inlay! The spruce top features a herringbone soundhole inlay and rosewood binding while the ebony fingerboard has small notched diamond pearl inlay. The original nickle Waverly strip tuners have grained ivoroid buttons.
Overall, this is one of the nicest steel-string 12 fret Martins we have seen in ages, and a real treat to play fingerstyle or "plectrum."
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 13/16 in. (46 mm.).
Excellent condition overall. Some light average playwear to the top in the usual area and one small area of colored fill-in where it looks like a case lid ding happened some time ago. There are four cleats to the back which seem to be reinforcing areas where the rosewood has puckered upward slightly but never cracked�probably added as a preventive measure. Bridge original but cut down somewhat, and the guitar plays perfectly.
Includes newer hard shell case. Excellent Condition.
