C. F. Martin 00-17 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1944), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 90142, natural lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is an extremely well-preserved Martin 00-17 from very late 1944, actually one of the last guitars registered as shipped from Nazareth that wartime year. The 00-17 was the largest and most expensive of the all-mahogany Martins of the 1940s, which were the company's budget guitar offerings of the period. Despite wartime austerity, guitars of this period were still built to the same quality standards as Martin always maintained.
The 00-17 has a lightly braced all-mahogany body with only minimal decoration: no binding anywhere, a 5-ply sound hole ring, and small dot fingerboard inlay. The mahogany on this one has some nice grain figure, particularly on the back. Typical features for this year include openback wartime Kluson tuning pegs with thin riveted gears and no bushings, a small straight rosewood bridge and tortoise celluloid pickguard.
This was one of the early Martins to receive the then-new tapered braces, which the company switched to in 1944. these are not as delicately shaped as the earlier scalloped braces, but lighter and more finely carved than the typical bracing of the later 40's and 1950's. The neck on this example is a bit chunkier than some Wartime Martins, with a very comfortable soft V profile.
This guitar cost $40 in 1944 (without the case), and a total of 525 were shipped that year. The older mahogany-top Martin guitars have generally aged extremely well, especially considering their budget origins. They deliver a distinctive crisp ringing tone, in this 00 size affording more depth and bass response than smaller bodied 0-size models. They are generally considered excellent fingerpicking instruments, this example with the more lightly braced 1940s top especially so. The 00-17 records very well in any style and also makes for an excellent singer-songwriter's instrument; a classic vintage Martin that won't break the bank.
Overall length is 38 13/16 in. (98.6 cm.), 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a very clean guitar overall, especially for being over 75 years old. It shows signs of use through the decades but hardly any serious wear. The top has small dings and dents but very little pickwear compared to most Martins this old. The finish has clouded a bit over the pickguard. The back and sides have some typical checking and some larger scrapes and dings, the back of the neck is mostly quite clean.
There are NO cracks anywhere, which is kind of amazing! The guitar has had a very clean neck reset and plays extremely well; the bridge was replaced with a rosewood replica matching the footprint and contours of the original with a correct bone "through' saddle. This is another great playing and lovely sounding Wartime mahogany Martin, proof that the boys in Nazareth never let their standards slip, even in the most trying of times! Overall Excellent Condition.
