C. F. Martin 00-17 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1948), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 103910, natural mahogany finish, mahogany body and neck with rosewood fingerboard, black chipboard case.
This is a nice all-mahogany Martin 00 from early 1948, with the crisply defined yet still warm sound these guitars are well-known for. Typical Martin features for this year include original individual Kluson large-plate openback tuners with plastic buttons, small straight rosewood bridge and tortoise celluloid pickguard. These mahogany-top guitars have a distinctive ringing tone and are excellent fingerpickers as well as a great all-around choice in a vintage Martin that won't break the bank. The 00 size Style 17 is less common than the single 0 and offers a bit more volume and low end than its smaller sister.
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 14 3/8 in. (36.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/16 in. (10.3 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 nicely original guitar shows some wear and scuffing overall but is a fine player with a well-done neckset and the original full-height bridge. There are some fairly deep scratches into the finish on the back and also on the sides by the bottom edge near the endpin. The edges show some moderately heavy wear; the top is fairly clean, but has some pick scratches on the upper treble side.
There are cleanly sealed grain cracks to the sides on either side of the neck heel, on the treble side just under the top junction and on the bass side just about a third of the way down. There are no cracks to the top and one small grain crack to the back near the bottom edge, again neatly glued up. This 00-17 has a more powerful sound than many, with a sweet tone that gets big and bright when pushed. Excellent - Condition.
