C. F. Martin 000-28 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1938)
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Item #11889
C. F. Martin 000-28 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1938), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 70468, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a lovely original Martin "Herringbone" 000-28 from 1938 with the earlier "forward shifted" X Bracing that has become the connoisseur's choice feature. There are certain guitars that are simply the standard by which others are judged and a pre-war 14 fret 000-28 is certainly one of them. The top finish on this one has some fairly minor work done but structurally this is a very fine guitar 85 years along.
The 1938 000-28 is to some players about the perfect flat-top guitar. The 15" wide narrow waisted body is just over 1/2" smaller than the Dreadnought but yields a generally more focused midrange sound. The lightly scallop-braced top helps make the instrument extremely responsive, offering considerable power and depth combined with sweetness, sparkle, and a singing character. The scale length is slightly shorter than the early 1930s OM model which makes the action a bit more supple.
This 000 shows all the classic pre-war appointments, most widely imitated ever since. The back and sides are Brazilian rosewood with more dramatic grain figure than some style 28's from this period, which tend to be very straight and even. The top is very tight-grained Appalachian red spruce, bordered with the famous "herringbone" wood trim that has come to define the "28" models and bound on the outside with ivory celluloid. The back is triple-bound in celluloid with a zip-zag pattern backstrip. Other features include the 1930s-style long-saddle ebony bridge, multiple celluloid sound hole rings, and a dark brown tortoise celluloid pickguard.
The neck is mahogany with an unbound ebony fingerboard decorated with discreet slotted diamond pearl inlay. The peghead is faced in straight grained Brazilian rosewood with the gold "C.F. Martin & Co." decal at the top. The neck profile is round backed but with the slightest hint of a "V" profile in the way the sides bear away from the center as it moves towards the nut, which is closer to 1 11/16" wide than the 1 3/4" size of the mid-'30s. The tuners are early Grover G-98 Sta-Tites with "butterbean" buttons, still intact and quite functional even after many decades of use.
While always a popular and well-respected instrument, rosewood 000s from this period are far from common guitars. Only 97 000-28s were produced in 1938; this example would have likely shipped out around the middle of the year. Compared to modern production that is a paltry number, but Depression economics made this $90 guitar (without case) unobtainable to many. This price was only $10 less than the D-28 Dreadnought that was fast becoming Martin's standard model, and $10 more than Gibson's competing Advanced Jumbo.
Many of these guitars were working instruments for professionals, played into the open mikes of radio studios and barn dance stages; the Martin 000-28 was one of the best instruments available for this highly competitive musical environment. Although this musical context is mostly just a memory in the 21st century, this original 000-28 still plays effortlessly with the smooth and powerful sound typical of original "Golden Age" Martin guitars, perfect for a wide range of styles vintage or contemporary. This is a fantastic recording guitar, with the mellow depth of a rosewood body mixed with the instant ring of the lightly scallop-braced top. This 000-28 a true joy to play and a significant piece of flat-top history, complete in its very rare original case.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 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 fine playing and spectacular sounding 000, showing a decent amount of wear and tear but better preserved than many of these often hard-worked guitars. The finish shows a collection of dings, dents and scrapes with some larger areas of moisture wear and heavy scratching/flat out loss to the back (from a cowboy belt buckle?). There is also significant finish wear to the back of the neck. There is a light overspray to the top, which is fairly thin but appears over the entire surface filling some old pick wear. Some subsequent wear can be seen, most heavily on the lower soundhole rim which has just a bit of wood loss.
A spot on the top in the armwear zone was worn through before being sprayed over. A faint shadow to the top forward of the bridge seems to indicate some sort of oversized guard was possibly fitted, but the original pickguard is still intact not appearing ever to have been removed. Cowhide? We are not sure exactly, but any damage from whatever was fitted and removed was relatively minimal and is likely what caused the top to be sprayed over in the first place. In any event this 000 shows less actual pick wear than is often encountered on Martins of this vintage.
The neck has been cleanly reset and the fingerboard trued and perfectly refretted with period correct wire, including a replaced bone nut. The original ebony bridge was cleanly taken down a bit and is now fitted with a new bone saddle. There are a few VERY small marks around the bridge from where it was likely reglued long ago.
Internally, this guitar is unaltered including all the delicately scalloped bracing and the original small maple bridge plate. There is a tightly sealed crack running back from the top edge of the pickguard and a long grain split from the bridge to the back end, behind the B string. There is one more tight grain split above the soundhole, below the waist. All have been neatly sealed with no cleats added. A strap button was added to the treble side of the heel.
While not a cosmetically perfect example, this rosewood 000 is excellent structurally and remains in more original condition than many of this period. This is a perfect player with the fantastic sound one would expect. The better grade Martin guitars from this prime era are quite hard to find in anything like original condition, often heavily worn, refinished or modified. This pre-war survivor is full of great songs and stories it could tell, just waiting to be coaxed out. The very cool original HSC is included along with a modern case offering better protection. Overall Very Good + Condition.
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This is a lovely original Martin "Herringbone" 000-28 from 1938 with the earlier "forward shifted" X Bracing that has become the connoisseur's choice feature. There are certain guitars that are simply the standard by which others are judged and a pre-war 14 fret 000-28 is certainly one of them. The top finish on this one has some fairly minor work done but structurally this is a very fine guitar 85 years along.
The 1938 000-28 is to some players about the perfect flat-top guitar. The 15" wide narrow waisted body is just over 1/2" smaller than the Dreadnought but yields a generally more focused midrange sound. The lightly scallop-braced top helps make the instrument extremely responsive, offering considerable power and depth combined with sweetness, sparkle, and a singing character. The scale length is slightly shorter than the early 1930s OM model which makes the action a bit more supple.
This 000 shows all the classic pre-war appointments, most widely imitated ever since. The back and sides are Brazilian rosewood with more dramatic grain figure than some style 28's from this period, which tend to be very straight and even. The top is very tight-grained Appalachian red spruce, bordered with the famous "herringbone" wood trim that has come to define the "28" models and bound on the outside with ivory celluloid. The back is triple-bound in celluloid with a zip-zag pattern backstrip. Other features include the 1930s-style long-saddle ebony bridge, multiple celluloid sound hole rings, and a dark brown tortoise celluloid pickguard.
The neck is mahogany with an unbound ebony fingerboard decorated with discreet slotted diamond pearl inlay. The peghead is faced in straight grained Brazilian rosewood with the gold "C.F. Martin & Co." decal at the top. The neck profile is round backed but with the slightest hint of a "V" profile in the way the sides bear away from the center as it moves towards the nut, which is closer to 1 11/16" wide than the 1 3/4" size of the mid-'30s. The tuners are early Grover G-98 Sta-Tites with "butterbean" buttons, still intact and quite functional even after many decades of use.
While always a popular and well-respected instrument, rosewood 000s from this period are far from common guitars. Only 97 000-28s were produced in 1938; this example would have likely shipped out around the middle of the year. Compared to modern production that is a paltry number, but Depression economics made this $90 guitar (without case) unobtainable to many. This price was only $10 less than the D-28 Dreadnought that was fast becoming Martin's standard model, and $10 more than Gibson's competing Advanced Jumbo.
Many of these guitars were working instruments for professionals, played into the open mikes of radio studios and barn dance stages; the Martin 000-28 was one of the best instruments available for this highly competitive musical environment. Although this musical context is mostly just a memory in the 21st century, this original 000-28 still plays effortlessly with the smooth and powerful sound typical of original "Golden Age" Martin guitars, perfect for a wide range of styles vintage or contemporary. This is a fantastic recording guitar, with the mellow depth of a rosewood body mixed with the instant ring of the lightly scallop-braced top. This 000-28 a true joy to play and a significant piece of flat-top history, complete in its very rare original case.
Overall length is 39 3/4 in. (101 cm.), 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 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 fine playing and spectacular sounding 000, showing a decent amount of wear and tear but better preserved than many of these often hard-worked guitars. The finish shows a collection of dings, dents and scrapes with some larger areas of moisture wear and heavy scratching/flat out loss to the back (from a cowboy belt buckle?). There is also significant finish wear to the back of the neck. There is a light overspray to the top, which is fairly thin but appears over the entire surface filling some old pick wear. Some subsequent wear can be seen, most heavily on the lower soundhole rim which has just a bit of wood loss.
A spot on the top in the armwear zone was worn through before being sprayed over. A faint shadow to the top forward of the bridge seems to indicate some sort of oversized guard was possibly fitted, but the original pickguard is still intact not appearing ever to have been removed. Cowhide? We are not sure exactly, but any damage from whatever was fitted and removed was relatively minimal and is likely what caused the top to be sprayed over in the first place. In any event this 000 shows less actual pick wear than is often encountered on Martins of this vintage.
The neck has been cleanly reset and the fingerboard trued and perfectly refretted with period correct wire, including a replaced bone nut. The original ebony bridge was cleanly taken down a bit and is now fitted with a new bone saddle. There are a few VERY small marks around the bridge from where it was likely reglued long ago.
Internally, this guitar is unaltered including all the delicately scalloped bracing and the original small maple bridge plate. There is a tightly sealed crack running back from the top edge of the pickguard and a long grain split from the bridge to the back end, behind the B string. There is one more tight grain split above the soundhole, below the waist. All have been neatly sealed with no cleats added. A strap button was added to the treble side of the heel.
While not a cosmetically perfect example, this rosewood 000 is excellent structurally and remains in more original condition than many of this period. This is a perfect player with the fantastic sound one would expect. The better grade Martin guitars from this prime era are quite hard to find in anything like original condition, often heavily worn, refinished or modified. This pre-war survivor is full of great songs and stories it could tell, just waiting to be coaxed out. The very cool original HSC is included along with a modern case offering better protection. Overall Very Good + Condition.
