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1925 Martin 2-17
This example is a lovely specimen of the early 2-17 model. Unlike the 17 series guitars that date from 1930 and later, the 1920’s 2-17 featured a rosewood-bound body with wooden purflings to the top, attractive three-color wooden rosette, and simple dark center strip in the back. The body and neck are mahogany, and the fretboard and bridge are rosewood. The slotted headstock is fitted with brass Waverly tuners with ivoroid buttons and an ebony nut, the fretboard is radiused and has a short 24.4” scale, and the nut width is 1-3/4”.
This guitar is in excellent playing condition and has recently had its neck cleanly reset. It has a few cleanly reglued top cracks below the bridge, and has had cracks along the fretboard’s extension repaired and cleated. We’ve replaced the bridge with an accurate reproduction, dressed the frets, and set the guitar up with 11-52 nickel-bronze strings. The finish is completely original, the top shows no bracing repairs, the original paper-thin bridge plate is intact, and the original frets have decent height left. The bridge saddle is full-height, and the string action at the 12th fret measures 5-7 64ths.
The 2-17 has a width across the lower bout of 12-1/4”. It’s a rather small and intimately sized guitar, but thanks to its light build and bracing, it has surprising volume, openness, and more bass response and midrange projection than most any comparably sized contemporary guitar. A strong fingerstyle player, comfortable couch guitar, and capable flatpicking lead guitar, this 2-17 offers a lot more that you’d likely expect.
The neck has a V carve and easy to handle carve. The depth at the 1st fret is a modern-spec .825”. String spread at the saddle is 2-3/8”. The guitar weighs in at 2.5 lbs.
Martin stamped this guitar’s serial number on Aug 5th, 1925 and shipped it to Bergstrom Music Co. in Honolulu on Sept 19th, 1925.
With modern deluxe hardshell case
