ARCHIVED • SOLD
1930 Martin 0-21
A remarkably good sounding Martin, 1930 was the year that Martin solidified their commitment to steel strings, and the guitars built during that first year of the belly bridge are uniquely special. They offer the overtone flower, clarity, dryness, and cavernous tone of the lightly built guitars of the 1920s along with the fundamental presence, headroom, and power of the belly bridge guitars built through the 1930s. This guitar is all that and is simply stunning to play and to listen to. It’s tone is amazingly well proportioned, with just enough and not too much of any one particular attribute or frequency.
We’ve just had this guitar through our repairshop where it received the works: Neck reset, new bar frets, bridge reglue, new saddle, and set up with 12-53 strings. The bridge had been reglued and bolted in its distant past; we’ve undone the old work and have made the bolt-holes in the bridge largely vanish. The small holes in the top and bridge plate have been filled as well. Thankfully the X brace was not affected by the bolts.
The guitar’s top has a short and well repaired top crack on its lower bass bout, a reglued centerseam below the bridge, and a few very minor chips in the finish around the bridge. The back and sides are crack-free, however there is a ¼” dent repair on the bass side’s lower bout that you’ll never spot (we’re quite proud of it).
The guitar’s finish is original throughout, as are the tuners, nut, and bridge pins.
The neck has a rounded and softened V carve, 1-27/32” nut (just shy of 1-7/8”), 24.9” scale, and string spread of 2-3/8” at the bridge. We have the action set at 5-6 64ths with a full height saddle and 12-53 strings.
With original chipboard case.
