Created by Folk and Roots Music Photographer Robert Corwin
"perfecting the art of 'guitar porn' ...
This site is an amazing labor-of-love, quite possibly the most in-depth,
photo-intensive look ever at old, pre-war (and in many cases antique)
Martin guitars … All online and for free."
--Jason Verlinde
The Fretboard Journal
"Without any hesitation I can say that in my opinion, the website that
Robert has created is the most valuable source of information on Early
Martin Guitars in existence today, in or out of print."
Bill Cappell, Early Martin Researcher
Robert's photographs can also be seen in the books "Martin Guitars, a
History"
and "Martin Guitars, a Technical Reference" by Johnston, Boak &
Longworth
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` `
A Note About this Web Site...
I've chosen to present this information on the web for free, rather than
publish a printed book, to make a comprehensive resource available
...at any time,
...any place in the world,
...even on your smartphone,
...regardless of your means.
Publishing on the web allows me to show you the latest information
immediately, without waiting for publication, without missing information
obtained after a book is
published, or including information found to be obsolete.
Fortunately, careful choices have allowed me to self-fund this project and
share the results without charging.
If I should ever decide to publish a physical book, I still have no plans
to replace these free web sites.
I've learned that the instruments produced under C.F. Martin Sr. in his
first dozen or so years in America and his 22 year old grandson Frank
Henry Martin, who led
the company for 67 years, during the productive Hawaiian boom of the
teens, through the influential depression era, to the "golden" pre-WWII
years, virtually define
the evolution of the acoustic guitar as we know it today, so I've focused
on collecting and studying these transitional guitars.
Martin's greatest achievement may have been listening well.
Virtually all of the greatest advancements in the development of the
acoustic guitar were conceived of not
at the Martin factory, but at the suggestion of Martin's customers.
Martin's longtime distributor, John Coupa, lived in the classical world,
who's players were attracted
to the influential guitars of Spain. Madame DeGhoni commissioned
guitars with prototypical X bracing, a necessary precursor to steel
strings, from both Martin and
Schmidt & Maul. Steel strings first appeared on the Hawaiian
guitars commissioned by the Southern California Music Company. The
modern guitar shape is the result
of the neck meeting the body at the 14th fret as requested to attract
former banjo players by Al Esposito of the Fischer Music Stores. The
Dreadnaught body style was
suggested by Harry Hunt of the Ditson Stores. Martin Shop Foreman
John Deichman helped realize many of these ideas.
Having guitars in hand has allowed me to to let the guitars speak for
themselves, observing, measuring, and documenting, with exterior photos
and images that
allow us to take a virtual walk through their interiors, and to present as
often as possible the results of direct observation rather than
speculation and debatable opinions.
Simple observation has allowed me to correct errors in several of the most
important elements of the narrative as presented by some major books on
the subject, leading
me to question who was responsible for building the first Martins,
adapting fan bracing, for "inventing" X bracing, and proposing the 14 fret
neck design that informs
the shape of the modern guitar.
C.F. Martin & Co. has produced exquisite guitars, and I've been
fortunate to assemble a number of the most beautiful, but I realized early
on that any attempt at serious
research should also take the less expensive "bread and butter" examples
seriously, rather than fall into the trap of relying on the "eye candy" of
less typical "presentation
guitars" merely because they impress. Unfortunately, while many more
of the affordable guitars were produced, they were far less likely to
survive their tough years.
I'm also fortunate to have lived life as a President's Fellow in
Photography and Design at Rhode Island School of Design, in over 50 years
of photographing musicians,
and as a professional designer with a background in publishing, so I've
worked to apply my learnings to set a higher bar for graphic, vivid detail
photos that I'm flattered
to find have been emulated already. Producing the photos myself has
also allowed me to avoid the industry funding used to help other projects
cover the significant costs
of paying a commercial photographer, keeping this project independent and
free of outside influence.
While many of the foremost experts on vintage Martins are friends, and I
owe thanks to all of them, I've been careful to avoid owing favors to
friends, or to anyone in the
industry, that might interfere with my objectivity, or keep me from
presenting my findings fully, letting the chips fall where they may, and
not having to worry about who
might be offended and who will "look good".
www.earlymartin.com
contains 67 chapters.
www.vintagemartin.com
is 115 chapters and growing, including more detail, photos, and free,
full-size downloadable diagrams
than any book could include.
I don't believe that producing a web site rather than a book is a
compromise in any way.
More than simply a free e-book, I would not be surprised to see this
inclusive personal experiment of creating in public to become commonplace
in the future.
This web site will always be a work in progress. Not all sections
are complete, and more may appear. Hopefully, all of the links are
working now. I've reorganized the entire
site and the pieces continue to come together, but there are still holes
and place holders. Feel free to enjoy what's here, and check back
for further additions, refinements,
and corrections as you wish. Thanks to your suggestions, I've added
an index. I've also added more bracing diagrams, which are now
cleaned up nicely thanks to the CAD
skills of luthier Per Marklund in Sweden. I look forward to adding
specific thanks to the many other friends and experts who have helped make
this web endeavor possible,
along with links to other helpful resources. On this platform, the
possibilities are limitless.
I recently presented and videotaped a workshop in partnership with
Fretboard Journal, with the help of friends including Noel "Paul" Stookey
of Peter, Paul & Mary, playing
a number of my guitars to demonstrate the differences in the sounds of
their various features. I hope to add this as well as other videos
and sound clips to the web site soon.
No project is perfect. Perhaps my biggest asset is having you
as partners, in daily communication, alerting me to new information, and
providing an unprecedented team of
proofreaders, rather than have me grit my teeth over a newly published
book filled with typos that will annoy forever. :) Thanks!
I thought you might want to take advantage of what we have so far.
Please let me know what you think.
Robert Corwin
February 28, 2018
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` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
One of the most gratifying aspects of this project has come in the form of
notes received from luthiers I admire telling me that the site has
provided information useful for
the restoration or repair of vintage instruments or the building of
innovative new ones.
"The internet is another good source of reference. One website with
good close up photos of vintage instruments... that I particularly like is
vintagemartin.com.
It is possible to extrapolate measurements from some of these photos if
you already know the dimensions of other details in the photo. That
type of thing can be very useful..."
Guild of American Luthiers, 2011 Convention Keynote Lecture by Joe
Konkoly, Head of repair at Elderly Instruments.
Please let me know how the site may be more useful in the future.
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
` ` `
Start here if you're looking for help Identifying
C. F. Martin Acoustic Guitars
A Martin Timeline
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
FREEBIES!!!
~ Download the above headstock image as a 1680 pixel
Screensaver,
free for your personal use as my gift to you! ~
~ Click on the headstock image below and download a hi-res file to create
a high quality 11" x 14" photographic print, suitable for framing, free
for your personal use as my gift to you! ~
~ Download any of nineteen full size 1:1
diagrams,
with precise measurements of fifteen important early Martin, Panormo,
Recio of Cadiz, Schmidt & Maul guitars,
a 1917 Martin/Ditson Standard "baby Dreadnaught", a 1929 12 fret 000-28,
an early 1930 OM-28, and a 1944 000-18, all free for your personal use. ~
` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Obtaining
Proper Permits for Shipping Vintage Instruments Overseas from the USA
Complying with
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES)
and the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
' ' ' ' ' ' '
~ CLEANING HOUSE ~
I absolutely love these, but I really do need to make just a bit of
room for new ones.
Instruments
for Sale
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
' ' ' ' ' ' '
Note
that on this website uses the traditional spelling of
"Dreadnaught" with an "A", since we are speaking here of
pre-war examples, as opposed to the more recent spelling of
"Dreadnought" with an "O", as commonly used today, but only
since it's adoption in the 1960's.
Ditson Hawaiian Guitars
Besides the standard range of Ditson Hawaiian Guitars,
Martin produced a small number of the distinctively shaped
Ditson Standard Guitars with the appointments of typical
Martin Styles 18, 21, 28, 30, 42, and 45. The 1-45 is
often referred to as a "baby D-45".
This is one of 26 Ditson Standard Style 21 guitars.
Martin 1917 Ditson DS-21 (1-21)

Martin
1916 Ditson Model 11


With the tremendous demand in production in 1916, Martin
sourced Chicago style bridges for the early Ditson guitars.
Martin
1920 Ditson Model 33

Martin
1919 Ditson 3/4 Size Terz Guitar
One of two 3/4 size guitars made
for the Ditson Company that were
likely the prototype for the
"Travel Guitars" of today.
Chapter
26.
Martin Learns from the Teachers
Martin
1916 Foden Special Models C, D and E

William Foden ordered guitars with several levels of trim for his
students.
The Style E combines the fretboard extension with no pearl of a Style 40
with the inlays on the backs and sides of a Style 45. The Style E
also used the same
"propeller" fingerboard inlay found on the SoCal 1500.
It is said that Foden was the first to request 20 fret necks for his
guitars, but I've also noticed several Martins made in 1902 with 20 fret
necks.
Martin used single ring rosettes for the Foden guitars similar to those
used for Ditson, Wurlitzer, and other private label guitars, but not on
the top of the line Style E.
Martin 1922 Vahdah Olcott-Bickford Style
0-44 Soloist

Vahdah Olcott-Bickford requested the finest Style 45 level
material in the guitars she ordered for her students, but
shunned ostentation, ordering guitars with simple
straight line borders and no fingerboard inlays.
Chapter 27.
Pearl Makes the Transition from the "Ladies Parlor" to the
Stage
Martin
1918 Ditson 000-42
In 1918 Martin produced the first two 000
size guitars with their top of the line 42 style trim.
From the earliest years, Martin used fancy pearl inlays to adorn
"ladies size"parlor guitars. The idea of adding pearl to a
"man's" guitar must have seemed
unthinkable at the time.
The 1918 000-42 illustrated here was built for the Ditson Company as a
steel string Hawaiian guitar with fan bracing, the same build as a
"Ditson Dreadnaught".
This guitar ends the myth that steel strings were never meant to
be used with a pyramid bridge, never mind one made of ivory!
This guitar is an early example of a Martin with a
pickguard. The early guards were inlaid into the top.
Illustrated on p. 41 of Johnston, Boak & Longworth "Martin
Guitars, a Technical Reference"
Chapter 28.
An Early First Appearance of Western Spruce
Martin
1919 0-45

In 1945 Martin began to have difficulty sourcing suitable
Eastern red spruce of suitable size for guitar tops and
switched to the huge Western Sitka trees for top wood.
It is little known, however, that in 1919 Martin
experimented with the use of what was then referred to as
"airplane spruce" for guitar tops. By the time World
War II ended
in November, 1918, production of Sitka spruce for aircraft
by the Spruce Production Division of the Army had reached
10,000 sq. ft. per month, and left the newly built
infrastructure and 1 billion board feet of Spruce.
Illustrated on p. 80 of Johnston, Boak & Longworth,
"Martin Guitars, a Technical Reference"
Chapter 29.
Martin Ships it's First Production Steel String "Spanish"
Guitar
Martin
1922 2-17 With Steel Strings
The first Martin guitars to ship with steel strings were the Hawaiian
guitars built for the Ditson and Southern California Music Companies.
In 1922, Martin built the all mahogany model 2-17 with steel strings, the
first production steel string Martins for standard "Spanish" style
guitar.
Martin began the process of shipping their standard guitars with steel
strings as standard equipment with two Martin Style 2-17 guitars, #16879
and #16887, shipped to the John Wanamaker
Department Store in Philadelphia on March 27, 1922.
This guitar is #16879.
Chapter
30.
Martin's Experiments Resonate
1930 Wm. L. Lange Paramount Style L Hawaiian Six String
and Tenor Resonator Guitars
Martin made approximately 32 resonator guitars in 1930 with the Paramount
name for William Lange.
The Paramount Guitar was offered in three styles, all built with a double
rosewood body:
Regular Spanish Guitar, a Hawaiian Steel Guitar, and a Tenor Guitar
These guitars varied greatly, some natural top and some shaded tops, some
with pickguards and some without, some with soundholes, but most without.
The Tenor and Hawaiian Styles both had a moveable bridge and fixed
tailpiece. The Spanish Style guitar had a permanent ebony bridge
with ivory saddle.
Chapter
31.
Martin Enters the Market for Catalog Guitars
Martin 1030 Montgomery Wards 0-17S
While Gibson and other large makers built many Recording
King and other guitars for the lucrative Montgomery Ward
Catalog market, Martin built only a few small
batches of this distinctive model, the 0-17S, for Montgomery
Ward
Chapter
32.
Developing the Contemporary 14 Fret Guitar
The Orchestra Model
Martin 1929 000-28 - 12 fret

Martin considered the 12 fret design to have a superior
sound, but understood the practicality of the 14 fret
guitar.
Martin
1929 00-28 G.P.

Martin built a small number of transitional guitars, such as
this "00-28 G.P.", for "geared pegs", which still had a 12
fret body, but had the solid style headstock and
"banjo style tuners" of the OM. Pickguards and "belly
bridges" were not used until 1930, but many Martins built
before 1930 sat in the factory unsold, unfinished,
"in the white", due to the slow economy of the time,
and were given a tortoise Celluloid pickguard
and "belly bridge" before leaving the factory
in the following years.
Martin
1929 Carl Fischer Model Tenor Guitar

Credit for the 14 fret Martin design has been given
to Perry Bechtel, the buyer for the Cable Music Company in
Atlanta who requested the 14 fret OM guitar.
In fact, it was Al Esposito of the Carl Fischer Store in New
York City who first requested a 14 fret design for tenor
guitars as suggested by two local orchestra leaders
to appeal to banjo players. Mr. Bechtel's contribution
consisted primarily of going fishing with Mr. Martin.
When Bechtel showed up to meet Mr. Martin for their fishing
trip, he noticed the Fischer Model tenor guitars on the
factory floor, and asked if the same could be done with six
strings to give greater access higher on the neck.
Martin
1930 OM-18P Plectrum Guitar
To appeal to long neck banjo players, Martin also began to produce a long
neck plectrum guitar in the OM Style.
Featured
on the Television Show "Pawn Stars"
Martin
1930 OM-28
January, 1930

The first few OM guitars built for Cable Piano in 1929 and
early 1930 had a pyramid bridge before the belly bridge,
generally associated with the contemporary
flat top guitar, was used. The small teardrop
pickguard and banjo style tuners were soon replaced by a
larger pickguard and modern guitar tuners.
Martin
1932 O-18 and 1933 0-17 Model 32
With the "Model 32" 0-17 and 0-18, Martin
extended the 14 fret body further into the
product line.
Chapter
33.
Taking Ornamentation to the Next Level
Martin
1930 OM-45 DeLuxe
Featured in an article by Joe Konkoly
In 1930, Martin built only about a dozen "DeLuxe" style 45 guitars, the
highest level production Martin to ever be made, before shortages of the
high quality materials forced Martin to
cancel all future orders after November 28th.
This example was built in September 25, 1930.
Chapter
34.
Martin Responds to the Call for
the Archtop Guitar
Martin Archtop Guitars
The first Martin archtops
Martin
1931 C-1 Prototype - Martin's First Archtop Guitar
Serial number 47368
Martin 1933 R-18
Martin 1932 C-2 12 String
Archtop Guitar
Martin's first 12 String archtop guitar.
Serial number 50223
Illustrated on p. 172 of Johnston, Boak & Longworth,
"Martin Guitars, a Technical Reference"
Illustrated on p. 193 of Carter, "Acoustic Guitars and Other
Fretted Instruments"
The Last Martin Archtops
Martin 1942 F1
- from the last batch of Martin F Style Archtops -
Serial number 82431

Martin 1942 R-18
-
from the last batch of Martin R Style Archtops
-
the final Archtop Guitars built by Martin
Serial number 82855

C. F.
Martin's interest in archtop guitars was relatively short lived, beginning
with the 15" carved top, round hole C-1 above, #47368, and five other
examples, the first archtop guitars ever to
grace the work tables at Martin, on June 20, 1931.
By November of 1932, the C-1 was first built with F-holes as it's former
position in the lineup was filled by the slightly smaller 14 3/8" pressed
top roundhole R-18.
By the end of 1933, the R-18 had also become an "F" hole guitar.
By mid-1936, the R-18 was also built with a carved top.
The F-1 and R-18 above, #8243
1 and #82855, were
from the last two batches of archtop guitars ever to be built in Martin's
North Street Factory, stamped on September 18 and November 20 of 1942.
Before building flat top 12 string guitars in the 1960's, Martin built
only six individual 12 string guitars, three flat tops and three arch
tops.
The 12 string above, #50223, was the first 12 string arch top ever built
by Martin.
Chapter
35.
Responding to the
Limits of War
Martin 1939 D-28

Martin
1944 D-18 - with scalloped bracing and red spruce

These examples illustrate the changes necessitated by shortages of
materials and personnel during the war years, as well as an effort to
build stronger guitars to handle heavier strings.
Due to strictly enforced limits to the amount of metal to be used, the
neck reinforcements in war time Martins returned from metal to ebony rods
similar to those used decades earlier,
necessitating a bulkier but lighter weight neck with a different
feel. The tuners were redesigned to use significantly less metal,
and the nut material changed from ivory to ebony, all of
which contributed to a change in balance as the "top end" of the guitar
became lighter in weight.
Due to a change in finish formulations, many of the guitars produced in
1944 developed a cloudy problematic appearance, necessitating in many
examples being oversprayed.
On February 24, 1943, Martin built a batch of 000-42 guitars, the last
batch of pearl inlaid Style 40, 42, or 45 Martins. With the last
batch of D-28 in 1945 Martin exhausted their supply of
fingerboard inlays and began using dots. With the first batch of
D-28 in 1947, Martin exhauted their supply of Germand made herringbone
marquetry, and instituted the use on D-28
of the straight line borders first used on Martin's archtops.
Tapered
Braces
Martin
1945 D-18
Martin 1946 000-18
When old guitars became "vintage guitars", players looked more carefully
and noticed the "scalloped" top braces of pre-war Martins, shaved to form
peaks and valleys, as opposed to the
earlier "straight braces". More recently, folks have noticed
that "War Year" Martins have transitional "tapered" braces.
Looking more closely, I've discovered that guitars built in 1945 are
distinctively different from those of other war years, with their braces
considerably more tapered, creating a signature
loud and "punchy" sound. The photos above illustrate the slender
braces of 1945 in constrast to the heavier, rounder braces of 1946.
I would not be surprised if the more highly tapered
braces have even less mass than the scalloped braces of preceding years.
Chapter
36.
Martin's First
Electric
Guitars
F-50 #180644
and
F-65 #179835
Electrics

While Martin produced flat top guitars with DeArmond pickups
in the 1950's, in September of 1961 Martin made their first
freshly designed "thin body" electric
guitars, starting with three prototypical examples of each
of three variations, of which this top of the line, two
pickup, double cutaway F-65 #179835
is
one. In
November of 1961, Martin produced the first production run
of 12 of each style, of which this single cutaway, single
pickup F-50 #180644
is
one.
Larger production in batches of 24 each began in 1962.
' ' ' ' '
' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
' ' '
~ PART 3 ~
~ FIRST FEATURES ~
The Introduction of Features
of the Contemporary Steel String Acoustic Guitar
Chapter
37.
Border Patrol
Chapter
38.
The Head of the Class

Chapter 39.
Tuner
Sandwich
Chapter 40.
A Stamp of Approval

Chapter
41.
Pearl Jam
Chapter 42.
Arrowheads
and Other Hidden Treasures
Chapter
43.
The End Is
Near
Chapter 44.
The Spanish Foot

Chapter
45.
On Guard!

Chapter
46.
Speaking Volutes

Chapter
47.
Feel Like a Heel

Chapter
48.
A Bridge to Somewhere

Chapter 49.
All
Tied Up
Chapter 50.
Back
in the Saddle
Chapter 51.
Hear
a Pin Drop
Chapter 52.
Nuts!!!
Chapter 53.
Something
to Fret About
Chapter 54.
Strung Out
Chapter
55.
Photo Finish

Chapter 56.
Knock on
Wood
Chapter
57.
Does Size Matter?

Chapter
58.
The Shape of Things to Come

Chapter
59.
We've Got Your Number

Chapter 60.
X Marks the Spot
Chapter 61.
Your
Biggest Fan
Chapter 62.
Safe
at Home Plate
Chapter
63.
Case Closed
Chapter 64.
A Final Nail in the Coffin

~ LATER DEVELOPMENTS ~
Chapter
65.
Tune Up

Chapter
66.
Hawaiian Punch

Chapter
67.
The Tenor of the Times

Chapter
68.
The Orchestra Model

Chapter
69.
The Dreadnaught

Chapter
70.
Double Your Fun

Chapter
71.
Classical Gas

' ' ' ' '
' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
' ' '
~ PART 4 ~
~ MARTIN STYLES ~
As They've Been Defined Since the 1850's
Chapter
72.
Styles 15, 17 & 18

Chapter
73.
Styles 20, 21 & 22

Chapter
74.
Styles 23 & 24

Chapter
75.
Styles 26 & 28

Chapter
76.
Styles 27, 30 & 34

Chapter
77.
Style 35

Chapter 78.
Styles 40 & 42

Chapter
79.
Style 45

Chapter
80.
Style 45 DeLuxe
Chapter
81.
Martin Archtop Guitars
Chapter
82.
Martin Mandolins

Chapter
83.
Martin Tenor Banjo

Chapter
84.
7 String Hawaiians

' ' ' ' '
' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
' ' '
~ PART 5 ~
~ MARTINS SPECIALLY MADE FOR OTHER FIRMS ~
Chapter
85.
Bacon Banjo Company 0-21

Chapter 86.
Buegeleisen &
Jacobson
S.S. Stewart 2-17 Special
Chapter
87.
Oliver Ditson Company Style 2-17,
Style 1-21, Style 2, Style 11, Style 22, Style 33, Style 111, and 3/4
Size

Chapter
88.
Carl Fischer Model Special Tenor

Chapter
89.
William Foden "Foden Special" Models C, D,
and E

Chapter 90.
C.H.
Gaskin's Harp Mandolin

Chapter
91.
Grinnell Brothers
"Wolverine" 2-17 and 0-18

Chapter
92.
Wm. L. Lange Paramount Style L
Six String and Tenor Resonator Guitars

Chapter
94.
Montgomery Wards 0-17S
Chapter
95.
Vadah Olcott-Bickford Style 0-44
Soloist

Chapter 96.
Perlburg & Halpin
"Beltone" 2-17

Chapter
97.