The C. F. Martin Orchestra Model Guitar




The 1930 Martin 000-28 O.M. Orchestra Model and OM-45 DeLuxe



Until 1929, all six string Martin guitars had necks with 12 frets clear of the body.  As the tremendous popularity of the four string tenor banjo waned, banjo players started to seek out guitars with access to more frets, emulating the longer necked banjo.


Martin's first attempt to build a guitar with 14 frets clear of the body, to provide greater access to the upper frets, was achieved by simply attaching a longer neck to the four string Martin tenor guitar at the 14th fret, and moving the bridge upwards to compensate.  This bridge placement, however, produced a tone that was less than ideal.

By late 1929, Al Esposito of the Carl Fischer stores suggested an alternative, ordering a tenor guitar, which became known as the Carl Fischer Model, which added access to two extra frets by shortening the guitar's upper bout.

Soon after, Perry Bechtel of the Cable Piano Company, visiting the Martin factory to meet Mr. Martin for a fishing trip and seeing the Carl Fischer Model, requested a fourteen fret clear six string version of the Martin 000-28 guitar, and the Orchestra Model was born. 

For many years, Bechtel was credited with conceiving of the 14 fret neck Martin guitar, while it was actually Mr. Esposito who sketched his concept of the new model, complete with shortened upper bout, and Mr. Bechtel's contribution was dependent on the grace of a fishing trip!

Note that the early Carl Fischer model has a tiny upper bout and no pickguard.  Soon after, the upper bout was widened and a pickguard added, and the resulting tenor guitar was eventually cataloged as the standard 0-18T still produced today.  The original OM prototype ordered by Perry Bechtel has remained unseen in modern times.  The guitar was paid for and was the property of the Cable Piano Store, and was most likely destroyed in a massive fire which gutted the building.  We may never know if it also may have had the smaller upper bout.  Several of the early OM-28 were also ordered with no pickguard.



1930 OM-45 DeLuxe, 1930 000-28 O.M. Orchestra Model, 1930 OM-18, 1930 OM-18P, and 1929 0-18T (Carl Fischer Model - Gear Pegs)


The OM-28 was soon followed by the OM-18, and the OM-18P Plectrum Guitar appeared in 1930.  The long necked plectrum seemed a natural, since the OM was specifically made to suit banjo players who were used to a long neck, and who were moving to the guitar to match changing tastes.  In 1931, Martin added a handful of plectrum guitars in the C-1 and C-2 round hole archtop styles.  By the end of 1931, Martin had built it's last Plectrum Guitar.


By 1930, the Carl Fischer Model had become the standard 0-18T.  Many of the Carl Fischer mode instruments were in fact sold to other stores.  By 1934, what was formerly known as the OM-18 and OM-28 had become the standard Martin 000-18 and 000-28.





The 12 Fret 1929 000-28 and early 1930 OM-28

This 12 fret 000-28 was stamped on the first of May in 1929, just days after Martin had stamped the first 14 fret neck clear Carl Fischer tenor on April 20.


The first guitar built for Perry Bechtel:






The following photograph illustrates the evolving body shape of the early 14 fret tenor guitars.  Note the smaller and rounder upper bout of the Carl Fischer Model.



A 1928 Martin 2-18TL, Martin's first attempt at a 14 fret tenor guitar, a 1930 Martin Carl Fischer Model with OM style pickguard, and a 1930 Martin 0-18T with wider upper bout.


This OM-28 shows transitional features that are seen on the earliest OM's: banjo style tuners, a pyramid style bridge, a small teardrop shaped pickguard, and a rare 1 13/16" wide neck that was requested by Perry Bechtel for his personal guitar, and has been seen on only a couple of others.

While not as pronounced as the Carl Fischer, the early OM from 1929 and 1930 presents a slightly rounder upper bout than later OM and 000 Martins which intersect with the neck at a perpendicular with a nearly 90 degree angle.




Early 14 fret clear body OM-28, OM-18P, stamped October 24, 1930, and 0-18T
 


OM-28





   1930 Martin 000-28 Orchestra Model
 
Beautiful original condition early OM from the second batch of five -  the first stamped in January of 1930.

One of the handful of original OMs built with a pyramid bridge, teardrop pickguard, and banjo style tuners.  

While the 000-28 12 fret had a 1 7/8" wide neck, the new OM model had a 1 3/4" neck.  The original example built for Perry Bechtel, and possibly one or two of the others of the roughly dozen or so built in 1929, had a 1 13/16" wide neck. 

This is the only 1930 example I know of to have the 1 13/16" wide neck.  

An historically important transitional guitar combining old world craftsmanship with the sound and playability of a modern 14 fret long scale guitar.   Recently brought to absolute optimum playing condition by OM specialist T.J. Thompson.  TJ installed new reproduction tuners, for which he aged the buttons, to save old tuners.  The vintage tuners in fine shape are preserved in the case.  TJ proclaimed this to be about the nicest OM of the many he's seen.
 
 
Serial number 40932

Stamped January 11, 1930
 

This guitar, built in January, 1930, was listed as a 000-28/OM Orchestra Model

This case is somewhat of a mystery.  I originally thought it might have been ordered for a long and narrow necked plectrum guitar, but the neck on this case is a good 4" too long for even a plectrum OM.  It was most likely the result of a miscommunication or miscalculation in ordering a case for a strange and newfangled guitar before ordering for a 14 fret clear body had become routine


The Evolution of the Name


Here you can see the evolution of the name of the Martin O.M.  The first couple of individual examples in 1929 were listed in the Shop Orders as

000-28 Perry Bechtel

followed by a small batch listed as

000-28S Perry Bechtel Model

(The "S", was used to indicate "Special", as in "Special Order".  It was later used to indicate a "Standard" 12 fret vs. a 14 fret.)


We then see a Shop Order for five listed as

000-28P Perry Bechtel

(the first 14 fret Plectrum)


and then

000-28 O.M. Perry Bechtel Model

This is the first listing to include the designation "O.M."


Then we see the Shop Order for five including mine, the first of 1930, listed as

000-28 O.M. Orchestra Model

This is the first instance where the name Perry Bechtel is replaced with the term "Orchestra Model".


And then we see the first six string 14 fret 18's, logged as 000-18 O.M.

and 000-28 O.M. O Model

and finally quite a few batches listed alternately as 000-28 O.M. or 000-18 O.M. or O Model 000-28 or O Model 000-18

It wasn't until March, when the first two OM-45 were built that Martin dropped the "000" from the name and called them OM/45 and then OM/28.

But even after this, Martin made a batch of Plectrum Guitars, 000-18 O.M. Plectrum

 

                                                  

The left handed Plectrum guitar in Shop Order #558 is included to show that this is not necessarily an Orchestra Model, as proposed elsewhere.  It seems to be a Standard guitar.  All of the other Orchestra Models were labeled as "Perry Bechtel" at the time, while the Standard 000 were not.

Shop Orders #557 and #634 are the first orders listed as Plectrum Style Orchestra Model Guitars, built with 15 frets clear in rosewood and mahogany respectively.  These proved to be popular with the former banjo players in jazz bands, and plectrums account for a good number of the OM Guitars.



As you can see, the name was a moving target, evolving with every batch. We used to think there was something special about the 1929 "Prototypes", but the OM was constantly evolving through it's first year or so, and there is really nothing more distinctive about the 1929 examples than early 1930 ones.


These were a 000 size guitar, and "Orchestra Model" was the designation for the new 14 fret body shape. In fact, the first D-28's with 14 fret necks were listed in the catalog as "D-28 Orchestra Models". So they were recognized as being different from the beginning, the only significant change being a shortening of the name from "000-28 Perry Bechtel" to "000-28 O.M." to "OM-28".

Only the earliest OM-28 have pyramid bridges.  For many years the common wisdom said that only the few OM-28 from 1929 had pyramid bridges.  In truth,  Martin switched to the belly bridge in March of 1930.  M
any of the earlier OM-28 remained in the factory unsold due to slow sales of this new model during the Depression, and were also given belly bridges before they left the factory.



 








 

 

OM-18






In January of 1930, shortly after introducing the rosewood Orchestra Model version of the 000-18, Martin built the first two single examples of the OM-18, an Orchestra Model version of the 000-18 with mahogany back and sides.

The following orders were for OM-18 Plectrum guitars, so they seem to have been focused on the Style 18 Orchestra Model as their Plectrum guitar. 

After a Shop Order in March for five Plectrums, we only see an order for three regular OM-18 in April, and then Martin didn't produce another order for six string OM-18 until an order for three guitars in April and then no more orders for OM-18 until a single guitar in August.  A month later, we finally see the first real batch of 10 ten guitars in mid-September.

As you can see, the first OM-18 were very slow in coming! 



                           



Karl Farr, who played guitar with Roy Rogers in the "Sons of the Pioneers" played what had to have been one of the original two OM-18.  It has a small rectangular bridge, while all of the later six string OM-18 were built after the switch to the belly bridge. 

While everyone is convinced that these two guitars must have had a pyramid bridge, Martin discontinued the pyramid bridge on a Style 18 in 1926, and replaced it with a plain, straight rectangular bridge. 
The two OM-18 built in early 1930 would have the plainer style bridge.

Photos of Farr's guitar show what may look to be a pyramid bridge, but more careful inspection will show that it is in fact a replacement bridge with  plain wings.






O.M. SCALE


The OM-18, like all "Orchestra Model" Martins, were built with a 14 fret neck with the longer 25.4 inch scale which was borrowed from the 12 fret 000, and which was later adopted by the Dreadnaught. 


Most folks believe the narrative that the OM was a long 25.4" scale guitar, which was discontinued and replaced by the short 24.9" scale 000-18.  While the long scale was referred to as the "O.M. Scale", the 12 fret 000 was and continued to be a long scale guitar.  In January, 1934, Martin simply reclaimed the OM as the "Orchestra Model 000", as it was overtaking the traditional "Standard" 000 in sales, but it remained a long scale guitar. 

It was Martin's custom at the time to produce it's largest size guitar with a long scale.  Before the 000, the 00 had a long scale. 

On September 12, 1934, Martin moved the 000 to the 24.9" "O Scale", as the new and larger Dreadnaught replaced the 000 as their long scale guitar.

Here are the production numbers for the D-18 and D-28 in 1934:

1934	D-18	D-28
January	3	1
February	-	-
March	-	3
April	4	6
	3	6
May	6	6
June	6	3
July	6	6
August	-	6
September	6	6
	12	12

 
  1930 Martin OM-18

Serial number 43985

Stamped September 13, 1930
 


This original condition early OM-18 is from the first batch of ten -  made in September of 1930, following the first two examples built in January, and three built in April and followed by a number of batches of 25.
 
One of the early original OMs with a teardrop pickguard and Grover banjo style tuners:





3lb. 1.2 oz.

The earliest OM-18 guitars are extremely light weight, with thin backs and sides, which makes it rare to find an example without multiple cracks in the mahogany.

Martin appears to have been mindful of matching the pickguard to the guitar, as the early mahogany OM sports a rather solid dark blood red pickguard, while the contemporaneous rosewood OM-28 sports a brownish pickguard with large swirls.














While some collectors have been on a quest to find one of the early OM-18 with a pyramid bridge, Martin discontinued the pyramid bridge on a Style 18 in 1926, and replaced it with a plain, straight rectangular bridge, so I believe the two OM-18 built in early 1930 would have the plainer style bridge.



1933 Martin 0M-18

Serial number 54864

Stamped December 4, 1930

3lb. 4.2 oz.
 
This later example, from the final batch of OM-18's, stamped in December of 1933, has a full size pickguard and regular clipped-end Grover tuners, the first design to follow the banjo style tuners.









The later OM-18 is one of the first Martins to have the gold Martin logo on the front of the headstock.  These early logos are gold leaf and without the black border found on the later gold decals.




These transitional guitars have both the gold logo on the front of the headstock as well as retaining the stamped Martin logo on the rear.





1930 Martin OM-18P

Serial # 44556

Stamped October 24, 1930






 

1930 Martin OM-45 DeLuxe

Serial # 44070

Stamped September 25, 1930






Priced at $225 at it's introduction in 1930, the OM-45 DeLuxe was Martin's most expensive production guitar, a step above the Style 45, with inlaid pickguard and bridge, and engraved gold tuners with pearl buttons.  Martin carefully selected finer woods and other materials for their highest quality guitars.  The quality of materials, with perfectly consistent matching pieces of pearl throughout, is higher on this guitar than on any other Style 42 or 45 I have seen, from the 19th or 20th Century.

The first example, purchased used by Roy Rogers for $30 during the Depression, had a somewhat different design on the pickguard.  

The DeLuxe was discontinued within a year, after a handful of individual examples and three batches of three, due to Martin's inability to source the distinctive DeLuxe parts.  

This example is one of five known to exist today.










The OM-45, with it's solid headstock, initiated a slightly simpler torch design than was seen on previous Style 45 Martin headstocks.









Eleven OM-45 DeLuxe were built.

The first OM-45 DeLuxe was one of two built as standard OM-45 stamped on April 9, 1930 to which the inlaid fingerboard and bridge and gold plated tuners with pearl buttons were added.  Unlike the first D-45 which cowboy star Gene Autry ordered from Martin, this first OM-45 was said to have been bought by Leonard Slye before took the name of his cowboy star persona Roy Rogers.





The first actual shop order for a DeLuxe was for a guitar set up for Hawaiian playing, Stamped on July 26, 1930.





A few days later a batch of three was stamped.  Notice, however that four serial numbers were accidentally listed: 461, 462, 463, and 464.

#73461 was accidentally duplicated from shop order 744.  This caused Mike Longworth to count one extra OM-45 DeLuxe.


         


The first batch of three was stamped on September 23, 1930





The final batch of three was stamped on November 28, 1930.





Mike Longworth made one more mistake, accidentally listing this shop order twice, once as 44999-001, and once as 44499-44501.


We have long accepted Longworth's faulty number of 14 OM-45 DeLuxe.

Beside counting three twice, and counting one extra, he also overlooked the original OM-45 DeLuxe since the shop order listed a regular OM-45!



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