❌SOLD❌ Martin 00028 Steel String Guitar, 1924

This is a rare treat – a Martin 00028 steel string guitar, one of 20 produced during 1924. It plays well and has a fantastic sound!

Martin introduced the Style 28 some unknown time before it appeared in their 1874 price list. The 000 body size appeared around 1902, with one built, two during 1904 and one in 1905; from 1910 to 1918, a maximum of four were built per year. In 1924 interest started to increase with 20 built, rising to 82 in 1929. In 1933, many models were revised to have 14-fret necks, a change prompted by the great migration of banjoists towards guitar.

This Martin 00028 dates to 1924 and was built at the Martin shop in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. This uses a 12-fret neck, which was the case on virtually all Martin guitars until 1931 when, at the request of Perry Bechtel the 14-fret neck was added to a 000 body and what became the OM or Orchestra Model was introduced and that change was rolled out to other models by 1934,  and this change included a shift from slotted peghead to solid peghead.

The body uses an Adirondack Spruce top paired with Brazilian Rosewood for the back, sides and head plate. The body blocks and neck are Mahogany – until 1923 those components were described as Spanish Cedar, as traditionally used on classical guitars. The 20-fret fingerboard (19 frets until 1917) and pyramid style bridge are Ebony.   

The body bindings – as well as the buttons on the Waverly tuners and the heel cap – are made of Celluloid; prior to 1919, bindings were Ivory. The position markers are small ‘snowflake’ style Mother of Pearl pieces. The frets are original-style Bar frets – these do not have the modern “bead and tang’ construction. There is a ‘Martin’ stamp on the back of the headstock, which often indicated instruments intended for export.

At nearly a century old, over time  this Martin 00028 has been serviced repeatedly. Top cracks have been repaired, the upper treble side has been patched, the neck was reset some years ago at The Twelfth Fret. The bridge plate has been repaired. The finish has been oversprayed and repaired in the past, with cyanoacrylates used more recently in some areas.

This Martin 00028 definitely looks old, but plays very well and sounds very good.   

This guitar is sold with a newer arched-top hard shell case.