Vintage Martin Acoustic Guitar
Original Martin OMs from approximately 1929 to 1931 are extremely rare, and command high prices. Many guitarists believe that the OM - a combination of Martin's modified 14-fret 000 body shape, long scale (25.4") neck, solid headstock, 1-3/4" nut width, 4-1/4" maximum depth at the endwedge, and 2-3/8" string spread at the bridge - offers the most versatile combination of features available in a steel-string acoustic guitar, and today many guitarmakers, including many small shops and handbuilders, create instruments modeled on the OM pattern.
The change in body shape and longer neck became so popular that Martin made the 14-fret neck standard on all of its guitars, and the rest of the guitar industry soon followed. Classical guitars, which were evolving on their own track largely among European builders, retained the 12-fret neck design.
Martin's second major innovation, and arguably the more important, of the period 1915-1930 was the dreadnought guitar. Originally devised in 1916 as a collaboration between Martin and a prominent retailer, the Oliver Ditson Co., the dreadnought body style was larger and deeper than most guitars. In 1906, the Royal Navy had shocked the world by launching a battleship that was considerably larger than any in service. From the idea that a ship that big would have to fear nothing, it was christened HMS Dreadnought. Martin recognized a perfect marketing tie-in when they saw one, and borrowed the name for their new, large guitar. The greater volume and louder bass produced by this expansion in size was intended to make the guitar more useful as an acompaniment instrument for singers working with the limited sound equipment of the day. Initial models for Ditson were fan-braced, and the instruments were poorly received.
In 1931, Martin reintroduced the style with a modified body shape to accommodate a 14-fret neck, and it quickly became their best-selling guitar. The rest of the industry soon followed, and today the "dreadnought" size and shape is considered one of the "standard" acoustic guitar shapes, iconic for its use in a wide variety of musical genres.
Martin also developed a line of archtop instruments during the 1930s. Their design differed from Gibson and other archtops in a variety of respects - the fingerboard was glued to the top, rather than a floating extension of the neck, and the backs and sides were flat rosewood plates pressed into an arch rather than the more common carved figured maple. Martin archtops were not commercially successful and were withdrawn after several years. In spite of this, during the 1960s, David Bromberg had a Martin archtop converted to a flat-top guitar with exceptionally successful results, and as a result, Martin has recently begun issuing a David Bromberg model based on this conversion.
During this time, Martin also continued to make ukeles, tiples, and other stringed instruments, many of which survive in excellent condition to the present day.
1941 Martin D-45 The Holy Grail of Acoustic Guitars |
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$125,000.00 | 2h 44m | |
1963 Martin 00-18C Acoustic Guitar Vintage 0018 2140 |
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$1,934.95 | 1d 53m | |
Martin 0-18 1947 Acoustic Guitar |
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2 | $1,525.00 | 1d 5h 38m | |
VINTAGE MARTIN D-28 ACOUSTIC GUITAR 1973? |
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- | $1,399.99 | 3d 3h 8m | |
Vintage 1958 Martin D28 D-28 Acoustic Guitar and Case |
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9 | $2,865.00 | 3d 6h 38m | |
1890 VINTAGE ANTIQUE MARTIN 1-26 ACOUSTIC GUITAR W CASE |
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2 | $535.00 | 4d 21h 19m | |
VINTAGE MARTIN D-35 ACOUSTIC GUITAR W PICKUP 1977 USA |
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14 | $1,009.99 | 5d 6h 42m | |
VINTAGE 1979 MARTIN HD-28 DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC GUITAR |
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$3,150.00 | 11d 22m | |
VINTAGE MARTIN R-18 ARCHTOP ACOUSTIC GUITAR |
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$2,500.00 | 23d 21h 20m | |
VINTAGE 1961 MARTIN 000-18 OOO-18 ACOUSTIC GUITAR |
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$4,000.00 | 24d 2h 10m |
