C. F. Martin 0-15 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1942)
LOADING IMAGES
This item has been sold.
Item # 10471
Prices subject to change without notice.
C. F. Martin 0-15 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1942), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 82390, natural lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, black hard shell case.
This is a superb playing and sounding pre-war Martin 0-15, showing some minor wear but well preserved generally and offering a very powerful sound for a small body, all-mahogany guitar. It was built in mid/late-1942, a year that saw enormous difficulties for all guitar makers due to the US entering WWII. 506 of these little mahogany wonders shipped out in '42, the third production year for this most stripped-down Martin model. At the time inexpensive instruments remained important to Martin's bottom line; sales of the affordable all-mahogany models had been a big part of the company's salvation in the 1930's.
While the unadorned 0-15 stood near the bottom of the Martin guitar line, it is still built of high-grade materials to Martin's lofty standards. The 0-15 is the same as the slightly more expensive 0-17 except for a less polished semi-gloss finish, rated as worth a $5 difference in 1942! Both are built of mahogany throughout, with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The thin mahogany top is delicately scallop-braced with a small maple bridgeplate. This model is very austere in appearance, with no binding anywhere and only a small sound hole ring and Martin headstock logo as trim. This 1940 example has the rare tortoise Celluloid veneer decorating the headstock face, an attractive oddity seen only around this time.
These early scallop-braced 0-15 and 0-17 models are truly exceptional guitars despite their original budget status. Listing for $25.00 in 1942, this still represented a fairly expensive proposition for many Americans at the time; you could get a guitar from Sears for $1.98! Then as now 0-15 is a fully professional-quality instrument, extremely responsive with a rich, singing tone. This is one of the nicer early examples we have had lately, a wonderful player's instrument in every way.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
For being just about 80 years old, this guitar is still in very nice shape. It has seen modest wear and a few repairs, but overall very little has been changed on this Martin since it left Nazareth early in WWII. The original semi-gloss lacquer finish shows some nicks, scratches, and light checking over the years, but has not been oversprayed or noticeably altered. There is a spot of very light touch up work just below the bridge where the bridge only visible under close examination, otherwise the finish has no alterations
The guitar has recently had a clean neck reset and refret with the correct size of fret wire for this period, and a new bone nut. The original rosewood bridge has been replaced with a modern repro in the correct style, with a correct bone saddle. The original bridgeplate and bracing are undisturbed. The guitar remains crack-free, which is hard to find on Martins of this period well into the 21st century.
There have been several previous tuner installations, currently the instrument is fitted with vintage-style repro Waverly strip tuners with plastic buttons. There appears to be an old strap button hole plugged at the base of the neck in the middle of the heel. The Martin is a wonderful player with a big sound, housed in a modern hardshell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a superb playing and sounding pre-war Martin 0-15, showing some minor wear but well preserved generally and offering a very powerful sound for a small body, all-mahogany guitar. It was built in mid/late-1942, a year that saw enormous difficulties for all guitar makers due to the US entering WWII. 506 of these little mahogany wonders shipped out in '42, the third production year for this most stripped-down Martin model. At the time inexpensive instruments remained important to Martin's bottom line; sales of the affordable all-mahogany models had been a big part of the company's salvation in the 1930's.
While the unadorned 0-15 stood near the bottom of the Martin guitar line, it is still built of high-grade materials to Martin's lofty standards. The 0-15 is the same as the slightly more expensive 0-17 except for a less polished semi-gloss finish, rated as worth a $5 difference in 1942! Both are built of mahogany throughout, with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The thin mahogany top is delicately scallop-braced with a small maple bridgeplate. This model is very austere in appearance, with no binding anywhere and only a small sound hole ring and Martin headstock logo as trim. This 1940 example has the rare tortoise Celluloid veneer decorating the headstock face, an attractive oddity seen only around this time.
These early scallop-braced 0-15 and 0-17 models are truly exceptional guitars despite their original budget status. Listing for $25.00 in 1942, this still represented a fairly expensive proposition for many Americans at the time; you could get a guitar from Sears for $1.98! Then as now 0-15 is a fully professional-quality instrument, extremely responsive with a rich, singing tone. This is one of the nicer early examples we have had lately, a wonderful player's instrument in every way.
Overall length is 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
For being just about 80 years old, this guitar is still in very nice shape. It has seen modest wear and a few repairs, but overall very little has been changed on this Martin since it left Nazareth early in WWII. The original semi-gloss lacquer finish shows some nicks, scratches, and light checking over the years, but has not been oversprayed or noticeably altered. There is a spot of very light touch up work just below the bridge where the bridge only visible under close examination, otherwise the finish has no alterations
The guitar has recently had a clean neck reset and refret with the correct size of fret wire for this period, and a new bone nut. The original rosewood bridge has been replaced with a modern repro in the correct style, with a correct bone saddle. The original bridgeplate and bracing are undisturbed. The guitar remains crack-free, which is hard to find on Martins of this period well into the 21st century.
There have been several previous tuner installations, currently the instrument is fitted with vintage-style repro Waverly strip tuners with plastic buttons. There appears to be an old strap button hole plugged at the base of the neck in the middle of the heel. The Martin is a wonderful player with a big sound, housed in a modern hardshell case. Overall Excellent - Condition.