C. F. Martin 0-15 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1943)
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C. F. Martin 0-15 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1943), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 84432, natural lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, original black chipboard case.
This is a fine playing and sounding wartime Martin 0-15, showing some wear and tear but generally well preserved and offering a powerful sound for a small body, all-mahogany guitar. It was built around mid-1943, a year that saw enormous difficulties for guitar makers due to wartime disruptions and restrictions. 365 of these little mahogany wonders shipped out in '43, the fourth (and for a time, last) production year for this most stripped-down Martin model. For some reason production was halted on the 0-15 before the end of the year, not to resume until 1948. At that point it finally replaced the 0-17, the same guitar with a more polished finish. Probably Martin decided in 1943 to concentrate their efforts on the more expensive Style 17, which they actually charged $7 more for (retail price) at the time!
While the unadorned 0-15 stood pretty much at 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 0-17 except for the semi-gloss finish. 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 1943 example lacks the metal rod in the neck, replaced by ebony for the duration of the war years. Other than that it is nearly identical to prewar models.
These early scallop-braced 0-15 and 0-17 models are truly exceptional guitars despite their original budget status. Listing for $28.00 in 1943, 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 a wonderful player's instrument in every way, less brash than some with a surprisingly warm sound for an all-mahogany guitar.
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 over 80 years old this guitar remains in very nice shape overall. It has some modest wear and a few typical repairs, but not too much has changed since it left Nazareth during WWII. The original semi-gloss lacquer finish shows light checking overall with nicks, scratches but none of the heavy pickwear often found on older Martins. It has not been oversprayed or noticeably altered.
The guitar shows an older neck reset and the original rosewood bridge has been replaced with a very well done modern repro in the correct style, with a repro bone saddle. The original bridgeplate and delicate scalloped bracing are undisturbed. The guitar remains crack-free except for a tiny split to the back just off the heel, probably related to the neckset work.
There have been several previous tuner installations, currently the instrument is fitted with vintage-style repro 1950s-pattern Kluson Deluxe strip tuners with plastic buttons. These are not era correct but fully functional and non-intrusive. The frets appear original, showing only light wear as does the fingerboard in the first position. This little Martin is a wonderful player with a big warm sound for a small mahogany guitar, housed in what appears to be the original chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a fine playing and sounding wartime Martin 0-15, showing some wear and tear but generally well preserved and offering a powerful sound for a small body, all-mahogany guitar. It was built around mid-1943, a year that saw enormous difficulties for guitar makers due to wartime disruptions and restrictions. 365 of these little mahogany wonders shipped out in '43, the fourth (and for a time, last) production year for this most stripped-down Martin model. For some reason production was halted on the 0-15 before the end of the year, not to resume until 1948. At that point it finally replaced the 0-17, the same guitar with a more polished finish. Probably Martin decided in 1943 to concentrate their efforts on the more expensive Style 17, which they actually charged $7 more for (retail price) at the time!
While the unadorned 0-15 stood pretty much at 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 0-17 except for the semi-gloss finish. 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 1943 example lacks the metal rod in the neck, replaced by ebony for the duration of the war years. Other than that it is nearly identical to prewar models.
These early scallop-braced 0-15 and 0-17 models are truly exceptional guitars despite their original budget status. Listing for $28.00 in 1943, 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 a wonderful player's instrument in every way, less brash than some with a surprisingly warm sound for an all-mahogany guitar.
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 over 80 years old this guitar remains in very nice shape overall. It has some modest wear and a few typical repairs, but not too much has changed since it left Nazareth during WWII. The original semi-gloss lacquer finish shows light checking overall with nicks, scratches but none of the heavy pickwear often found on older Martins. It has not been oversprayed or noticeably altered.
The guitar shows an older neck reset and the original rosewood bridge has been replaced with a very well done modern repro in the correct style, with a repro bone saddle. The original bridgeplate and delicate scalloped bracing are undisturbed. The guitar remains crack-free except for a tiny split to the back just off the heel, probably related to the neckset work.
There have been several previous tuner installations, currently the instrument is fitted with vintage-style repro 1950s-pattern Kluson Deluxe strip tuners with plastic buttons. These are not era correct but fully functional and non-intrusive. The frets appear original, showing only light wear as does the fingerboard in the first position. This little Martin is a wonderful player with a big warm sound for a small mahogany guitar, housed in what appears to be the original chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.