C. F. Martin 00028C Conversion Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1962)
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Item # 12571
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C. F. Martin 00028C Conversion Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1962), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 186984, natural lacquer finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This guitar is a practically unique creation, a Brazilian rosewood steel-string 000 built originally by C.F. Martin & Co. then subsequently re-built into its current form, later going back to Martin for care and maintenance. The guitar started life as a Martin 000-28C in 1962. The "C" suffix indicates it was originally a classical-style guitar intended for gut or Nylon strings, at the time a popular instrument with folk players. Martin shipped 178 of these in 1962, the first year the model was offered; this one has trod an individual path since!
In early 1972 the guitar was custom converted to steel string configuration in Matt Umanov's original Bedford Street shop in Greenwich Village. The work included a new spruce top with scalloped X-bracing, herringbone edge trim and an abalone soundhole ring. It was also fitted with the typical Martin steel-string bridge and pickguard. The bridge plate is a fairly large rosewood piece (period Martin style) but worked considerably thinner than usual. The original classical-width neck was slimmed to a 1 11/16" nut with slotted diamond inlay added to the ebony fingerboard. There is a small Umanov shop sticker on the inside back; under the top is notated "New Top 1-28-72" with Matt Umanov's signature and a somewhat faded shop stamp. As there was little demand for original Martin classical-style instruments at the time this steel-string conversion was considered an useful upgrade.
After many years of use the guitar underwent extensive repair at the Martin factory in 2016 including a neck reset, new bridge and pickguard, a couple of top crack repairs, a small headstock repair and topical finish touch-up work. This is fully documented by detailed paperwork from the factory. The tuners are plate-mounted mini-Schallers added at the time of the original conversion.
The original conversion work was very well done and resulted a very unusual steel string Martin with a unique combination of features. The original Martin back and sides are superb dramatically grained Brazilian rosewood which is practically unobtainable for instrument building purposes today. The scale length is a full 25 1/2" on a 12 fret 000 body, resulting in a very powerful instrument with plenty of punch, especially when played with a pick. While much of the instrument's intrinsic interest rests in the high grade Brazilian rosewood originally used for the back and sides, this is a very fine playing and sounding guitar with quite a story to tell.
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 15 in. (38.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/16 in. (10.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Despite its eventful 60+ year history this guitar shows only very light play wear, mostly small dinks to the top. The original Martin finish shows lacquer overspray dating to different periods, some from Umanov shop and some at Martin related to the repairs done there.
As noted the guitar underwent an extensive reworking at Martin's factory in 2016, documented in a work order from the company. This included a neck reset, fret work, a new ebony bridge and black pickguard, repairs to cracks on the top and headstock and related finish work. There was a diagonal headstock "smile" crack running from the bass side below the low E tuner up alongside the diamond volute to the center but not completely through to the faceplate. This was very neatly sealed and finished over at Martin and is relatively inconspicuous. There were also a couple of pickguard-area grain cracks to the top similarly dealt with, neatly sealed at the factory with light touch up. The rim has a small open strap button hole above the neck heel partially filled with finish.
This hybrid Martin has a unique specs, a Brazilian rosewood scallop-braced 12-fret 000 with a full long scale neck and "modern" narrower nut. It has its own feel and sound, a good fingerpicker but noticeable more powerful when played with a pick. In the decades since this was converted Martin has offered an ever-wider range of variations on their vintage models but this particular guitar remains unique, a one-of a kind combination of features with its own history. It resides in a period (possible original) Martin HSC intended for a 14-fret instrument. Overall Very Good + Condition.
This guitar is a practically unique creation, a Brazilian rosewood steel-string 000 built originally by C.F. Martin & Co. then subsequently re-built into its current form, later going back to Martin for care and maintenance. The guitar started life as a Martin 000-28C in 1962. The "C" suffix indicates it was originally a classical-style guitar intended for gut or Nylon strings, at the time a popular instrument with folk players. Martin shipped 178 of these in 1962, the first year the model was offered; this one has trod an individual path since!
In early 1972 the guitar was custom converted to steel string configuration in Matt Umanov's original Bedford Street shop in Greenwich Village. The work included a new spruce top with scalloped X-bracing, herringbone edge trim and an abalone soundhole ring. It was also fitted with the typical Martin steel-string bridge and pickguard. The bridge plate is a fairly large rosewood piece (period Martin style) but worked considerably thinner than usual. The original classical-width neck was slimmed to a 1 11/16" nut with slotted diamond inlay added to the ebony fingerboard. There is a small Umanov shop sticker on the inside back; under the top is notated "New Top 1-28-72" with Matt Umanov's signature and a somewhat faded shop stamp. As there was little demand for original Martin classical-style instruments at the time this steel-string conversion was considered an useful upgrade.
After many years of use the guitar underwent extensive repair at the Martin factory in 2016 including a neck reset, new bridge and pickguard, a couple of top crack repairs, a small headstock repair and topical finish touch-up work. This is fully documented by detailed paperwork from the factory. The tuners are plate-mounted mini-Schallers added at the time of the original conversion.
The original conversion work was very well done and resulted a very unusual steel string Martin with a unique combination of features. The original Martin back and sides are superb dramatically grained Brazilian rosewood which is practically unobtainable for instrument building purposes today. The scale length is a full 25 1/2" on a 12 fret 000 body, resulting in a very powerful instrument with plenty of punch, especially when played with a pick. While much of the instrument's intrinsic interest rests in the high grade Brazilian rosewood originally used for the back and sides, this is a very fine playing and sounding guitar with quite a story to tell.
Overall length is 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm.), 15 in. (38.1 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/16 in. (10.3 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Despite its eventful 60+ year history this guitar shows only very light play wear, mostly small dinks to the top. The original Martin finish shows lacquer overspray dating to different periods, some from Umanov shop and some at Martin related to the repairs done there.
As noted the guitar underwent an extensive reworking at Martin's factory in 2016, documented in a work order from the company. This included a neck reset, fret work, a new ebony bridge and black pickguard, repairs to cracks on the top and headstock and related finish work. There was a diagonal headstock "smile" crack running from the bass side below the low E tuner up alongside the diamond volute to the center but not completely through to the faceplate. This was very neatly sealed and finished over at Martin and is relatively inconspicuous. There were also a couple of pickguard-area grain cracks to the top similarly dealt with, neatly sealed at the factory with light touch up. The rim has a small open strap button hole above the neck heel partially filled with finish.
This hybrid Martin has a unique specs, a Brazilian rosewood scallop-braced 12-fret 000 with a full long scale neck and "modern" narrower nut. It has its own feel and sound, a good fingerpicker but noticeable more powerful when played with a pick. In the decades since this was converted Martin has offered an ever-wider range of variations on their vintage models but this particular guitar remains unique, a one-of a kind combination of features with its own history. It resides in a period (possible original) Martin HSC intended for a 14-fret instrument. Overall Very Good + Condition.