C. F. Martin Style 2-30 Carved Top Mandolin (1939)
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Item # 13621
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C. F. Martin Style 2-30 Model Carved Top Mandolin (1939), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 16586, sunburst top, shaded maple back and sides finish, flame maple back and sides, spruce top; maple neck with ebony fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a fine example of a lovely 1930's Martin rarity, the Style 2-30 Mandolin. Martin's carved top mandolins are generally overlooked instruments many players are not even aware of, but like all period products of Nazareth are beautifully made with their own distinctive charms. This model 2-30 was the top of the mandolin line, over the similar but plainer 2-20 and the non-pointy 2-15. It is one of the rarest Martins of the Golden Age, a lovely instrument in every way and a cool piece of the company history. This one bears one of the first few mandolin serial numbers stamped in 1939.
Beginning a decade earlier in 1929 C.F. Martin introduced their first oval hole carved top mandolins, oddly enough at a time when other makers (i.e. Gibson) were experiencing collapsing sales of such instruments! In 1936 they went further by adding models with F-hole tops to the line. This model 2-30 was first made in 1936 but not cataloged until '37 and escaped the price list until 1938. Unsurprisingly production never took off; it didn't help that the Depression had pretty much killed off the upscale mandolin market. All of 21 of these were sold in 1939 which was the peak production year; a paltry 64 shipped in total and it was discontinued during WWII. The list price in 1939 was a whopping $135 (without case) which would have discouraged all but the most well-heeled customers; Gibson's fancier scroll-bodied F-7 could be had for $10 less!
The Style 2-30 is not Martin's most original design, but a twist on 1910s Lyon & Healy carved models adding F-hole construction and a deep sunburst finish top to the 2-point body mix. It is built with a carved curly maple back and sides with superb violin-grade flame figure and a sharply arched carved spruce top. The dramatic neck angle is considerably sharper than any L&H or indeed most Gibsons, something pretty much unique to carved-top Martins. The bridge is a non-adjustable carved ebony piece, the tailpiece a standard clamshell type with a fancy engraved cover and the tuners are openback Grover strips. The mahogany neck has a fairly slim but deep rounded profile with a bound ebony fingerboard inlaid with notched pearl diamonds. The crown of the bound headstock has a decorative cutout borrowed from Vinaccia-style Neapolitan bowlback mandolins, and in one of our favorite period quirks the face is overlaid with tortoise celluloid.
This is a fine sounding and very good playing mandolin, albeit with a very different feel from the average Gibson. Its more delicate but well rounded tone is very sweet for an F-hole instrument and records beautifully. This is a beautiful, ubique and super classy mandolin and if admittedly not a Bluegrass machine can be useful for a number of other musical styles.
Overall length is 26 1/8 in. (66.4 cm.), 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This 85+ year old Martin remains in excellent playing condition showing some general wear and tear. The all-original finish has the heaviest checking and weathering to the top. There is very little pick wear there but some small dings, dents and scrapes with one larger melt mark below the treble F-hole likely from the disintegration of the original celluloid pickguard. The finish on the back and sides is cleaner with some fine checking, the back of the neck is worn to the wood in the first position up to the third fret.
There are no cracks or structural repairs. All hardware is original as it left Nazareth in 1939 except the pickguard and bracket are (probably long) gone. The original frets have been recently re-crowned; the fingerboard shows some light divoting in the first position and the instrument plays very well with a delightful sound. It rests in the original hard case, just out of a long-held collection in Pennsylvania, suggesting it may have never journeyed too far from its birthplace! Overall Excellent - Condition.
This is a fine example of a lovely 1930's Martin rarity, the Style 2-30 Mandolin. Martin's carved top mandolins are generally overlooked instruments many players are not even aware of, but like all period products of Nazareth are beautifully made with their own distinctive charms. This model 2-30 was the top of the mandolin line, over the similar but plainer 2-20 and the non-pointy 2-15. It is one of the rarest Martins of the Golden Age, a lovely instrument in every way and a cool piece of the company history. This one bears one of the first few mandolin serial numbers stamped in 1939.
Beginning a decade earlier in 1929 C.F. Martin introduced their first oval hole carved top mandolins, oddly enough at a time when other makers (i.e. Gibson) were experiencing collapsing sales of such instruments! In 1936 they went further by adding models with F-hole tops to the line. This model 2-30 was first made in 1936 but not cataloged until '37 and escaped the price list until 1938. Unsurprisingly production never took off; it didn't help that the Depression had pretty much killed off the upscale mandolin market. All of 21 of these were sold in 1939 which was the peak production year; a paltry 64 shipped in total and it was discontinued during WWII. The list price in 1939 was a whopping $135 (without case) which would have discouraged all but the most well-heeled customers; Gibson's fancier scroll-bodied F-7 could be had for $10 less!
The Style 2-30 is not Martin's most original design, but a twist on 1910s Lyon & Healy carved models adding F-hole construction and a deep sunburst finish top to the 2-point body mix. It is built with a carved curly maple back and sides with superb violin-grade flame figure and a sharply arched carved spruce top. The dramatic neck angle is considerably sharper than any L&H or indeed most Gibsons, something pretty much unique to carved-top Martins. The bridge is a non-adjustable carved ebony piece, the tailpiece a standard clamshell type with a fancy engraved cover and the tuners are openback Grover strips. The mahogany neck has a fairly slim but deep rounded profile with a bound ebony fingerboard inlaid with notched pearl diamonds. The crown of the bound headstock has a decorative cutout borrowed from Vinaccia-style Neapolitan bowlback mandolins, and in one of our favorite period quirks the face is overlaid with tortoise celluloid.
This is a fine sounding and very good playing mandolin, albeit with a very different feel from the average Gibson. Its more delicate but well rounded tone is very sweet for an F-hole instrument and records beautifully. This is a beautiful, ubique and super classy mandolin and if admittedly not a Bluegrass machine can be useful for a number of other musical styles.
Overall length is 26 1/8 in. (66.4 cm.), 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm.) across at the widest point, and 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 13 3/4 in. (349 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This 85+ year old Martin remains in excellent playing condition showing some general wear and tear. The all-original finish has the heaviest checking and weathering to the top. There is very little pick wear there but some small dings, dents and scrapes with one larger melt mark below the treble F-hole likely from the disintegration of the original celluloid pickguard. The finish on the back and sides is cleaner with some fine checking, the back of the neck is worn to the wood in the first position up to the third fret.
There are no cracks or structural repairs. All hardware is original as it left Nazareth in 1939 except the pickguard and bracket are (probably long) gone. The original frets have been recently re-crowned; the fingerboard shows some light divoting in the first position and the instrument plays very well with a delightful sound. It rests in the original hard case, just out of a long-held collection in Pennsylvania, suggesting it may have never journeyed too far from its birthplace! Overall Excellent - Condition.