C. F. Martin T-28 Tiple (1957)
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Item # 9505
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C. F. Martin T-28 Model Tiple (1957), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 155784, natural top, dark stained back and sides finish, Brazilian rosewood back, sides and neck, spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original grey chipboard case.
This is a beautiful and great playing example of an extremely rare instrument -- a Style T-28 Martin Tiple. Martin's manufacture of "The Uke that went to College!" dates to the early 1920s, but amazingly enough Martin offered them for nearly 70 years. This T-28 is the most deluxe model of the Martin 10-string family, with Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a spruce top, built like a miniature Style 28 guitar. It was quite expensive at $120 in 1957 so it's perhaps nor surprising that only 6 were produced that year, and all of 51 in the entire decade.
Martin Tiples were built around obsolete 19th century 1/4 size guitar patterns to create a steel-strung, ukulele-tuned instrument with a bigger, brighter sound. The two middle string courses are triple, with the outside sets doubled and all but the first pair in octaves. With its fairly short neck, large headstock, 10 steel strings and a diminutive guitarlike body this T-28 looks rather like a ukulele crossbred with a 12-string guitar. That's basically what it sounds like, as well, with a lovely round chime when picked daintily and a more raucous shimmer when strummed enthusiastically.
The back and sides are fantastically even and fine grained Brazilian rosewood and the X-braced top superbly tight-grained spruce. It is likely the wood is of this high quality because the pieces were too small to build anything else; we'd guess the timbers were held in stock for a long time before this T-28 was built, even in the 1950s wood of this quality was hard to find! The mahogany neck has a very black ebony fingerboard inlaid with large varied-size pearl dots. The top is 5-ply bound in celluloid, the back 3-ply, and there is a chain backstrip and multi-ply celluloid sound hole ring to add to the fancy factor.
While the Tiple remains obscure in rock-oriented traditions, it has seen some skilled -- and even historically important -- players. Even if not well-remembered today, numerous small African-American string-swing ensembles of the 1930s made extensive use of these small, loud instruments for both fast lead work and frantic rhythm strumming. Two of the best known were the Spirits Of Rhythm (featuring guitarist Teddy Bunn) and Cats and the Fiddle, where Tiny Grimes got his professional start.
The T-28's greatest endorser was Timmie Rogers, a pioneering black comedian singer, dancer sometimes called the "Jackie Robinson of comedy". Rogers' upbeat but still sometimes surprisingly biting comedy is sadly obscure now, but he was well-known in his day and one of the first African-American comedians to receive wide exposure on TV. He was a multi-talented artist-singer, dancer, bandleader, and composer with a Martin T-28 as his steady companion for much of his career, a big part of his act.
No better examples of these now somewhat obscure instruments have ever been made; the T-28 can be called the unchallenged finest Tiple of all time! Like all Martin Tiples it remains -- even if by default -- the world's standard. This is a wonderful example of that flagship model, just a really neat piece in every way.
Overall length is 27 in. (68.6 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 17 in. (432 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This very fine T-28 has had some work done in the past but remains a superb instrument. The top was refinished (or possibly just oversprayed) when the bridge was reglued some time back. It is a very neat professional job, easily to factory standards. The clear coat extends over the bridge itself, which is not standard Martin practice but it might still be a Martin factory warranty repair. It is possible there was a light clear overspray to the rest of the instrument as well, although it blacklights correctly as a Martin finish. There is hardly any playing wear at all, just some very light scuffing here and there.
Structurally the instrument is truly superb with a nice, flat top, solid bridge, and no cracks anywhere. The neck angle is perfect, the top dead straight (fairly unusual on a Tiple!), and playability is exceptionally good. This is not only a rarity but the cleanest Tiple we have seen, albeit having had some finish work, but really it looks to have hardly been played since.
It is also the best-playing Tiple we have had, with a very low action and smooth, even response. The sound is deeper and sweeter than the typical mahogany Tiples but perhaps not quite as loud, or at least a bit less bright. This is one of the neatest small instruments to brighten our doorstep in a long time, complete in the original grey chipboard case with a Coast Wholesale sticker under the lid. Included is a period (much older, actually) "5-minute" method book for getting into the Tiple spirit. Excellent Condition.
This is a beautiful and great playing example of an extremely rare instrument -- a Style T-28 Martin Tiple. Martin's manufacture of "The Uke that went to College!" dates to the early 1920s, but amazingly enough Martin offered them for nearly 70 years. This T-28 is the most deluxe model of the Martin 10-string family, with Brazilian rosewood back and sides and a spruce top, built like a miniature Style 28 guitar. It was quite expensive at $120 in 1957 so it's perhaps nor surprising that only 6 were produced that year, and all of 51 in the entire decade.
Martin Tiples were built around obsolete 19th century 1/4 size guitar patterns to create a steel-strung, ukulele-tuned instrument with a bigger, brighter sound. The two middle string courses are triple, with the outside sets doubled and all but the first pair in octaves. With its fairly short neck, large headstock, 10 steel strings and a diminutive guitarlike body this T-28 looks rather like a ukulele crossbred with a 12-string guitar. That's basically what it sounds like, as well, with a lovely round chime when picked daintily and a more raucous shimmer when strummed enthusiastically.
The back and sides are fantastically even and fine grained Brazilian rosewood and the X-braced top superbly tight-grained spruce. It is likely the wood is of this high quality because the pieces were too small to build anything else; we'd guess the timbers were held in stock for a long time before this T-28 was built, even in the 1950s wood of this quality was hard to find! The mahogany neck has a very black ebony fingerboard inlaid with large varied-size pearl dots. The top is 5-ply bound in celluloid, the back 3-ply, and there is a chain backstrip and multi-ply celluloid sound hole ring to add to the fancy factor.
While the Tiple remains obscure in rock-oriented traditions, it has seen some skilled -- and even historically important -- players. Even if not well-remembered today, numerous small African-American string-swing ensembles of the 1930s made extensive use of these small, loud instruments for both fast lead work and frantic rhythm strumming. Two of the best known were the Spirits Of Rhythm (featuring guitarist Teddy Bunn) and Cats and the Fiddle, where Tiny Grimes got his professional start.
The T-28's greatest endorser was Timmie Rogers, a pioneering black comedian singer, dancer sometimes called the "Jackie Robinson of comedy". Rogers' upbeat but still sometimes surprisingly biting comedy is sadly obscure now, but he was well-known in his day and one of the first African-American comedians to receive wide exposure on TV. He was a multi-talented artist-singer, dancer, bandleader, and composer with a Martin T-28 as his steady companion for much of his career, a big part of his act.
No better examples of these now somewhat obscure instruments have ever been made; the T-28 can be called the unchallenged finest Tiple of all time! Like all Martin Tiples it remains -- even if by default -- the world's standard. This is a wonderful example of that flagship model, just a really neat piece in every way.
Overall length is 27 in. (68.6 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 17 in. (432 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This very fine T-28 has had some work done in the past but remains a superb instrument. The top was refinished (or possibly just oversprayed) when the bridge was reglued some time back. It is a very neat professional job, easily to factory standards. The clear coat extends over the bridge itself, which is not standard Martin practice but it might still be a Martin factory warranty repair. It is possible there was a light clear overspray to the rest of the instrument as well, although it blacklights correctly as a Martin finish. There is hardly any playing wear at all, just some very light scuffing here and there.
Structurally the instrument is truly superb with a nice, flat top, solid bridge, and no cracks anywhere. The neck angle is perfect, the top dead straight (fairly unusual on a Tiple!), and playability is exceptionally good. This is not only a rarity but the cleanest Tiple we have seen, albeit having had some finish work, but really it looks to have hardly been played since.
It is also the best-playing Tiple we have had, with a very low action and smooth, even response. The sound is deeper and sweeter than the typical mahogany Tiples but perhaps not quite as loud, or at least a bit less bright. This is one of the neatest small instruments to brighten our doorstep in a long time, complete in the original grey chipboard case with a Coast Wholesale sticker under the lid. Included is a period (much older, actually) "5-minute" method book for getting into the Tiple spirit. Excellent Condition.