VintageAmericanGuitar

About VintageAmericanGuitar

Vintage American Guitar specializes in fine vintage guitars, operates as a research facility and historic preservation facility, and serves as an online resource Magazine and archive for historians, musicians, and collectors. We are based in Austin, TX. Vintage American Guitar also offers a guitar and instrument appraisal service, an online technical database on a subscription basis, and we offer expert repair & restoration services for vintage guitars.

Setting Up and Tuning a 19th-century Martin Guitar with Tuning Pegs

Many 19th century Martin Guitars came from the factory with either ivory or ebony tuning pegs, like a violin (as opposed to geared tuners like modern guitars). Early Martins often had ebony pegs. But many of the 1850- 1890’s Martins had beautiful ivory tuning pegs. If you take the time to learn to properly tune [...]

By | 2018-01-04T20:59:58+00:00 July 17th, 2016|19th-century, Martin, Uncategorized|0 Comments

1920’s and Earlier Martin Guitars – Is it Safe to Use Steel Strings?

Can I use steel strings on my vintage Martin guitar (or a guitar I am thinking of buying)? That is one of the most common questions asked, about pre-1930’s Martin guitars and other Jazz age and earlier vintage guitars. And there is a lot of misconception and myth surrounding the issue. The question often [...]

By | 2018-01-04T20:59:58+00:00 April 12th, 2016|19th-century, 20th-century, Martin, Steel string|0 Comments

Martin Guitars – Timeline for Design and Model Changes, 1833 – 1969

"Coming soon– an Interactive Timeline for Martin Guitars– an annotated history of Martin Guitar features/changes/styles/idiosyncrasies from 1833 to today".