Signed by Martin factory foreman, underside of top: “6/1886”, this
0-28 is in stunning original condition.
1886 is the last year of the original factory in Nazareth, before Martin
built the new factory addition in 1887. It is also the last year before
they installed mechanized steam-run equipment to bend sides. So this
wonderful 0-28, is one of the last of the totally hand-crafted Martins,
built without mechanized equipment, and signed as such, 1886.
Instrument is 100% original: finish, bridge, ivory nut, ivory saddle,
ivory pins, bar frets, everything.
- Crack-free
- repaired center seam on top
- Shows very little wear
- Scalloped braces (X-braced)
- original maple bridge plate
- original French-polish shellac finish throughout
- 13.5″ wide at lower bout, and 4.25″ deep at the endpin
- 24.9″ scale length
- 1-7/8″ wide nut
- soft-V neck profile.
Small section of binding and purfling missing from the lower back/side margin, was just seamlessly repaired by Folkway Music, one of North America’s finest Martin restoration shops.
On underside of ivory saddle, and also, inside the saddle slot,
engraved: “XXVII” This indicates that the saddle is the original to the
guitar… It was most likely the way that Martin craftsmen kept matched
parts together during the building process.
The guitar has been fitted by Folkway with a new saddle, compensated
for silk and steel (original ivory saddle in the case), so the
intonation is great. Sticklers for correct set-up and skeptics about
putting steel strings on a 19 century Martin, Folkway did not decide it
could accommodate silk and steel strings, both structurally and with
correct intonation, until after careful hands-on study. It can, they
said, beautifully.
