1934 Martin 0-17

Natural, solid Honduran Mahogany top back and sides. These are getting hip as the last of the pre ’38 Martins that are affordable. The 17’s typically have a gloss finish that the later 15 series did not.

It has all the features Martin lovers want. Like a 1 3/4” nut, scalloped top bracing and a chunky neck with a V profile. Countless other makers have copied these features and will likely always be the standard. The 0-17 has a skinny Brazilian bridge and Brazilian fingerboard. It also has old Grover tuners with new black buttons and has been refretted with non-bar frets with lots of life left.

Three brilliantly repaired side cracks on the bass side and the back of the neck was oversprayed long ago. Yes, it has dings and scratches just like you will at 90 years old. But it’s pretty clean overall. The neck set is well done with low action and a high saddle. The tone is huge like a small piano on your lap with long sustaining notes and plenty of rich overtones. No new guitar of this size comes close. Comes with a newer Martin hard shell case.