Martin 0-30 (1914)

This beautiful, family-owned Martin 0-30 has just come in for consignment! It was stamped "11829" on January 13, 1914, and shipped to J.A. Handley in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1915 -- an interesting window into either a) Martin's production lead times in that era or b) how long this guitar might've stayed at the Martin factory before finding a home. The guitar was brought to us by the granddaughter of the original owner, who performed with it in a professional acoustic ensemble in downtown Boston. The aforementioned granddaughter inherited the guitar, and has preserved it very well. It's a lovely-sounding instrument, incredibly lightly built, and joyously resonant to the lightest touch. While one could certainly use silk n' steel strings for a softer tone, we've got it strung with .011-.052 nickel strings at the moment and it sounds glorious. This is a near-time capsule example of Martin's craftsmanship and fabled tone, with the fatter treble sound and quicker response the 1920's 12-fret guitars are known for.