Martin

Martin 1-26 (ca. 1860s)

$4,000.00 Sold out

Pickup currently unavailable at 165 Showroom

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On Consignment
Shipping Calculated At Checkout

Product information

This Civil-War era Martin 1-26 was recently brought to the store by a local resident whose mother had purchased the guitar in the late '70s (the 1970s, to be clear). She purchased the guitar while in her folk music phase (perhaps its iconic, small-bodied 12-fret design brought to mind Joan Baez), and left it to her children after passing on. What's clear about this guitar is that it's been loved, and played, and played, and played some more (to say nothing of its beautiful patina and emblematic craftsmanship). The sound these guitars make isn't going to knock anyone out of a chair with power; but they have an intimacy and sweetness that shows us why the folkies loved them in the first place (as well as the generations of players who came before them).

Condition: normally, there's a dividing line between "player" and "collector" grade guitars ... but when an object of any kind is still intact, vital, and serving the purpose it was meant to serve when Abraham Lincoln was in office, isn't it inherently collectible regardless of how it looks? This old Martin has had a number of cracks repaired over its lifespan: most recently, our shop glued and repaired several top cracks, a side crack, and several back cracks. There's heavy capo wear on the back of the neck, that has been lightly touched up with finish. Most interestingly, an old-fashioned 'bridge doctor' or sorts has been installed, keeping the bridge pinned to the top of the guitar and anchored at the end wedge. This is a guitar meant for someone who loves and appreciates Martin guitars and their history, so we have elected to leave it otherwise as-is. Priced with hardshell case. On consignment; shipping calculated at checkout.

Materials
Top
Spruce
Back & Sides
Brazilian Rosewood
Neck
Spanish Cedar
Fingerboard
Ebony
Bridge
Ebony
Tuners
Original
Bracing
Scalloped (Forward shifted)
Construction
Hide Glue
Finish
Original varnish w/touch ups

Neck Specs
Carve
Vintage V
Nut Width
1 7/8"
String Spacing
2 3/8"
Scale Length
24 7/8"
Truss Rod
Non-adjustable
Inlays
None
Headstock
Brazilian Rosewood veneer

Other
Serial #
N/A (Martin NY stamp)
Case
Non-original hardshell