1931 C. F. Martin OM-28 Natural

SN 46428. Here is a nicely seasoned 1931 OM-28 that occupies a short transitional period in OM-28 history, one of the few made with banjo tuners, large guard and belly bridge.

An exceptional player, the setup and the tone are mighty impressive. TJ Thompson reset the neck, refretted and PLEKed the fingerboard, installed a new bridge, saddle and bridge pins. He talked the owner into reinstalling banjo tuners insisting the extra weight in the neck was one of the things that made these guitars sound so amazing. It’s probably the best setup bar fret guitar I’ve played. It plays easily up and down the neck. And the tone? It has the bass, balance and sparkle these are known for. It’s a wonderful fingerstyle guitar and a dynamic picker capable of any style.

Cosmetically the pictures tell the story. It’s easy to imagine this guitar in the hands of a busker or barroom troubadour at some point in its career. There are a lot of nicks and playwear front and back, two beautifully spliced top cracks, a pickguard crack and a temperature crack in the back. But architecturally, the guitar is sound; the top has the correct profile, and the neck geometry is perfect. The rosewood has that dramatic figuring associated with the “magic log”, the Adi top has that nice even grain and the 28-style appointments are original and in good shape – herringbone trim, zigzag back strip, ivory trim, snowflakes and diamond inlays. The tuners are replacements of course and the holes from the Grovers were filled and touched up by TJ. It’s ruggedly handsome and, while not a cheap date, considerably less and a cosmetically pure one.

SPECS:

Top: Adirondack spruce
Band & Sides: Brazilian rosewood
Bridge & Fretboard: Ebony
Appointments: Style 28
Nut width: 1-3/4”
String spacing: 2-3/8”
Body width: 15 1/4”
Depth: 4-1/8”
Scale length: 25.4”
Case: HSC