Martin and Coupa Brazilian Tigerwood Guitar



Once the Martin family moved from New York City to rural Pennsylvania in 1838, distribution of the guitars remained in New York, handled by guitar teacher John Coupa,
and the guitars
were either affixed with a "Martin & Coupa" label, or continued to be stamped "C.F. Martin, New York".

This is a typical early Martin parlor guitar, showing a mix of Viennese and Spanish influenced features:  Still with the Stauffer Style headstock and Vienna gears, ebonized neck
and "ice cream cone" heel, combined with Spanish fan bracing, an early precursor of Martin's faux Spanish foot, extending the width of the upper bout, and an early version of
Martin's typical Spanish influenced body shape, with a smaller upper bout than the Viennese influenced guitars, and a flatter base of the lower bout than is found on later Martins.

This instrument has been noted in several books as an early illustration of Martin's use of Hawaiian koa wood, long before koa was first thought to have been used during
the Hawaiian craze of the teens.  Recent testing has shown this wood to in fact be Goncalo Alves from Eastern Brazil, commonly referred to as "Tigerwood".

The back
is a Goncalo Alves veneer over mahogany.


Formerly of the Chinery Collection.


 




This early example of an early Martin Koa wood guitar was thought to be a one of a kind, until I discovered it's twin.  Ever efficient, Martin often made a second guitar, identical with the exception of varying the marquetry designs, when he had a unique order.

This is a typical early Martin parlor guitar, still with the Stauffer Style headstock and Vienna gears, ebonized neck and "ice cream cone" heel, fan bracing, an early precursor of the Spanish foot, extending the width of the upper bout, and an early version of Martin's typical body shape, with a smaller upper bout than the Viennese influenced guitars, but a flatter lower bout than found on later Martins.

This is one of many 1840's Martins affixed the "Martin & Coupa" label and distributed by New York guitar teacher John Coupa.





 






Body width: 11 7/16"

Upper body width:  8 3/8"

Body length:  17.5"

Upper body depth:  3.25"

Lower body depth:  3 9/16"

Neck width at nut: 1 13/16"

Neck width at 12th fret:  2.5"

Soundhole:  3 7/16"

Scale:  24"

String spacing at bridge:  2 5/16"

Top braces:  fan bracing with three blades

Back braces:  3 wide round top braces

Large foot under beck block extending the entire width of the top

Martin & Coupa label with smaller John F. Nunns, Philadelphia store label added

 

 



 

 
 

 

 

 
 




This second example is clearly a near identical twin, made of the same wood at the same time.

Martin tended to built two almost identical twins at a time, with minor differences in the appointments, so I was not entirely surprised to find the second one.  This second example appears to be identical for the exception of the pendant below the bridge with a single dot of pearl.





 


Illustrated in Carter,  "Acoustic Guitars and Other Fretted Instruments"p. 18 :

"Stuck over the Martin & Coupa label is one indicating that the guitar was "Sold by John F. Nunns".  Martin & Coupa claimed the largest assortment of
guitars that can be found in the United States."






Illustrated in Washburn & Johnston, "Martin Guitars: An Illustrated Celebration of America's Premier Guitarmaker", p. 43:

"You don't often find Hawaiian koa on mid-nineteenth-century guitars; in fact, you don't find much koa on anything at that early date.  Around 1915,
when the Hawaiian music craze swept the nation, Martin began to make lots of instruments from this beautiful wood, but one can only speculate
why C.F. Sr. chose to try it on this Martin & Coupa from the 1840's."



 


Illustrated in Gura: "C.F. Martin and his Guitars"



 earlymartin.com


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