Border Patrol
Top Borders and Rosettes on Martin Guitars
Style 45
From 1904 until the restriction of materials and a reduced skilled labor force caused it's end with World War II, the Style 45 was the most adorned model in the Martin catalog, with strips of abalone bordering the top, surrounding the fretboard extension, and in the center ring of the rosette, as well as bordering the instrument's back and sides. The Style 45 was reintroduced with the revived interest in the "folk guitar" in the 1960's.
1919 Martin 0-45
While Martin transitioned from red spruce as a top wood to Sitka spruce in 1945, at the end of World War II, this guitar is one of a small number of Martins built in 1919, at the end of World War I, with a top of Sitka spruce, which had come into prominence as "aircraft spruce" or "airplane spruce" with the advent of the First World War.
In 1930, Martin introduced a DeLuxe variation of the "Orchestra Model" Style 45, with even greater adornment, including a pearl inlaid pickguard and bridge and gold plated engraved tuners with pearl buttons. After producing roughly a dozen examples, however, the model was discontinued within the year as parts became difficult to procure.
1930 Martin OM-45 DeLuxe
#44070
Before 1902, The Style 42, which lacked the inlaid border on the back and sides of the Style 45, was the fanciest cataloged Martin.
The inlaid back and sides that distinguish the Style 45 first appeared in a "Special" version of a Style 42, #9372, which also featured an elaborate vine pattern on the fretboard and a fancy inlaid pickguard of the type seen on Martin's most elaborate mandolins, followed by #9488, the first "Style 45 prototype" that more closely resembles the Style 45 as it appeared with it's official introduction in 1904, with the "Snowflake" inlays on frets five, seven, nine, twelve, and fifteen.
1902 Martin 00-42S Style 45 Prototype
#9488
Style 42
Before 1896, no Martin guitar had inlays on the fingerboard.
1896 Martin 2-42
1894 Martin 0-42
The Style 42 was introduced in the 000 size in 1918 with the production of two guitars, one of which, #13364, was ordered by the Ditson stores with the same distinctive fan bracing designed for playing with steel strings in the Hawaiian style that was seen on the early Ditson Dreadnaught.
#13364 also sported an original cloud shaped pickguard inlaid into the top.
1918 Martin 000-42
#13364
The Style 40
The Style 40 was an early design, very similar to the pearl bordered style 42, but for a lack of pearl inlay surrounding the fretboard extension, and offered as a size 2. This combination of appointments on the top was revived for the Style E guitar made for William Foden in 1913, but his guitars had full inlay surrounding the back and sides, similar to a 45.
The style 40 was revived again in the 1920's for the Hawaiian 00-40H
1934 Martin 00-40H
The Style 34, one of Martin's most attractive and interesting early models, featured a pearl rosette combined with a top border of wood marquetry with patterns which varied over the years.
Style 34
This "Z" pattern is common on Style 34 in the 0 Size which were made until the teens.
The colored herringbone is more common on early Style 34 Martins in Size 2.
Style 27 and 30
The Style 27 and 30 were similar to a style 34, with pearl rosettes and wood marquetry borders, but with the ivory pyramid bridge of the Style 34 replaced by an ebony pyramid bridge.
Here you can see a Style 27 with a Style 30, which appear to be nearly identical. In fact, in some years, the only difference between the Style 27 and Style 30 were the tuners, which were brass on the Style 27, and silver plated on the Style 30. The main distinction was that the 2-27 was a size 2 guitar costing $27, while the 0-30 was a slightly larger guitar costing $30.
Today we see a Martin 00-28 and see two distinct set of numbers which are unrelated, and which can be mixed and matched as from a Chinese menu, the 00 refering to the size of the guitar, and the 28 referring to the quality. The higher the quality number, the higher the quality of the appointments on the guitar.
When the numbering system was established in the early 1850's, Martin offered different size guitars with different distinct levels of appointments. Martin offered a size 2, for instance, as both a 2-17, a simple size 2 guitar costing $17, and a 2-27, a size 2 guitar costing $27. A size 1 was offerred as a $28 guitar with lesser appointments than the 27, having no pearl on the rosette. But the price was $1 higher because it was offered in a larger size. An 0 size guitar was offered as a $34 guitar with pearl rosette and an ivory bridge. A pearl bordered guitar was offered as a size 2 1/2 for $42, while a size 2 version was offered without pearl bordering the fretboard extension for $40. Eventually the prices rose with inflation, but the numbers stuck and remained the same. By this time the Style 42 had come to represent both the smaller 2 1/2 - 42 as well as the larger 0-42, and the Style 34 had come to represent both the 2-34 and the larger 0-34.
1893 Martin 2-27
1870's Martin 2-27
1860's Martin 2-27 with rosewood veneer spruce back
Style 28
The Style 28 can be recognized by a top border with a herringbone pattern which has become one of Martin's most recognized and enduring features.
1870's Martin 1-28
Style 26
The Style 26 is similar to a Style 26, but with a simpler top border, most often a "half herringbone", or "rope" pattern.
1870's Martin 1-26
Style 24
The Style 24 is another one of Martin's more interesting and varied models, with marquetry of various designs on both the rosette and top border, as well as "side filets", narrow strips of light colored wood on the sides, bordering the top and back binding.
1850's Martin 2-24 with Spanish neck and rosewood veneer spruce back.
1850's Martin 2-24 with ebonized neck and rosewood veneer spruce back.
Style 23
The Style 23 is another interesting model, with side filets, but with a top border of simple strips of wood replacing the fancier marquetry of the Style 24.
1855 Martin 2-23
Style 22
1850's Martin 2-22
Style 21
The Styles 21, 22, and 23 all featured herringbone patterns on their rosettes.
1897 Martin 1-21
Style 20
1860's Martin Style 20
Style 18
The Style 18 was one of Martin's simpler and most enduring models, with straight lines on the top border, and a simple rosette.
1943 Martin 00-18
Style 17
The Style 17 is traditionally quite similar to the Style 18, but available in smaller size.
1893 Martin 2 1/5 -17
The Style 17 was later revived as an all mahogany guitar, as was it's slightly less expensive cousin, the Style 15.
1936 Martin 0-17
1943 Martin 00-17
The alternating black and white Celluloid lines on the top border of the Martin C-2 archtops are said to be the inspiration for the top border consisting of plain straight lines that would later appear on the post war Style 28 to replace the long lived herringbone top border in 1947. In fact, the flattop Style 44 Martins produced for Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, illustrated below, preceded the Martin archtops with the same design, with the C-2 merely making the same natural progression from ivory to Celluloid that occurred on herringbone trimmed guitars.
1932 Martin C-2S 12 String Guitar
1965 Martin D-35
The following is a list of some of the sizes and styles most commonly seen in the 19th century:
3-16
2 1/2 - 17
2 - 18
2 - 20
1 - 21
2 - 23
2 - 24
1 - 26
2 - 27
1 - 28
0 - 28
2 1/2 - 30
0 - 30
2 - 34
2 - 42
Before the Styles Were Defined
In the 1850's, Martin began standardized their models, giving them names derived from their size and price. A 2-27 was a size 2 guitar selling for $27.
Before this time you will find some examples of the guitars these styles were based on, and which are nearly identical to guitars made decades later, and other examples which are either unique, or combine elements which appear in different contexts in later times.
Here are two such examples exhibiting the zig zag motif later seen on the backstrip of a Style 28, the first similar to a Martin 1-21, with zig zag marquetry in the place of herringbone on the rosette...
...and the second similar to a Martin Style 1-26, with the zig zag replacing the half herringbone on the top border:
And here we see an 1840's Martin Spanish Guitar in the style of a 1-28, with the checkerboard seen on a post war 28 back strip in place of the herringbone, and a very early presentation of rosette rings in the form of a standard Style 28, but with outer rings in the style often seen on Martin & Coupas of the period.
Pearl Rosette Style 28
The sighting of a couple of rare examples similar to this guitar have caused speculation that this is the the earliest form of the Style 28, originally including pearl inlay on the rosette. It's also possible that this is simply a combination seen before the styles were defined.
And here we see a variation of the pearl rosette 1-28 with the "zig zag" top border.
This example is unusual for combining the rosette of a style 28 with a top border more typical of a style 30 or 34 in 1874, after the models had been standardized for some time.
This unique 0-34 has a wide pearl center rosette ring which to my knowledge has not been seen on another example. The color of the wood on the outer rosette rings is also unusual, though you'll also notice natural wood rings on the Martin Style 24.
The Martin Style 23, 24, and 34 do have more variation in trim than other Martin models, but the choice of marquetry does vary on Martin guitars, and is not in itself indicative of a different style.
And sometimes life is just filled with mysteries.
This Martin 1-28 was made in 1907:
This unusual Martin Style 21 rosette is most likely from the 1880's, also after the standards had been established, but is reminiscent of checkerboard variations commonly seen in the 1840's.
We also see variations within a style of purfling. The size of the herringbone purfling could vary greatly from year to year.
The smallest herringbone appeared just before the turn of the century.
1898 Martin 0-28
On the 1898 Martin 0-28, we see 18 herringbones per inch.
On this 1930 Martin OM-28, we see 10 herringbones per inch.
Early Martin Guitars
Martin Stauffer Guitar
1837 Martin Hudson Street Guitar
Early Martin & Coupa Spanish Style Guitar
Martin & Coupa Koa Guitars
Martin 1840's Spanish Guitar
Martin "Renaissance" Style Guitar
1840's Alternate X brace Spanish Style Guitar
1850's Martin Ivory Fingerboard Stauffer Style Guitar
This example also has marquetry on the sides adjacent to the ivory binding.
Martin Made for Other Firms
Martin occassionally used different marquetry on instruments made for other firms, but generally it was chosen by Martin. The most common of these is the single ring rosette, which was used for guitars made for numerous firms including Ditson, the Southern California Music Company, Wurlitzer, Foden, and B&J in place of the signature Martin three ring rosette.
Martin built for B & J S.S. Stewart 0-17S
Martin built for Southern California Music Company "Nunes" 1400 and "Rolando" 1500
This is a rare example where Martin was given sample instruments to match, and SoCal even provided the koa wood for these early examples.
Martin built for Southern California Music Company "Nunes" 1400
Martin built for Southern California Music Company "Rolando" 1500
The Martin built for Southern California Music Company Style 1350 had the same simple style single ring rosette as Martins made for the Ditson Company.
Martin built for Southern California Music Company Spruce Top Sample "Nunes" 1350
Martin built for Southern California Music Company Early "Rolando" 1350
#95
1922 Martin Olcott-Bickford 0-44
The Style 44 guitars made for Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, who preferred high quality guitars with simpler trim, were the first rosewood flat top Martins to have the border of plain lines later adopted by the Martin archtops and then used to replace the herringbone trim on a postwar style 28 in 1947.
This upgraded Martin Style 17 was a special edition made as the Beltone 2-17S.
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