Description
What makes this guitar special: Rife with character, and absolutely drenched in vintage vibe-this ’57 Martin is everything you’d expect, and then some. The sound is monstrous for its size, with huge projection and an outstanding natural resonance-the woods have opened up beautifully. This piece has been well-loved, and shows all the hallmarks of being someone’s everyday player for decades, with tons of authentic playwear and a marvelous patina that truly can’t be faked. Professionally inspected and setup by our expert in-house luthier, it will arrive ready to play.
Cosmetic condition: This piece was obviously someone’s go-to, and showcases tons of honest wear throughout. There are various scratches, dents, dings, nicks, chips, and scuffs present, with numerous areas of finish wear throughout, on the front & back of the body, as well as the entire back of the neck. The body appears to have been long ago oversprayed, which was then worn through with several more years of playing. The neck has been refretted, and the hardware shows visible tarnishing. There is some slight bellying along the backside of the bridge, and the pickguard has warped with age, but has no cracks or breaks. Overall, this one has a terrific look to it, with a stellar vintage patina.
Body: Solid mahogany back & sides with tortoise binding and solid spruce top. The grain pattern appears too wide to be Sitka-according to many sources, Martin was using both Englemann and Adirondack in ’57. It certainly appears to be Adirondack. Multi-ring ivoroid/black rosette and original tortoise shell pickguard. Brazilian Rosewood bridge with bone saddle and replacement black bridge pins.
Weight: 3 lb, 7.3 oz
Neck: Super comfortable Soft-V shaped solid mahogany neck with aged white side dots and pearl dot inlays. Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard is in awesome shape, with just some light pitting in the first position. Neck has been refretted, and frets show wear but still have life in them. 1 11/16” nut width, 24.9” scale length. Neck is straight and plays beautifully up and down the length of the instrument. The neck does not have an adjustable truss rod, but the string height is great, and action is superb along the entire fingerboard.
Case: Unoriginal hard shell case included.
