1930 Martin OM-28 Acoustic Guitar - Used

$21,500.00

Details

Here's a fully playable and great-sounding early OM-28 from the very end of 1930 (serial #45310). It's been completely refinished, and has a new bridge and pickguard. Martin gave these early OM models banjo-style tuners, which rarely survived for long. This example had another set of right-angle guitar gears installed before it was given the Waverly tuners you see here. Martin wasn't using headstock decals in 1930, the decal was probably added when it was refinished. The interior bracing is original, no flat brace was added under the fingerboard, but the bridge plate has been replaced (new bridge plate is maple, somewhat larger than the original).

Note that the inner edge of herringbone around the top, at the waist near the pickguard, was sanded through when the top was refinished (the top seems quite stiff, it appears the "over-sanding" was around the outer perimeter of the top, while the more critical parts, such as around the bridge, were not significantly thinned). There's a part of the back edge that's missing the thin wood purfling next to the back binding itself (see outer edge of lower bout on bass side). A 3 1/2" section of back binding in this area has been replaced (see photo). This OM-28 had suffered numerous cracks to its sides years ago which were reinforced with glued linen strips, a standard old-school repair technique. More recently it was given a proper neck reset, and a complete refret with bar stock frets, both were well done. String action as shown, with light gauge, is 3/32" at the 12th fret, and note that there's plenty of saddle above the bridge. We do not know when or where the restoration was done and since this OM came to us from an estate we cannot ask the previous owner, but we're assuming it was done at least 20 years ago and probably earlier. Includes a Martin Vintage-Series TKL case, probably about 20 years old.