1950 Martin 00-17 Flattop Guitar

While there are scuffs and scratches throughout the finish and a little chunk out of the headstock's side at the top, this guitar is in surprisingly good order. My friend David Richard repaired this beaut in recent memory and its owner simply isn't playing much these days, so he brought it in for resale. It came into the shop playing spot-on, ready to go, and with anything needing fixing having already been fixed. That was easy!

For those in the know, Martin 00-size guitars are just about the "perfect" guitar -- loud and warm-sounding enough to pass muster for a variety of uses, with a shorter scale length so the left hand doesn't tire-out as quickly and the sound is "chunkier" and more direct, and with a comfortable body size and shape that can go from couch to stage and back again easily.

This era of Martin is my favorite -- I love both the structural stability and sound of early-'50s models. The tone out of this particular one recalls '30s 00s I've played but with perhaps a little more headroom so you can slam your pick into it a little harder. It sounds great flatpicked or fingerpicked, both.

Repairs included: here, we just did a quick cursory few adjustments. At my friend David's shop, this got the works: a neck rest, board plane and refret, bridge work, new saddle, minor crack repairs here and there on the top and a small one or two on the sides, new tuner buttons, and new bridge pins.

• Weight: 3 lbs 5 oz
• Scale length: 24 7/8"
• Nut width: 1 11/16"
• Neck shape: medium soft V
• Board radius: 16"
• Body width: 14 1/2"
• Body depth: 4"
• Top wood: solid mahogany
• Back & sides wood: solid mahogany
• Bracing type: x
• Bridge: rosewood
• Fretboard: rosewood
• Neck wood: mahogany
• Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
• String gauges: 54w-12 lights
• Truss rod: non-adjustable
• Neck relief: straight
• Fret style: medium-modern

Condition notes: the worst of it is that there's a medium-sized chip-out/chunk out of the side of the headstock near the G-string tuner button. There are also light-to-medium-sized scratches, scuffs, nicks, dings, etc. throughout the finish of the guitar. There are a few repaired hairline cracks on the top and a few small ones on the sides. The scratching is worst on the treble "side" of the lower bout. Please understand that though there's wear and tear to the finish, the guitar itself is in excellent structural/playing shape. It's also an old guitar -- there may be minor/medium scratches or scuffs I'm missing. Check the photos!

Also: the saddle, pins, and tuner buttons are all replacements.

It comes with: a new hard case.

Consignor tag: LCL