1928 Martin 2-18T tenor guitar

Cornfield

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The size 2 guitar is nearly forgotten. It is smaller than a size 0. Larger than a baritone ukulele but not much. This one has had a neck reset.
The sound sample is of me playing it, badly, while tuned in fifths. It can be restrung and tuned in Chicago tuning.
his is a rare find. a genuine 1928 Martin 2-18T guitar. Serial Number is 37163. 1928 was the first year that Martin made this model. It comes with a very old guitar case that is larger than the guitar. The neck has been reset so playing is very easy. It does not appear to have been refinished, the tuners appear to be original.
There are some scratches on it, as shown. When I'm 91 years old, I'll have some scratches too.
It sounds beautiful. It it currently tuned in fifths though it can easily be retuned to Chicago tuning (DGBE).

I got the following description from another site but it appears to be accurate:

Adirondack spruce top, Honduras mahogany back, sides, and neck, Original Grover banjo tuners, Brazilian rosewood headstock overlay, Ebony fingerboard with 3 pearl dots, 12 frets to the body joint, Brazilian rosewood body binding, Wooden purflings, Ebony bridge with long saddle,
$1699 plus $100 for domestic shipping.

 

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Amazing guitar. I am glad to see it still exists! Thank you for posting it. Good luck with your sale.You might want to show this to Jake Wildwood. If it were mine, I couldn't let it go.
 
What is the scale length please? That is the distance from the nut to the bridge saddle, Thanks!
 
The only interest I've seen in this guitar is one fellow in France and one in Japan. Since there is Brazillian Rosewood in the binding CITES paperwork prevents me from shipping this one out of the country.
I'm giving serious consideration to putting it back in the vault for awhile. Any interest here?
 
What a fantastic tenor guitar, Cornfield. I'll help you out with the sale by sweetening the deal. That Martin belongs with someone who will cherish and play it!

To the UUer who buys this instrument: I have a collection of tenor banjo / tenor guitar instruction and music books (some of which are hard to find) for CGDA fifths tuning. Total value of this collection is between $120 and $200. If you purchase this instrument and live in CONUS, I am willing to send you the books free of charge. Books cover everything from beginning method books and chord bibles to arranging chord-melodies, Dixieland arrangements, and Bach cello suite transcriptions.
 
:drool: You guys are really making this difficult to resist and I’ve never played a tenor guitar. Must step away from the screen and go play baritone.
 
Have fun there. Do they have guided tours?

If you happen to be traveling nearby, it’s well worth the visit. The guided tour takes about an hour and there’s little museum (original Konter uke is there as well as many vintage Martin guitars). There is a room where you can strum some new guitars but there are no tenor guitars to be seen, not even in the museum. When I asked about tenor guitars, the tour guide looked puzzled.
 
If you happen to be traveling nearby, it’s well worth the visit. The guided tour takes about an hour and there’s little museum (original Konter uke is there as well as many vintage Martin guitars). There is a room where you can strum some new guitars but there are no tenor guitars to be seen, not even in the museum. When I asked about tenor guitars, the tour guide looked puzzled.

Tenor guitars are kind of a like a bastard in the guitar family. In the late 1920's, the tenor banjo was falling out of favor while the guitar was becoming popular. Tenor banjo players wanted to switch to guitar but were having trouble learning how to play 6 string instruments. The tenor guitar was built to sell to them.
They had a small resurgence when the Kingston Trio's Nick Reynolds became a star during the folk scare.
 
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