c. 1870 Martin 1-26 Acoustic Guitar - Used

$5,500.00

Details

We are are always excited when we get an instrument from the 19th century like this Martin 1-26, that was built in Nazareth around 1870. In Martin's first price list, consolidated in the 1860s, this guitar was listed as a "1-26", the model code deriving from the size followed by its earlier wholesale price. (The style 26 is basically a style 28 but with "half-herringbone" purfling around the top.) Since they don’t have serial numbers, dating 19th Century Martin guitars to an exact year is often not possible. One easy dividing line is that if the stamp on the inside center back strip reads “C. F, Martin & Co.” (instead of just C. F. Martin") it means the guitar was constructed after mid-1867. Many, if not most, of the Martin guitars constructed after around 1880 have penciled dates on the underside of the top.

Guitars such as this one, with no markings on the underside of top, can only be dated by construction details. This 1-26 has two distinctive details associated with earlier Martins: The bridge plate on the underside of the top is a dark brown hardwood, not maple as found on Martins with dated tops. Another feature suggesting an early date is that the #1 back brace is very close to the neck block (barely 1/2 inch), with uneven spacing between the upper back braces, while later Martins have more even spacing between back braces. This is why we're confident that this 1-26 fits in the "circa 1870" date range, rather than being from a decade-plus later.

Although this is not an official signature model, the guitar that evolved into the 1-26 was designed for Madame de Goni. Maria Dolores Esturias y Navarres de Goni (1813-1892), usually known as Madame de Goni, was C. F. Martins most influential endorser from the early 1840s until the Civil War period, and she was still listed as endorsing Martin guitars in 1890s advertisements. Madame de Goni performed to glowing reviews in New York and other major US cities, and even visited the Martin home in Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania.

The two guitars Martin, and compatriot Henry Schatz, made for her in 1843 convinced her to abandon her Spanish-made instrument and the resulting "de Goni" model Martin became one of the small workshop's most popular larger guitars. Martin dealers had only to request a "large de Goni" and this is essentially the guitar they would receive. Today an instrument this size is dubbed a "parlor guitar," but believe it or not, this was one of Martin's larger models when it was made, and size 1 models outsold the larger size 0.

This guitar has its original French polish on the top and and neck, but the finish on Brazilian rosewood back and sides was removed many years ago (those surfaces now have a thin finish we can't identify for certain). There are some repaired cracks to both sides, but no cracks to the top or back, and no cracks in the neck or headstock. It still has its original geared tuning machines and bridge (newer bridge pins). All internal bracing is original including bridge plate. It's currently strung with silk & steel strings (.010 to .047). It plays well in the lower position on the neck but for serious playing up the neck this circa 150 years-old Martin would need a neck reset.

Today, guitars like this are often used by songwriters, who tend to keep them handy, hanging on a wall or stashed safely in a corner, ready to be tucked under the player's arm when inspiration strikes. They're extremely lightweight and are easy to play (imagine a rosewood guitar weighing a mere 2 3/4 lbs!). An added benefit with a guitar this old is that it makes you feel much younger!