Antique 1921 Martin Model 0-42 Acustic Guitar 12-Fret Neck Ebony Pearl SN 15941 For Sale

Antique 1921 Martin Model 0-42 12-Fret Acustic Guitar Neck Ebony Pearl

Serial Number 15941 / Circa 1921

Handbuilt By C.F. MARTIN & CO. NAZARETH, PA

Up for sale is an incredibly rare, investment-grade 1921 C.F. Martin 0-42 pre-war acoustic guitar. This museum-tier instrument represents the absolute pinnacle of Martin\'s \"Golden Era\" craftsmanship, hand-built in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. It is an exceptional find for serious vintage guitar collectors and players worldwide.

Professional Inspection & Authentication:

This guitar has been carefully examined and authenticated by a professional luthier in Palm Beach, Florida, to verify its structural integrity, neck status, and overall antique condition.

Key Specifications & Verification:

• Serial Number: 15941 (Stamped clearly on the internal neck block, confirming a production date of early 1921).

• Internal Branding: Features the original, crisp \"C.F. Martin & Co. Nazareth, PA\" hot iron brand stamped directly onto the mahogany back center strip inside the soundhole.

• Headstock Branding: Features the matching, original \"C.F. Martin & Co. Nazareth, PA\" brand stamped cleanly into the back of the mahogany headstock.

• Body Size: 0-Size \"Concert\" model, measuring exactly 13 ½ inches across the lower bout.

• Neck & Headstock: Traditional pre-war slotted headstock with a 12-fret neck joint. Outfitted with original or period-correct engraved brass 3-on-a-plate tuning machines with white buttons in excellent working order.

• Tonewoods: Premium, straight-grained Brazilian Rosewood back and sides with a beautifully bookmatched, fine-grained spruce top and a mahogany neck featuring a hand-carved diamond volute.

• Cosmetic Appointments: Style 42 luxury appointments featuring stunning, hand-inlaid abalone pearl purfling framing the top perimeter and soundhole rosette, wrapping elegantly around the fingerboard extension. Features historic snowflake/cat\'s-eye pearl fretboard markers and a multi-color \"zig-zag\" marquetry back strip.

• Heel Design: Classic, sharp shallow heel cap configuration optimized for traditional acoustic body mounting.

• Side Position Markers: Highly visible black side dots embedded directly into the cream edge binding at the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets.

• Headstock Style & Transition: Designed for a slotted headstock build. The back of the neck features a beautifully carved diamond-shaped volute (dart) right below the nut area, providing crucial vintage-correct structural reinforcement.

• Tuners: Open-gear style, currently fitted with vintage-correct cream plastic button tuning pegs.

Condition Notes

The neck is straight with a clean transition profile. The ebony fretboard is beautifully hydrated with zero cracking. Frets have plenty of life left on them, and the binding is completely secure along the entire length of both sides.

Condition & Setup Report:

• Overall State: Excellent antique condition with honest finish checking, minor age spots, and pick wear/fingernail scratching on the treble side of the top beneath the strings. This guitar remains in its original configuration without an added pickguard.

• Neck Angle & Playability: Fully evaluated as underset (pulled forward from decades of natural string tension). The bone saddle has been historically sanded down to its limit to compensate for this angle and keep the action low. It is playable as-is, but is a prime candidate for a standard neck reset to achieve optimal factory specification. The neck heel remains clean with no strap button modifications.

• Top Crack: There is a visible hairline crack on the spruce top extending from the treble side of the bridge wing up toward the soundhole rosette. It has settled tightly over time and shows signs of older, historic stabilization rather than a freshly split, open gap.

• Soundboard Etching: Please note there is an old, faint, historic pencil-etched outline of a small shield/emblem on the spruce top directly beneath the strings just below the rosette ring. This is a purely cosmetic, antique character blemish from the guitar\'s long history.

• Bridge & Geometry: Features its highly desirable, original ebony \"Pyramid\" wing bridge which is structurally stable, remaining perfectly flush and firmly attached to the top surface. The soundboard exhibits typical pre-war \"belly\" lift behind the bridge and a slight settling in front.

• Bridge Pins: Currently fitted with four vintage white pins with pearl eye inlays and two black replacement pins.

Endpiece & Endpin: Features the original boxed wood endpiece inlay. The vintage white endpin features a dark center dot and shows a small, minor historic chip on its collar. The lower bout has never been drilled out for an acoustic pickup jack.

Important Care Warning:

Please note the guitar was photographed with modern steel strings, but tension has since been completely loosened to protect the top. Because 1921 Martin guitars were structurally braced and voiced strictly for gut strings, it must only be tuned to pitch using modern nylon/classical strings or extra-light silk-and-steel strings to safeguard its delicate pre-war build.

What\'s Included:

Comes housed in a premium, authentic C.F. Martin & Co. vintage-style hardshell case featuring the classic green velvet interior lining and the original raised gold Martin factory emblem intact inside the lid.

Shipping & Security Terms (Please Read Before offerding):

• Direct Signature Required: This item will only be shipped via a premium carrier with full independent tracking, high-value cargo insurance, and a strict direct adult signature required upon delivery. It cannot be left on porches or diverted to alternate addresses.

• Verified Accounts Only: We reserve the right to cancel offers or purchases from buyers with low response scores, unverified payment accounts, or suspicious purchasing histories.

• Fraud Prevention: The packing and shipping process of this instrument will be fully video-recorded at the carrier facility to document the exact structural condition of the guitar, serial number 15941, and secure packaging methods prior to transit.

International Buyers:Due to value shipping available to USA only / No International Shipping is available