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Guitar lovers, I present my friend's 1934 Martin 14 Fret 00045. 1 of only 14 made in 1934.
Posted on 7/19/17 at 10:50 pm
Posted on 7/19/17 at 10:50 pm
Linky to more pictures and a bit more backstory.
This thing is incredibly rare. As I said in the title, only 14 were made in 34, and it is impossible to know how many of the 14 have survived, much less in playable condition. Martin only produced 341 14 Fret versions of the 00045 between 1934 and 1942.
She will never sell it unless her world gets turned upside down because it means too much to her. She lost her son and then her husbad within 8 months of each other, and the guitar was her husband's. But I still wanted to mention the value on this thing because it is insane. She turned down $125,000 for it in 2008. In 2011** Vintage Guitar magazine said this exact model was worth $160,000, and then in 2015(I think?) Another '34, 14 Fret, 00045 sold at auction for $200,000.
**Also in 2011, Vintage Guitar magazine said it was the 00045's were 7th most valuable vintage guitar ever made, and the '34 14 Fret is the rarest and most valuable of the 00045's.
What's crazier is my friend and her husband used to have a second 14 fret 00045 from the 1930s. But they traded it for a violin in the early 70as because they didn't know what they were worth back then. Thank goodness they kept the '34...
This thing is incredibly rare. As I said in the title, only 14 were made in 34, and it is impossible to know how many of the 14 have survived, much less in playable condition. Martin only produced 341 14 Fret versions of the 00045 between 1934 and 1942.
She will never sell it unless her world gets turned upside down because it means too much to her. She lost her son and then her husbad within 8 months of each other, and the guitar was her husband's. But I still wanted to mention the value on this thing because it is insane. She turned down $125,000 for it in 2008. In 2011** Vintage Guitar magazine said this exact model was worth $160,000, and then in 2015(I think?) Another '34, 14 Fret, 00045 sold at auction for $200,000.
**Also in 2011, Vintage Guitar magazine said it was the 00045's were 7th most valuable vintage guitar ever made, and the '34 14 Fret is the rarest and most valuable of the 00045's.
What's crazier is my friend and her husband used to have a second 14 fret 00045 from the 1930s. But they traded it for a violin in the early 70as because they didn't know what they were worth back then. Thank goodness they kept the '34...
This post was edited on 7/19/17 at 10:52 pm
2
Posted on 7/19/17 at 11:48 pm to VaBamaMan
Sell the guitar and update the 50's wood paneling. 
Seriously, I wish I owned something 1/10 as cool as that guitar.
Seriously, I wish I owned something 1/10 as cool as that guitar.
Posted on 7/20/17 at 12:07 am to Spock's Eyebrow
That actually look like cypress not paneling
Posted on 7/20/17 at 7:23 am to bayouman
What a sweet piece and what a cool story behind it!
Here's a minty '34 OM/short scale for sale at Norman's if you want to see more shots and a video of this model's fine details. They're asking $200K for theirs ...
Clickie this linkie ...
Here's a minty '34 OM/short scale for sale at Norman's if you want to see more shots and a video of this model's fine details. They're asking $200K for theirs ...
Clickie this linkie ...
This post was edited on 7/20/17 at 7:33 am
Posted on 7/20/17 at 7:35 am to VaBamaMan
Wow - what a neck. That fretboard looks near pristine.
thanks
thanks
Posted on 7/20/17 at 9:07 am to awestruck
Very cool.
Who had the balls to drill a hole in the block for a strap pin?
I wouldn't. I'd need about 10 letters of reference and 8 hours of observation of Fret Shack working before I'd let him do it.
Or did they come that way in 1934. If I had to guess I would say no.
ETA. Never mind. Reading the story in the link. Same person who would scrawl their name on a fret board would have no problems drilling into a block. Hell they may have just tapped a nail into the bastard.
Amazing that something like that is just sitting in what looks like your "average little old lady" home in America. Anybody from Martin ever call this lady? Or Vince Gill?
Tell the owner if she is ever in a bind I got tree-fiddy with her name on it. Hell I'll double it.
Who had the balls to drill a hole in the block for a strap pin?
I wouldn't. I'd need about 10 letters of reference and 8 hours of observation of Fret Shack working before I'd let him do it.
Or did they come that way in 1934. If I had to guess I would say no.
ETA. Never mind. Reading the story in the link. Same person who would scrawl their name on a fret board would have no problems drilling into a block. Hell they may have just tapped a nail into the bastard.
Amazing that something like that is just sitting in what looks like your "average little old lady" home in America. Anybody from Martin ever call this lady? Or Vince Gill?
Tell the owner if she is ever in a bind I got tree-fiddy with her name on it. Hell I'll double it.
This post was edited on 7/20/17 at 9:25 am
Posted on 7/20/17 at 2:08 pm to awestruck
quote:
That fretboard looks near pristine.
Uh...thats because of something I forgot to mention, whoops.
While the neck is still original, they replaced the fret-board with an identical part from Martin. The guy they bought it from in the 1960's had been using it when he performed, and he had painted his name in large letter on the fretboard so the audience would know his name.
Sad that he ruined an original piece from such a rare and special guitar. That being said, the current owner and her late husband both played in bluegrass and folk bands for decades, and that guitar has been played in hundreds, if not thousands of shows over the past 83 years. So it still looks, and sounds, that nice after a lifetime of being a tool, not a collectible. Truly says something about excellence of Martin build quality.
Side note: I'm 31 years old, and I'm almost certain the leather shoulder strap on the guitar is 15-20 years older than I am.
Posted on 7/20/17 at 2:12 pm to TheFretShack
quote:
Here's a minty '34 OM/short scale for sale at Norman's if you want to see more shots and a video of this model's fine details. They're asking $200K for theirs ...
In the link it says that guitar is a long scale not short, all of the 14 frets were long scale in '34 if I am not mistaken.
Posted on 7/20/17 at 5:54 pm to VaBamaMan
Thanks - see it now in the link.
Does it have bar frets? Looks like it might.
They were discontinued by Martin around that time. Played one once, back when just starting out and they felt way different. But have since read that's more how the tops were finished.
Does it have bar frets? Looks like it might.
They were discontinued by Martin around that time. Played one once, back when just starting out and they felt way different. But have since read that's more how the tops were finished.
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