1934 Martin 00-21

1934 Martin 00-21
Serial Number: 55662
Condition: Good vintage condition, 1934 model. Guitar shows some wear and repairs consistent with age. Body shows some checking, dings and scratches. Guitar has had a professional neck reset, has 3 thin cracks in the top around the center brace behind the bridge that have been filled with glue, are stable. Guitar has been black-lit, shows evidence of a touch-up where arm would rest, a few "drip" spots on the bass side lower bout. Some wear from play in the finish on the back of the neck in the first position. Frets appear to be original, if the guitar has had a refret it was done decades ago with correct Martin "bar" frets. There is evidence of some fret work having been done. Headstock veneer shows some checking. Guitar comes with a non-original modern 00 style hardshell case.

This 1934 Martin 00-21 (Serial #55662) is a pre-war, 12-fret Grand Concert with Brazilian rosewood back and sides and an Adirondack spruce top. Martin’s Style 21 dates back to the mid-1800s, with the 00 size joining the line in 1898. Around 1934, Martin moved its 000s and dreadnoughts to 14-fret necks, but rosewood 0 and 00 models like this one kept the 12-fret design. Brazilian rosewood has been highly protected for decades, with the guitars built using it long before those restrictions, like this 00 being increasingly scarce. Pre-war Martins that pair Brazilian Rosewood with Adirondack spruce set the standard many modern builders still try to match. Inside, hand-scalloped, forward-shifted X bracing lets the top move freely, giving the small 00 body a loud, open voice. A herringbone soundhole ring and backstrip, the trim that marked Style 21 until Martin dropped herringbone in 1947, pair with a beveled tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard, and the nitrocellulose lacquer finish that has aged to show fine checking over 90 years.

Its mahogany neck has a V carve (.840" at the 1st fret, 1.045" at the 9th) and meets the body at the 12th fret with a set-neck joint that has had a professional reset. Joining at the 12th fret puts the bridge closer to the center of the lower bout, which gives 12-fret Martins their warm, full response. An ebony fretboard has mother-of-pearl slotted diamonds at the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets, a Style 21 pattern dating back to 1901, along with a 16" radius and 20 vintage Martin bar frets on a 24.9" scale. At 1 7/8", the bone nut gives fingerstyle players plenty of string spacing. On the slotted headstock, a Brazilian rosewood veneer frames the open-gear tuners. At the other end, an ebony rectangle bridge with a bone saddle anchors the strings.

Played today, the 00-21 has the balanced, focused voice small-body pre-war Martins are known for, with clear trebles, strong mids, and more low end than its size suggests. Whether you’re a fingerstyle player, a blues or folk guitarist chasing pre-war tone, or a collector of vintage Martin acoustics, this 00-21 deserves a close look. This used guitar is in good vintage condition, with checking, dings, and play wear, a professional neck reset, and 3 stable glued top cracks behind the bridge; see the full condition notes for details. It comes with a modern 00-style hardshell case, not original to the guitar (Serial #55662). Order today from Brian’s Guitars.

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Body
Type: Grand Concert
Shape: 00
Top Material: Adirondack Spruce
Bracing Pattern: Hand-Scalloped, Forward-Shifted X
Body Material: Brazilian Rosewood
Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Color: Natural
Body Binding: Rosewood, Herringbone Backstrip
Rosette: Herringbone

Neck
Material: Mahogany
Shape: V
Dimensions: .840" at the 1st fret, 1.045" at the 9th fret
Joint: 12-Fret, Set-Neck
Fretboard Material: Ebony
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Headstock: Slotted, Brazilian Rosewood Veneer, Gold Martin & Co. Logo
Inlay: Mother of Pearl Slotted Diamonds
Radius: 16"
Frets: 20, Vintage Martin Bar
Scale Length: 24.9"
Nut Width: 1.875" (1 7/8")
Nut Material: Bone

Hardware
Bridge/Tailpiece: Ebony Rectangle Bridge, Bone Saddle
Tuners: Open-Gear Individual
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Pickguard: Beveled Tortoiseshell Celluloid

Other
Case/Gigbag: Modern 00-Style Hardshell Case