1927 MARTIN 0-28K

Stunning 1927 Martin 0-28K, in very good preserved and playable condition.

The 0-28K style is one of half a dozen so-called Hawaiian models marketed by Martin beginning in the second half of the 1910s. These guitars were introduced at a time when the United States was gripped by a passion for the music of the Pacific Islands, as it had been presented at major events such as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915. Initially celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal and the recent reconstruction of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake, the occasion also honored Hawaiian musicians at the island’s pavilion, where curious onlookers flocked to see and hear hula music played for the first time on instruments such as ukuleles and steel guitars—until then largely unknown to the continental public. The resulting enthusiasm was unequivocal, so much so that the American guitar world promptly split in two: on the one hand, devotees of the Spanish guitar, that is, the guitar played in the conventional style as introduced from Europe; and on the other, those of the Hawaiian guitar, played flat on the knees using a metal slide bar held in the left hand to “fret” notes onto the instrument’s strings.

The 0-28K was a rather luxurious model, positioned just below the 00-40H style, the top-of-the-line model richly adorned with mother-of-pearl bindings and Brazilian rosewood back and sides. First marketed in 1917, it was officially cataloged in 1923. The example presented here dates from 1927 and is one of 175 identical guitars shipped that year – this was also the peak of production for the model, the total production amounting to 641 examples, making this guitar one of the rarest variations of the size 0 instruments since production was interrupted in the mid-1930s. From the mid-1920s, Martin began to ship their Hawaiian models configured for slide playing, unless the buyer specifically requested that the instrument be set up for Spanish playing. Thus, when it left the Nazareth workshop, this instrument was equipped with a raised nut and bridge, as well as an uncompensated saddle. As is the case with many of these guitars, the saddle, nut and bridge were later reworked to reduce their height and lower the string action for conventional Spanish playing. We also note that the instrument’s bracing, although scalloped (i.e., carved along its upper edge to reduce weight), presents a more robust construction compared to non-Hawaiian instruments of the same era, many of which were still designed for playing with gut strings. This shows that, as early as the 1920s, Martin had been considering strengthening their steel-string models to compensate for soundboard warping related to increased string tension.

This guitar shares the same dimensions and general specifications as a standard 1927 Martin 0-28, except for its body, which is made of beautifully figured grained koa wood, rather than the traditional spruce/Brazilian rosewood combination. The body bindings are ivoroid plastic, with the iconic herringbone pattern around the soundboard, a classic signature of the Style 28. It also features typical construction elements of a pre-1930s Martin guitar, with a body-neck joint at the 12th fret, an open headstock, and bar frets. Finally, we find the beautiful original engraved Waverley tuners as well as the ebony pyramid bridge. The instrument remains in superb condition to this day, with some signs of wear related to playing but overall intact despite its 98 years on Earth! We have worked hard to completely restore its playing condition: levelling and crowning of the frets with rounding of the protruding edges of the bar frets; adjustment of the action and intonation at the nut and saddle; and a complete cleaning of the guitar.

Sold in a modern hardshell case.