With Martin model designations, the digit before the hyphen corresponds to body size and the bigger the number the smaller the body. So, when the 0 (usually pronounced ‘oh’ despite it being an ‘aught’) was first introduced in 1898, it would have been considered a sizeable guitar.
It was second only to Martin’s 00 model, which was introduced the same year and remained Martin’s biggest model until the arrival of the 000 in 1902.
Officially, the 0 models measure 13 ½ inches across the lower bout, but they sometimes came out a tad wider. The tail depth is 4 ¼ inches and the scale length is 24 ¾ inches. As is typical with Martin’s V-profile necks of the pre-war era, the fretboard is fairly wide and measures 1 7/8 inches across the nut.
Style 42
As a rule of thumb with Martins, the higher the number after the hyphen, the fancier the guitar. For Martin guitars at the turn of the last century, ‘fancy’ meant more expensive timbers and a higher level of ornamentation.
As a rule of thumb with Martins, the higher the number after the hyphen, the fancier the guitar
It has been suggested that the model designation also corresponded with price, so a 42 model would have set you back $42 in the mid-1800s. Clearly, this would never have been sustainable in the long term, and prices increased in line with body sizes while the numbering system was retained.
Style 42 represented a step up from the similarly appointed Style 40. The zipper pattern back strip, abalone soundhole ring and abalone inlay around the soundboard edges were retained, but Martin added an abalone border around the fretboard extension and markers were inlaid into the fretboard. The number varied depending on the body size and the production year, but this is where Martin’s ‘snowflake’ inlays first started to be seen.
Between the 0-42’s introduction in 1898 and discontinuation in 1942, Martin company records show that a mere 389 of these guitars were made. Each one would have had Brazilian rosewood back and sides and an Adirondack spruce top, but changes did occur during the production run.
Post-1918
Until 1918, an 0-42 would have been fitted with an ivory bridge, with ivory also used for the body and fretboard binding. Subsequently, ebony ‘pyramid’ bridges became standard and synthetic ‘ivoroid’ binding was used instead. Ivoroid is still produced from celluloid today and features an ivory-like ripple effect.
Also in 1918, Martin changed to mahogany necks. Earlier necks were carved from Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata), which resembles mahogany in colour and grain pattern. It’s still used in Spanish-guitar making and is popular with some luthiers as a lightweight mahogany alternative for solidbody guitars. Martin persisted with traditional French polish finishes until 1926, when it switched to spraying nitrocellulose lacquer.
The 0-42 may look more like a traditional classical guitar than a quintessential American steel-string flat-top, but the resemblance is purely cosmetic, rather than structural.
Most, though not all, 0-42s have slotted headstocks that are strung up much like classical guitars. Those that don’t have the solid headstock, which is more closely associated with post-war Martins, are likely to have friction peg tuners.
The body shape clearly derives from traditional European guitar building, too. All 0-42s and 00-42s had 12th-fret body joins, which results in a longer body and a bridge placed more centrally on the lower bout. Martin favoured an X-brace pattern, rather than fan or ladder bracing, despite the fact that its guitars were designed for gut strings.
Steel strings rapidly gained popularity during the early 20th century as guitarists strove to be heard over the banjos and mandolins that were arguably more popular than guitars at that time. Compared with other manufacturers, such as the Larson brothers, Martin was pretty slow on the uptake and didn’t beef up the bracing to make provision for steel strings until the 1940s.
However, some Style 42 and 45 guitars were being built a little more robustly by the end of the 1920s. They can be used with steel strings, but it’s always advisable to stick to lighter gauges, low-tension sets or silk and steel strings.
The 1928 Martin 0-42 pictured on these pages came courtesy of Gardiner Houlgate, so we asked auctioneer Luke Hobbs to give us the lowdown.
Model Specifics
“It came from a private collector of vintage Martin instruments who is actually a left-handed player,” Luke explains. “Like a lot of his guitars, this 0-42 had a left-handed conversion, which basically entailed a new nut and swapping the strings around.
“As it’s symmetrical, it worked out perfectly for him and the intonation didn’t suffer because there’s no slant on the bridge saddle. Although he had it for a very long time, he doesn’t gig or tour, and that partly explains why he has been able to keep it in such unbelievably stunning condition.
“It’s a particularly good and solid example with no faults that we could detect. It’s a nice player and sounds really big, which is almost unexpected with a smaller guitar, and it’s a joy to play. Despite looking so fresh, it definitely has that vintage feel and, with such old wood, it really projects.”
“It had been converted back for right-handed playing before coming into auction and we think the nut may be a replacement, but other than that everything appears completely original and there are no signs of crack repairs or cleats. It’s especially amazing with Brazilian rosewood, which can go dry and brittle.
“With guitars of this age, we would always expect there to be issues, and it almost doesn’t feel right when there aren’t any. It must have always been kept in near-perfect conditions.
“There is barely any wear on the back of the neck, so it has had relatively little use and was never played in anger. The new owner is someone I know well and he’s also a collector of this type of instrument. He came for a private viewing and he had made his mind up to buy it within 30 seconds of playing it. He said it felt extremely comfortable for him because the action is so good and no major work would be needed to improve it.”
Pearl’s A Stringer
In the days before CNC routing, inlaying pearl and abalone was an extremely time-consuming process that commanded higher prices. Martin’s fancier guitars divide opinions, with some preferring the austere Shaker-like aesthetic of ‘lesser’ models such as the 18, 21 and 28.
It’s suggested that pearl edging enhances tone by more effectively decoupling the front and back from the sides, but the theoretical basis is more anecdotal than empirical.
This 0-42 would have cost more than $42 dollars in 1928 and the recent hammer price of £12,000 places it into the realm of fantasy guitar for most of us. But if you’re curious about how it plays and sounds, check out Chris Buck’s demo below and read his thoughts below…
“I rarely feel scared of playing a guitar, but there’s something about handling a Martin that’s about to celebrate its 100th birthday that is absolutely terrifying. Even in the controlled conditions of a video shoot. There was never any danger of going ‘full Kurt Russell’ with it, but accidents happen... especially around me!
Notes virtually leapt off the fingerboard and seemed to fill the room in a manner at odds with its diminutive size
“Consequently, it’s hard to judge it purely as an instrument without becoming swept up in the romance of playing a guitar that quite literally resonates with history.
“Pretentious nonsense aside, it was truly a superb guitar that, after taking a few minutes to acclimatise to its new surroundings, rung like a bell and – much like every great acoustic or electric guitar I’ve ever played – appeared to come with its own compression and reverb.
“Notes virtually leapt off the fingerboard and seemed to fill the room in a manner at odds with its diminutive size. Its condition and elaborate inlays – I hesitate to use the word ’bling’, but… – all felt undeniably modern with the only obvious nod to its vintage being the width of the neck.
“While this meant that more intricate lead playing was a bit of a challenge, the increased string spacing made fingerpicking that much easier and more defined. This no doubt gives some indication as to the type of music it would have made in the first part of its life.
“As someone who doesn’t particularly play a lot of acoustic guitar, I’m ashamed to say most of the subtitles and nuances of such an historically significant instrument are most likely lost on me. So the fact it left such an impression, especially on a day spent playing innumerable old, valuable instruments, is testament to there being some magic in them there strings.”
- Find out more about the sale of this magnificent Martin at Gardiner Houlgate.
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