Background
I am blessed with yet another remarkable instrument crafted by Zach, an exceptionally talented craftsman. The first addition to my collection was Banjo 272, a delightful 10″ Mahogany C scale masterpiece that Zach happened to have in stock when I first encountered his work.
My love for this mini banjo surpassed all expectations, prompting me to make a custom request for this guitar. From the moment I laid my hands on both instruments, a distinct aroma of freshly cut wood filled the air, instantly evoking memories of my first job at a wood shop during my high school and early college years. These instruments emerged from their shipping boxes in stark contrast to the excessively packaged, plastic-laden, sterile consumer products we’ve grown accustomed to. Instead, they emanate an authentic, organic quality that captivates you the instant you open the box. It is this rawness, this connection to nature, that resonates with me deeply.
What truly sets Zach’s instruments apart is their incredible sound and impeccable setup. Having been fortunate enough to own several high-end, mass-produced guitars throughout the years, I can confidently say that I won’t be reverting to those brands. There is something undeniably special about a guitar whose fretboard originated from a deceased tree on a farm, reincarnated and reimagined by Zach’s skilled hands. The rawness and character of his instruments, coupled with their exceptional tonal qualities, have left an indelible mark on me. Now the Zach collection has grown: Guitar, Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin and soon an upright bass.
General Info
My last instrument for the month was acoustic guitar #15. It was a curly maple parlor size guitar, based on Martin 1-17 plans, of a type I have built before. The customer requested the most interesting looking wood I had, so I found some of the curly maple from the lot I bought in Tupper Lake last year and some lightly spalted hop-hornbeam that I cut from a dead tree at the farm years ago. I filled in the bug holes in the fretboard, but left one on the side where it meets the soundboard.
Zach’s 2023/06/04 post
Basic Info:
- Curly Maple Parlor Size Guitar Based on Martin 1-18
- Scale length is 24-3/4″
- 1-3/4″ nut width and 55mm string spacing (1st to 6th) or 11mm from string center to string center at the saddle
- Curly maple form Zach’s Tupper Lake property and Hop-hornbeam from the farm.
- Walnut binding and headstock.
- Bridge pins are ebony.
- Corian for the nut and saddle.
Body
Body Top – Maple
Body Sides/Back – Tupper Lake curly maple that is interestingly varied.
Binding – walnut
Neck
Fretboard: hop-hornbeam, darker color and some of it has some spalting and bug holes.
Neck: Curly maple with a triple stripe of walnut and a curly walnut headstock overlay.
The dots are brass and the fret wire is EVO.
There is a two way truss rod in the neck.
Martin Size 1 and Styles 17 and 18
- A design from Martin’s Golden Age and Depression era driven simplicity.
- IN 1931 – deep in the depression, Martin came up with with the simplest guitar they could to survive. They removed all unnecessary features, including binding to help with cost but didn’t cut quality corners.
- Made in Nazareth PA of all Mahogany, these flat tops went for $25 without a case ($553.58 in today’s dollars using the inflation calculator).
- People were putting heavy strings on guitars to get louder (no amplification), and Martin offered a lifetime warranty. So they moved the X bracing closer to the bridge.
- Martin used Scalloped braces until about 1942 where they moved to the firmer braces to continue to help with the heavier strings.
- The early Style 17 and 18 were nearly identical except for their size. The Style number was derived from the wholesale price. $17 bought a size 2 1/2, while $18 bought a slightly larger size 2.
Production of the size 1 in styles 21 and above ended in 1921, and the style 18 in 1926, with the 1-17 and plectrums holding on until 1932. The entire 20th century production of all size 1 Martins only reached 3,506, 1,569 of which were the inexpensive Style 17 and plectrums, which were less likely to be cared for or survive. So while the size 0 has remained in production to this day, relatively few people have seen a size 1 Martin. The size 1 is in actuality a relatively large guitar by traditional standards, and only a small bit smaller than a size 0, however it’s obscurity has led people to think of the size 1 as “one of those tiny little early Martin parlor guitars”.
https://vintagemartin.com/sizes.html
C. F. Martin Sr. founded his business in 1833 and was soon offering guitars in sizes ranging up to a size 1, which still seems amazingly small by modern standards. So, when they needed a larger size, Martin used Size 0 starting in 1854. It was considered large enough for a public concert. Hence the term “concert model.” He also introduced the tiny Size 5 that same year.
Size 00 followed, as guitarists began to perform in larger halls, alongside banjos and the mandolin. The 00 was deemed an extra-large guitar for a “grand concert,” and that term has been used ever since to describe guitars of this or similar sizes at Martin and elsewhere.
All of these sizes had the traditional 12-fret neck designs similar to modern Classical guitars and typically employed gut strings. Various models were made for certain dealers to accommodate the additional tension of the new steel guitar strings as early as 1915.
In 1923, Martin began offering such steel-worthy guitars to the general public in Style 17, and in 1924 for Style 18, and 1926 for Styles 21 and 28.
http://onemanz.com/guitar/reviews/acoustic-guitars/martin/model-designation/
References
MAY BANJOS, A GUITAR, AND PORCHES – A link to Zach’s page and blogpost in June including this build.
OLD TIME CONVERASTIONS – Zach Teaser
Hoyt Banjo 272 10″ C Scale – the banjo I picked up from Zach before this guitar
Early martin website about the history of early martin guitars
martin’s current website – still handmade in PA
vintagemartin.com – explaining styles 15, 17 and 18
Martin 1-18 build plans from Guild of American Luthiers