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What's a 1930's Martin worth

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FlySig
Posted 2008-01-01 10:14 AM (#64331)
Subject: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4042

Location: Utah
Last night we got together with some friends for the traditional New Years Eve party. The discussion turned to guitars when one of the neighbors noticed the growing collection, and one of the wives offered that she had an old guitar but didn't know how to play at all.

So being the polite host I asked her if she knew what it was. She said it had been her grandmother's guitar, and was from pre-WWII. It said "Martin" on it. :eek: :eek: .

So I calmly said it was probably worth some money, to which she replied that it was so old it couldn't be worth much of anything.

The thing is packed away so I haven't seen it yet. But let's assume it is a 30's era Martin in ok condition. What kind of range of value is possible?
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Trader Jim
Posted 2008-01-01 10:22 AM (#64332 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307

Location: South of most, North of few
Dave?
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Tupperware
Posted 2008-01-01 10:24 AM (#64333 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903

Location: Phoenix AZ
Could be worth nothing. Could be worth tens of thousands. All depends what it is and what kind of shape it's in. Dave
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Jeff W.
Posted 2008-01-01 11:01 AM (#64334 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039

Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub
I would love- just once- to run into this kinda situation...


"Your Grandmother's guitar? Do know what kind? 1930's Martin, you say? Can I see it? Ah, it's in pretty good shape. You could probably sale this for ... say, 40 grand..."

<>
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Waskel
Posted 2008-01-01 11:09 AM (#64335 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840

Location: closely held secret
Insert Jeff into this...

"Your Grandmother's guitar? Do you know what kind? 1930's Martin, you say? Can I see it? Ah, it's obviously been played, rode hard and put away wet, you know what I mean? Plus it's horribly out of tune from being in that closet all those years. You might be able to get $50-$60 for it. I might be able to make it into a suitable wall decoration. Tell you what... I'll take it off your hands for $100 cash..."
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Elliot Meldoy
Posted 2008-01-01 11:27 AM (#64336 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth
Joined:
April 2007
Posts: 225

Location: Stow, Ohio
been there done that with a 1947 D-28.
just remember Karma has a way of finding you!
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Beal
Posted 2008-01-01 11:44 AM (#64337 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch
It all depends what model it is. Let's get that info first and then let the speculation run wild. The model and year (or s/n) and then we can tell you.
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Jeff W.
Posted 2008-01-01 11:48 AM (#64338 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039

Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub
Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Insert Jeff into this...

"Your Grandmother's guitar? Do you know what kind? 1930's Martin, you say? Can I see it? Ah, it's obviously been played, rode hard and put away wet, you know what I mean? Plus it's horribly out of tune from being in that closet all those years. You might be able to get $50-$60 for it. I might be able to make it into a suitable wall decoration. Tell you what... I'll take it off your hands for $100 cash..."
You know I would never do that, Wask.


I wouldn't go a dime over 75.00
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Waskel
Posted 2008-01-01 12:05 PM (#64339 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840

Location: closely held secret
Originally posted by Jeff W.:
You know I would never do that, Wask.

I wouldn't go a dime over 75.00
I was trying to make you look more altruistic. ;)
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Jeff W.
Posted 2008-01-01 12:30 PM (#64340 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


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Posts: 11039

Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub
Good luck with that.
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Waskel
Posted 2008-01-01 12:35 PM (#64341 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840

Location: closely held secret
I felt as a friend, it was my duty to try (lost cause that it is).
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Northcountry
Posted 2008-01-01 1:17 PM (#64342 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487

Whats your neighbors name and phone number? :cool:
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2008-01-01 1:42 PM (#64343 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12754

Location: Boise, Idaho
There was one on ebay that was being shown here a year or so ago. It looked a little beat up from the pictures and the price was a couple hundred thousand.
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MusicMishka
Posted 2008-01-01 2:00 PM (#64344 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563

Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Model, condition, and originality...Martin made a lot of models and not all are worth big money. It's important, if it needs repairs, to get it to one of the few expert Martin repair persons; less than expert repair can ruin value...or at least could diminish it...
If it needs no repair, all the better...but again, lets see what the model is...I had a member of my church who had been telling me he had a very old Martin...He brought it to me..turns out it's a 1970 D-35: original case,, nice condition but needs a neck reset and intonation alignment (common on 70's Martins) and a general clean and polish...value is between $1100 - $1600, after repair...D-35's are not held in high regard by Vintage Martin Collectors...The bracing is very stiff and different from the 28's which affects the sound...of course, the owner has no idea: to him its worth a fortune because it's an old Martin.

BTW, Paul (Elliot), the "47" is actually a 1948 D-28 (1947's and 1948's are virtually identical); I'm going to Wayne's shop and see it tomorrow...I have a new case for it.

keep us informed Flysig...
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FlySig
Posted 2008-01-01 2:09 PM (#64345 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4042

Location: Utah
As soon as I can convince her to dig it out from under the bed I'll get more info. All she has told me so far is that her grandmother got it when she was young, which would certainly put it pre-WWII. Her grandma played it regularly. The woman who has it now was told sometime in the distant past that it would be worth a few hundred or even a thousand dollars, so she's stored it away. Who knows what kind of condition it is in now.

What's the next step in preserving the guitar if it isn't already junk? Should I have her loosen the strings a bit? Humidify it? Oil the fretboard and wax the wood? Or is it best to leave it alone and have it assessed by a knowledgeable restorer before doing anything at all?
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MusicMishka
Posted 2008-01-01 2:19 PM (#64346 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563

Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Also, to Paul's (Elliot) credit, he could have gotten the 48 for a gift for His project...but knowing the elderly lady had no idea of the value of the guitar, and also taking into account that she needed money to live on, he looked for a situation that took into account all of those things and the fact of her wishes for her brothers instrument...by using his integrity, he was able to acomplish her wants and needs, his needs, and the needs of some very brave men and women in our Military. And yes, I got a guitar as well...but as Paul said before, no one but us knows the whole story...however I feel that Paul's integrity needs to be commended!
Semper Fi, Marine!
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MusicMishka
Posted 2008-01-01 2:26 PM (#64347 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563

Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Flysig, call me and I can suggest the best persons to work on it...they are men of integrity so you can be safe with them...I would loosen the strings and thats all for the time being...take some pictures and i can help you identify the model and year...pm me or email me...and for those who will probably think it: I have no interest in this except to help Flysig out...I've been doing this for a long time and know the persons who do this for a living.
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tragocaster
Posted 2008-01-01 2:46 PM (#64348 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 354

Location: Flushing, MI
Does it look anything like this?



This is my '34 Martin 0-17. She's beat. I have no idea what it's worth. A few thousand??? These mahogany 0-17's from this time period seem to be quite common, and they're not really all that collectable. Sure sound nice though!
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Beal
Posted 2008-01-01 3:02 PM (#64349 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch
Maybe a thousand but probably less.
I'm available for a second opinion when the details come clear on what it is.
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FlySig
Posted 2008-01-01 3:53 PM (#64350 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4042

Location: Utah
Mike, I'll get in touch for sure if this turns out to be anything of value. Probably they won't want to sell, but on the other hand if it could replace the income from his last ten years to retirement, they might decide to pull the plug.

In any case, it would be a shame for a nice old guitar to turn to junk due to poor care, even if it isn't worth anything.
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gulfcoast
Posted 2008-01-01 4:54 PM (#64351 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 1330

Location: ms
If its a 1930s Martin its worth something no matter the shape its in....
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an4340
Posted 2008-01-01 6:20 PM (#64352 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389

Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands
Nothing to me.
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MusicMishka
Posted 2008-01-01 8:20 PM (#64353 - in reply to #64331)
Subject: Re: What's a 1930's Martin worth


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563

Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Sig: having Beal available is great news: Thanks Bill! Dave is an excellent resourse as well...The serial number and model number is usually on the neck block and can be seen looking through the sound hole towards the neck. I'll be happy to help if I can. Remember, patience goes a long way!
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