1933 Martin 0-17T Shadetop Tenor Guitar

After placing a 1951 0-17T with a professional singer in London, we are pleased to offer another completely original and crack-free vintage Martin tenor guitar. This exceptional 1933 example features the rare shaded finish. Not just a shadetop, but subtle red to orange shading on the neck, back, and sides as well. Martin offered this all-over shaded finish during a brief window from late 1932 to mid 1933, and only on Style 17 guitars. The colors certainly enhance the all mahogany body.

As the banjo faded from popularity in the late 1920’s, the tenor guitar helped banjo players cross over to guitar. Martin introduced the 0-17T late in 1932, and this early 1933 model features some unique, historic details like the original Grover banjo tuners. It also has the Martin logo on the headstock front and back, typical of the early 1930’s as Martin transitioned to a logo on front only. The Martin logo is a delicate gold silkscreen, used for a short time before the decal was adopted.

Well-known luthier Ross Teigen of Naples Florida reset the neck and set up the guitar to our high standards. The original ebony nut has survived along with the original bridge. The original bar frets are in fine shape, and the full neck profile feels just right. It sounds magnificent in CGDA tenor tuning, but feel free to experiment with other tunings including popular options like DGBE (Chicago tuning) and GDAE (octave mandolin).

This mahogany tenor guitar has survived the decades in its original 30’s flannel-lined case, with only some cosmetic wear and scratches to show for it. The only blemish is a strap button fitted by the previous owner. We removed it but left the hole, in case you want to use one. We’ll include the button, along with some old Blue Bell & Black Diamond strings and the original case.

• Year: 1933
• Manufacturer: CF Martin
• Model: 0-17T Tenor
• Case: Original reinforced case with old string packets
• Color: Shadetop
• Condition: Very good

SOLD