IDENTIFYING MARTIN GUITARS, MANDOLINS, AND UKULELES

Since serial numbers weren't introduced until 1898, approximate dating of the earlier guitars can be accomplished by knowing when Martin made changes to their labels or to the brand, which can be found stamped into the back of the head, the upper part of the back, and just inside the soundhole on the long strut which reinforces the back joint. The very earliest Martins, around 1833, had a paper label "Martin & Coupa". Until 1867 the brand read "C.F. Martin New York", when it was changed to "C.F. Martin & Co. New York."

From before 1888 until 1898 Charles A. Zoebisch & Sons was the exclusive distributor of all Martin instruments, and that name appears on a paper label inside the sound hole. In 1898 the brand was finally changed to C.F. Martin & Co. Nazareth, Pa. and serial numbers were added, beginning with #8000. Some pre-1898 guitars have the date penciled on the top just inside the sound hole. The size and style designation was written on a paper label, glued inside the top of the instrument case. Beginning in 1929 the model numbers were marked on the neck block, inside the body.

Martin also built mandolins (introduced in 1895), ukuleles (introduced in 1915), taropatches (an 8-stringed ukulele), tiples (a 10-stringed ukulele), Hawaiian guitars, and tenor banjos (in 1923) plus a few custom instruments. Martin workers are allowed to build a guitar for their own use after they have been with the company a stipulated period. Some of these turn up and vary from the standard instruments, but they are usually very nice and are frequently signed by the maker.

Ukuleles didn't have serial numbers, but Craig Thompson wrote, "I recently talked to the ukulele expert, Mike, at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. One good way of dating old Martin ukuleles is the headstock. First, they stamped the logo on the back of the peghead (from circa 1895). Then they started putting decals on the front of the headstock in 1930. Until 1932, they continued to stamp the back of the headstock with CF Martin & Co. So if you don't have a decal, it's pre-1930, if you have both decal and stamp, it was built between 1930 and 1932. They also used bar frets until 1934 (and probably on some ukes a few more years) after which they used "T" frets."

Mike Longworth, Martin Company historian for 25 years added, "... I found what I believe to be the initial order for decals at Martin. It was dated June, 1932. Remember that during the depression, things might set around in the factory, sometimes incomplete, for a while waiting on someone who had the money. In my opinion this accounts for the occasional pre-1932 guitar, etc. with a decal."

GUITARS

YEAR      LAST NO.

1898..............8348   1899..............8716   1900..............9128
1901..............9310   1902..............9528   1903..............9810
1904..............9988   1905.............10120   1906.............10329
1907.............10727   1908.............10883   1909.............11018
1910.............11203   1911.............11413   1912.............11565
1913.............11821   1914.............12047   1915.............12209
1916.............12390   1917.............12988   1918.............13450
1919.............14512   1920.............15848   1921.............16758
1922.............17839   1923.............19891   1924.............22008
1925.............24116   1926.............28689   1927.............34435
1928.............37568   1929.............40843   1930.............45317
1931.............49589   1932.............52590   1933.............55084
1934.............58679   1935.............61947   1936.............65176
1937.............68865   1938.............71866   1939.............74061
1940.............76734   1941.............80013   1942.............83107
1943.............86724   1944.............90149   1945.............93623
1946.............98158   1947............103468   1948............108269
1949............112961   1950............117961   1951............122799
1952............128436   1953............134501   1954............141345
1955............147328   1956............152775   1957............159061
1958............165576   1959............171047   1960............175869
1961............181297   1962............187384   1963............193327
1964............199626   1965............207030   1966............217215
1967............230095   1968............241925   1969............256003
1970............271633   1971............294270   1972............313302
1973............333873   1974............353387   1975............371828
1976............388800   1977............399625   1978............407800
1979............419900   1980............430300   1981............436474
1982............439627   1983............446101   1984............453300
1985............460575   1986............468175   1987............476216
1988............483952   1989............493279   1990............503309
1991............512487   1992............522655   1993............535223
1994............551796   1995............570434   1996............592930
1997............624799   1998............668796   1999............724077
2000............780500

MANDOLINS

YEAR      LAST NO.

1895................23   1896...............112   1897...............155
1898...............359   1899...............577   1900...............800
1901...............881   1902..............1171   1903..............1348
1904..............1507   1905..............1669   1906..............2026
1907..............2357   1908..............2510   1909..............2786
1910..............3098   1911..............3431   1912..............3847
1913..............4162   1914..............4462   1915..............4767
1916..............5007   1917..............5752   1918..............6370
1919..............7237   1920..............8761   1921..............9627
1922.............10196   1923.............11020   1924.............11809
1925.............12520   1926.............13359   1927.............13833
1928.............14170   1929.............14680   1930.............14892
1931.............15290   1932.............15476   1933.............15528
1934.............15729   1935.............15887   1936.............16156
1937.............16449   1938.............16580   1939.............16747
1940.............16957   1941.............17263   1942.............17405
1943..............NONE   1944..............NONE   1945..............NONE
1946.............17641   1947.............18303   1948.............19078
1949.............19559   1950.............20065   1951.............20521
1952.............20902   1953.............21452   1954.............21952
1955.............22254   1956.............22629   1957.............22985
1958.............23111   1959.............23262   1960.............23512
1961.............23663   1962.............23938   1963.............24139
1964.............24339   1965.............24439   1966.............24564
1967.............24639   1968.............24839   1969.............24989
1970.............25039   1971.............25065   1972.............25289 
1973.............25339   1974.............25679   1975.............25895
1976.............26045*  1977.............26101   1978..............None
1979.............26112   1980.............26156   1981.............26215
1982.............26225   1983.............26247   1984.............26254
1985.............26263   1986.............26273   1987.............26279
1988.............26281   1989.............26283   1990.............26291

* 259996-260020 are also 1976