1942 Martin 00-21 - 12 fret-neck Serial Number # 80023- Very Good Condition

Wartime Martins are consistently wonderful, and this 1942 00-21 is a fine example of why. Serial number 80023 places it in the early part of the wartime window. Despite material shortages and the pressures of the era, the guitars coming out of Nazareth during these years were made with care.

The 00-21 is a more elevated model than the all-mahogany 17 series: Brazilian rosewood back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, herringbone trim.

Build & Materials

• Top: Adirondack spruce
• Back & Sides: Brazilian rosewood
• Trim: Herringbone

Sound Profile The tonal result is more complex than what you get from mahogany alone. There is sweetness in the treble register and warmth in the bass that the rosewood back and sides draw out particularly well on a guitar this well-aged. Over 80 years, this spruce top has had time to open up fully. It sounds like a vintage Martin should sound.

In Good Company Johnny Cash was a fan, and he played one from 1956–1960, when he gave his to his brother Tommy.

The Details

• Built by C.F. Martin & Co., Nazareth, PA, 1942
• Serial number: 80023 — early wartime production
• From the Marvin Rosenberg Collection

The Marvin Rosenberg Collection This guitar comes from the collection of Marvin Rosenberg — patriarch, attorney, corporate counsel, competitive sports car racer, and lifelong lover of folk and Americana music. For decades, Marvin showed up to jam sessions and bluegrass venues with friends, and that same passion shaped his instrument collection. He sought out player-grade instruments — vintage pieces with real, honest wear from a life of actual use — over pristine collector-shelf pieces, assembling a personal collection of guitars, mandolins and banjos meant to be enjoyed rather than admired behind glass. Each piece was a tool of a passionate musician, chosen with the discerning eye of someone who understood exactly what made it special.

In stock now at Wood & Wire. A wartime Martin that sounds like a vintage Martin should.

* The information presented here was collected from the estate of Marvin Rosenberg and independent research. It is accurate to the best of our ability.