1917 Martin 1-17

#12392...Such a lovely old guitar...mahogany back and sides, spruce top (1917 was the last year that style 17 had a spruce top) with fan bracing, ebony fret board and bridge. The guitar is original inside and out with the exception of one section of replaced binding and purfling along the lower bout curve, very nicely done. The top has one old and well repaired hairline crack to the lower bout of the bass side and one short hairline (repaired) crack on the bass side near the heel of the neck. No other cracks. The D string tuner shaft is very slightly bent but not enough to have any impact on function, and the rosewood binding has separated from the waist slightly in one small area but appears to have been that way for some time. The neck was reset several years ago at Kovacik Guitars and the angle remains good and playability comfortable with saddle left to allow for lowering the action if desired. The frets are in excellent condition as well, no visible wear. The width of the neck at the nut is 1 13/16" and the string spacing at the bridge is 2 5/16". The neck has a gentle "V" profile and the barrel is graceful and slim, very comfortable. Though the guitar is from the era when Martin built guitars exclusively for gut strings, this guitar has been strung for most of the last decade with silk and steel with no negative impact whatsoever. The strings suit the sonic profile of the guitar, giving its voice a rich bottom end balanced with crisp and woody trebles. As it is lightly built, the guitar is best suited to finger style play and quite responsive to a light touch. Comes with a modern, well-fitting hard shell case. Ships to US destinations only, no international shipping offered. NYS buyers add 8% sales tax.