Martin & Co Parlor 1845 ORIGINAL - Best sounding acoustic guitar EVER!

I unfortunately never owned this guitar, I just had it with me for a couple of days many years ago and so I took the opportunity to record  this video because it was sounding too good to be true.

This is a report by George Gruhn who examined photos of the instruments:

“I have examined the attached emailed digital photos of the instrument, but have not seen the instrument itself. Below is my estimate, based on these photos, of the instrument's value; however, it is not possible to judge from photos alone the exact state of originality and need of repair, so my appraisal is only accurate insofar as the photos are representative of the actual condition of the instrument.
We certify that the guitar described below is, in our opinion, a Martin guitar made circa 1845 which bears and a Martin & Coupa label on the interior lid of the case.
Description: Coupa was a music teacher in New York who sold Martin guitars.
Some of the Martin & Coupa instruments bear an interior paper label in the instrument with the Martin & Coupa logo, but this guitar appears not to have any interior label. As is typical of the period, the instrument has a very small body size compared to modern guitars. The ornamentation of this guitar is equivalent to the Martin style 28 although during the 1840s Martin had not yet standardized model numbers in their catalog. The instrument features a cedar neck with grafted solid peghead with ivory friction pegs (Pegs of this type were available as an option. Most Martins of this time had metal geared tuners.), Brazilian rosewood back, sides, and peghead veneer, spruce top, decorative wood marquetry on the edge of the top and on the center seam of the back, pyramid end ebony bridge, and white ivory bindings on the top and back edges of the body. Some Martin guitars of this period had an interior spruce lamination on the back. Based on examination of the photos, we are not able to determine is this guitar has a solid back or has a spruce lamination, but we note that it is light in color in the area visible through the soundhole in the photo which leads us to believe that it may have a spruce lamination. The guitar appears to be in exceptionally fine condition and has its original wood "coffin" case with interior Martin & Coupa label on the upper lid of the case. This is an instrument which would appeal to collectors as well as musicians wanting a historic instrument.”

George Gruhn

October 13, 2006

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