Martin may not be the first builder that comes to mind when you think of classical guitars. Nevertheless, most Martins made prior to 1928 were made for gut strings, even though they don't closely resemble the Spanish tradition of Classical guitars. Once steel strings became popular in the '30s, that became Martin's strike zone, but over the years there have been made Martin models with classical necks set up for nylon strings.
Martin's Style G classical guitars debuted in 1936, and they mostly feature 00-size bodies. Interestingly, they were built with square shoulders, so the body is more like a 14-fret 00, but they have a short 12-fret neck. With the longer 25.4" scale of a dreadnought, the body/neck combination push the bridge closer to the widest part of the top, and the sound-hole is almost centered with the waist. Underneath the hood, G Series Martins were built with fan bracing inspired by the Spanish tradition of guitar building, and this was intended to capture the response, dynamics, and volume of those handmade instruments.
This 1949 Martin 00-28G is such a sweet nylon-string guitar! Its soft, mellow but detailed timbre is such a great choice for folk music. Fingerpicking, strumming, even digging in with a flatpack, it delivers more of the nylon tone, but with the Martin character you'd expect. This '49 00-28G features gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, and the iconic Martin Style-28 appointments look just right. We love the C.F. Martin decal on the back of the headstock, too.
Despite its 76 years, this 1949 Martin 00-28G finds us in nice condition. It shows some scuffs, pick scratches, and other signs of use (see photos). As far as repair history is concerned, the neck has been reset and the bridge has been re-glued. The bridge reglue was a little messy—you can see where the finish pulled around the edges, and there are some gaps in the glue along the rear edge of the bridge. Fortunately, all of the work is stable, and the action is fantastic because of it. At some point along the way, the tuners were replaced, and the current tuners look like they've been on there for a long time.
This 1949 Martin 00-28G is an extremely fun guitar to play. Despite the 2"-wide classical nut and bigger neck carve, it plays easily, thanks to the nice setup and nylon feel. Everything seems to sound pretty on this guitar. Plus, the small body feels comfortable on your lap. It includes a proper hardshell case.