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 has been Martin's strike zone, but over the years Martin has made various models with classical necks set up for nylon strings.
Martin's Style G classic guitars debuted in 1936, and they mostly feature 00-size bodies. But interestingly, they were built with square shoulders, so the body is more like a 14-fret 00 than a 12-fret. With the 25.4" scale, that positions 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 1954 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 that classical tone, but with the Martin character you'd expect. This '54 00-28G features gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, and the iconic Martin Style-28 appointments look just right.
As far as condition is concerned, this 00-28G doesn't look like it has been played very much over the years. Cosmetically, it shows some finish checking and signs of age, and that's to be expected because it was made in '54! But it is free of any severe play wear, dings, scratches, or signs of careless handling. Apart from some setup work and an occasional restring, we can't find much evidence of past repairs. Overall, this about as clean as you could possibly ask from a '50s Martin.
This 1954 Martin 00-28G came to us with a nice, playable setup, and its tone is really nice. It includes its original case and a cool collection of vintage nylon strings from La Bella and Augustine. We are told this guitar was originally purchased by a well-to-do woman who wanted to pick up guitar and would only settle for the best. Ultimately, she never played it much and willed it to the organist at her local church, Well, he also didn't play it very much because, well, he is an organist. With this story in mind, the next owner could be the first person to finally put some honest playwear onto this beautiful-sounding vintage Martin.