Provenance:

Purchased by Humberto Cosentino, New York;

to his son, Rudy Cosentino;

thence by decent to the present owner, Rudy's great-niece.

Note:

On November 8, 1932, this rare C.F. Martin & Co. six-string acoustic guitar was custom-ordered by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. in New York City, at the request of a private client. At the time it was ordered, Wurlitzer was one of the few authorized retailers of Martin guitars.

Ten years earlier, in 1922, Wurlitzer and Martin entered into a partnership where Martin manufactured a Wurlitzer company line. That year, fewer than 250 guitars were ordered and the partnership did not extend past 1922, but Wurlitzer continued to be one of the main retailers for Martin.

This guitar features an early and rare neck and body combination where the neck is joined at the 14th fret, instead of at the then-standard 12th fret, likely modified from a C-2 model. It is similar, to the more common OM-42, which became popular in the 1930s.

There is beautiful and understated abalone inlay around the top of the body, extending around the fingerboard, and around the sound hole. There is additional wood inlay on the front and back of the body. As is the custom with Martin guitars, the model and serial numbers are stamped to the inside of the body, on the neck block.

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