1930 Martin Archtop Tailpiece Excellent, $275.00

Martin Model C-2 and C-3 guitars are rare enough, archtop instruments made to exacting Martin specs of the 1930s, and when one is encountered today still in its original form the original tailpiece is often either broken or, more often, just plain missing. They appear to have been made for Martin by Grover, and the Martin name is prominently impressed onto it. Being chrome-plated, I would guess that it came from one of their better models, either a C-3 or an F-7. On this particular one there occurred what did on so many of the era, a slight fissure at the roll-under of the hinge-attachment. I have a very good friend, a jeweler by profession, who also happens to be a guitar expert, and who has restored this kind of thing for me for years (early Gibson ES-175 tailpieces being prime candidates), and he did a fabulous job on this one. The repair is totally invisible from the outside; on the underside you can see a tiny reinforcement rib, done with his $40,000 micro-welder (I am not kidding) to ensure that it won’t happen again, making it stronger than most. These have become impossible to find today in working, usable condition. We offer this one here at $275.