I’ve recently received a few requests for information about the differences amongst the various Martin style types. So this month, I’ll briefly cover what those two digits next to the letter or numbers inside your Martin guitar represent.
C.F. Martin & Co. has most certainly been a pioneer in many ways when it comes to building guitars. But in my opinion, one of their most important innovations was how they began naming their guitars, a system that is still in use today. Martin started building guitars in 1833, and by 1898, they were using a standardized system to number their instruments by body shape and style. The first letters or numbers indicate the body shape (0, 00, OM, D, etc.) that are followed by a style number (15, 18, 28, 45, etc.), and separated by a dash. These style numbers indicate the construction materials and appointments of the guitar, and this system allows for several combinations between body shapes and styles. The following are the main style-classifications for Martin guitars.
Martin style types (left to right): Style 0-15, Style 0-21, Style 00-17, and Style D-28.
Style 15: All-mahogany body, no binding, rosewood fretboard and bridge, dot inlays, single grouping of soundhole rings. For many years, the Style 15 was Martin’s least-expensive guitar and considered a workhorse.
Style 18: Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, multi-ply binding (5-ply since 1932), rosewood fretboard and bridge, dot inlays, multi-ring soundhole ring. The Style 18 originally featured rosewood for the back and sides, but was changed to mahogany in 1917. Style 18 appointments have appeared on virtually every Martin model and it is their most common style.
Style 21: Spruce top, rosewood back and sides, single-ply black or tortoiseshell binding, rosewood or ebony fretboard and bridge (depending on the model). The Style 21 was traditionally Martin’s least-expensive model that used rosewood.
Style 28: Spruce top, rosewood back and sides, multi-ply binding with a white outer layer, ebony fretboard and bridge, dot inlays, a back stripe, and 5/9/5 grouping of soundhole rings. Style 28 instruments are often regarded as the best-playing, best-sounding Martins.
Style 35: Spruce top, 3-piece rosewood back, a bound fretboard, and additional blackand- white lines inlaid beneath the bindings. Otherwise, Style 35 is very similar to the Style 28. The 3-piece back was introduced because large enough pieces of Brazilian rosewood for 2-piece backs were becoming increasingly difficult to obtain in the 1960s.
Style 42: Spruce top, rosewood back and sides, ivory/ ivoroid binding, abalone top-border going around the fretboard, bound-ebony fretboard with snowflake inlays, and an abalone soundhole ring.
Style 45: Similar to the Style 42, except for the additional, abalone-pearl inlays around the sides, back, neck heel, and endpiece. For standard production, the Style 45 represents top-of-the-line appointments for Martin, and many Style 45 instruments— including the D-45 and OM-45—are some of the most valuable guitars on the vintage guitar market today.
Other common styles include the Style 16, which was first used on classical guitars in the 1960s, but is now represented on Martin’s modern, production instruments. The Style 17—very similar to the Style 15—was phased out as a regular production model by 1960 because of their similarities. There is also the Style 41, similar to the Style 42, but without abalone pearl around the fretboard. In fact, there are style classifications for just about every number between 1 and 45—some only produced in the 1800s, others more modern, and some in very small quantities.
This was and still is a well-devised system. Most Martin instruments can be identified and correctly classified by the number stamped inside the guitar. Of course there are exceptions—some minor and some major—as Martin’s styles have changed and evolved over time. Major changes include the switch from Brazilian rosewood to Indian rosewood in 1969 and ivory binding to ivoroid in the early 1900s. But for the most part, this is an enduring classification system.
Martin produces acoustic guitars for just about every price point and there are several books available that explain Martin’s styles in detail. With a little research, you can find out if your Martin is indeed a treasure!
Zachary R. Fjestad
is author of Blue Book of
Acoustic Guitars, Blue Book
of Electric Guitars, and Blue
Book of Guitar Amplifiers.
For more information, visit
bluebookinc.com or email
Zach at guitars@bluebookinc.com.
Name: Edward Sarkis Balian
Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
Guitars: The Van Gogh Brothers, Vinnie and Theo
The Van Gogh Strat, aka “Vinnie,” built with a Canadian alder body and featuring a replica of the painter’s famous work.
Okay, I plead guilty to having owned over 150 electric guitars in the past 60 years. So, for kicks, with my experience by way of Fender, Gibson, Ricky, Gretsch, PRS, Guild, Teisco, and others, I decided to attempt to make my own axes from scratch. I found that this endeavor was synergistic—much like envisioning, composing, performing, and recording a song. With my long-time San Diego techie, Val Fabela, doing the assembly, I started carefully designing, engineering, and procuring all of the components.
Our winning guitar builder, Edward Sarkis Balian.
The Vincent van Gogh Stratocaster, aka “Vinnie,” was the initial project. Starting with a Canadian alder body, an artist in Italy (who wishes to remain anonymous) applied the Starry Night painting to the front, sides, and back. The heavily flamed, roasted maple neck has the typical 21 frets with a 25.5" scale, and sports yellow pearl-dot inlays. After careful consideration of my playing styles, I went with a configuration using Fender ’57/’62 Stratocaster pickups. I used an upgraded, noiseless, 5-position Switchcraft assembly for the switching circuit. Fender locking tuners, a custom-fitted bone nut, and a Kluson K2PTG 2-point whammy system and brass bridge complete the low-action setup. Overall gold hardware completes the look. Vinnie’s fighting weight is 7.1 pounds.
This is what stars look like from further in space, at least as far as this special build is concerned.
I was so happy with this Strat that I decided it needed a brother, so I started on a Tele. Logically, I named the Tele “Theo,” after Vincent van Gogh’s younger brother. Again, with a Starry Night body painted by the same artist, I coupled a Canadian alder body with a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Stratocaster neck. (Hey, if it was good enough for Jimi to experiment with a Strat neck on a Tele body, why not try it?) And, as expected, my techie Val did a brilliantjob of joining the neck to the body.
The Van Gogh Tele, aka “Theo,” built to similar specs as the Strat and also featuring a lightly roasted, flamed-maple Strat neck.
For pickups, I went with Fender’s vintage-correct ’64 Tele set. As for a harness, the super-quality Hoagland Custom 4-position switching is unique, in that it gives a 15 percent boost and a very killer tone in position 4! Fender locking tuners, a custom-cut bone nut, and a Gotoh GTC201 brass bridge completes its setup. Gold hardware complements the overall look. Strangely enough (or perhaps hereditary?), the Tele matches his Strat brother’s weight exactly, at 7.1 pounds.
It's not in a museum, the the Theo guitar is certainly a work of art.
But how do they sound? Magnificent!Throw in my trusty Keeley compressor, Fulltone OCD, and Fender or Mesa/Boogie tube amps, and the van Gogh boys both easily equal or surpass my White Penguin, White Falcon, PRS Custom 22, Lucille 345 stereo, 335, SG TV, Les Paul Standard, Esquire, or Joan Jett.
I’m hoping the real van Gogh brothers would have been proud of these two magical, musical namesakes.
For over five decades, audiences worldwide have marveled at Baxter’s inimitable and instantly recognizable guitar playing and generational songcraft. His output spans classic records as a founding member of Steely Dan and member of the Doobie Brothers in addition to hundreds of recordings with the likes of Donna Summer, Cher, Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, and many more. During 2022, he initially unveiled Speed of Heat, showcasing yet another side of his creative identity and introducing himself as a solo artist.
On the Storytellers Edition, his fascinating commentary pulls the curtain back on both the process and the message of the music. This version traces the journey to Speed of Heat and its core inspirations as shared directly by Baxter in the form of detailed anecdotes, candid stories, and insightful commentary on every track.
The 12-songalbum, co-produced by Baxter and CJ Vanston, is a riveting and rewarding musical experience that features a host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by the guitarist and Vanston, as well as inspired versions of some of the great classics. Along the way, Baxter is joined by guest vocalists and songwriters Michael McDonald, Clint Black, Jonny Lang and Rick Livingstone. Baxter notably handled lead vocals on his rendition of Steely Dan’s “My Old School.” Other standouts include "Bad Move" co-written by Baxter, Clint Black, and CJ Vanston, and “My Place In The Sun”, sung by Michael McDonald and co-authored by McDonald, Baxter and Vanston.
As one of the most recorded guitarists of his generation, Baxter’s creative and versatile playing has been heard on some of the most iconic songs in music history, including “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton and “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer.
The stunningly diverse collection of material on Speed of Heat presents a 360-degree view of the uniquely gifted musician.
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