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Vintage Martin 000-28 Value Guide (1934-1969): What Yours Is Worth
A vintage Martin 000-28 is worth anywhere from a few thousand dollars for 1970s examples to well over $50,000 for clean prewar herringbone examples, with 1934-1942 scalloped-brace guitars the most valuable of all. Edgewater Guitars (Valley City, OH; buys nationally) pays fair top dollar for vintage Martins. Call (440) 219-3607 for a free appraisal.
Martin 000-28 Value by Era
The 000-28 pairs Martin's 15 inch 000 body with rosewood back and sides and Style 28 trim. Value tracks four build-era boundaries: scalloped bracing (through late 1944), herringbone trim (through 1946), Brazilian rosewood (through late 1969), and the Indian-rosewood years after. The ranges below reflect documented dealer sales and current listings, not theoretical price-guide numbers.
Era | Typical range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
1934-1942 (scalloped braces, herringbone) | $40,000-90,000+ | The golden-era combination: 14-fret neck, scalloped bracing, herringbone trim, Brazilian rosewood. Carter Vintage is currently asking $85,000 for a 1937 example even with a full-body overspray. |
1944-1946 (straight braces, herringbone) | $15,000-35,000 | Wartime and early postwar guitars keep the herringbone but lose the scalloped bracing (last scalloped Martin was approximately serial 89926, late 1944). Still Brazilian, still hide glue, still exceptional. |
1947-1969 (Brazilian, no herringbone) | $10,000-25,000 | Herringbone ended in early 1947 (last herringbone serial 98223). Collector-grade late-1950s examples bring the upper teens; clean 1960s examples somewhat less. The 1969 Brazilian cutoff matters enormously. |
1970 onward (Indian rosewood) | A fraction of Brazilian-era prices | Late 1969 Martin switched to East Indian rosewood. Fine instruments, but the collector market prices them far below any Brazilian example. See our honest guide to 1970s Martins. |
Condition and originality move any of these ranges by half or more in either direction. A refinished top, replaced bridge, or non-original tuners cost real money; an uncracked, unmodified example with its original case earns a premium.
How to Date Your 000-28
Martin stamped a sequential serial number on the neck block of every guitar, visible through the soundhole. Enter it in our Martin serial number lookup for the exact year. Then confirm the era features:
Feature | What to look for | Years |
|---|---|---|
14-fret neck | Neck joins the body at the 14th fret (standard on the 000-28 from 1934; earlier 000-28s are 12-fret instruments) | 1934 onward |
Scalloped bracing | Carved, dipped profile on the top braces (mirror through the soundhole) | Through late 1944 |
Herringbone trim | Zigzag marquetry around the top edge | Through 1946 (last herringbone serial 98223, early 1947) |
Brazilian rosewood | Deep, figured, often reddish-brown back and sides; see our Brazilian vs Indian rosewood guide | Through late 1969 |
Originality Checklist
Before anyone quotes you a number, check these. They are what we check first when we buy.
Finish: original lacquer shows fine checking with age. A glossy, checking-free prewar guitar has almost certainly been oversprayed or refinished, which typically costs 30-50 percent of value.
Bridge: the original ebony bridge sits flush with clean glue lines. Oversized or rosewood replacement bridges on prewar guitars are common and hurt value.
Braces and bridge plate: unshaved braces and the original small maple bridge plate matter to serious collectors. Get any repair history in writing.
Neck set and refret: a professionally done neck reset is accepted maintenance on these guitars and does not seriously hurt value. A refret with correct-gauge wire is likewise acceptable.
Cracks: repaired side and back cracks are common on 80-year-old guitars and priced in; unrepaired top cracks near the bridge are a bigger problem.
What Documented Sales Actually Show
Collectors on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum track dealer sales closely, and the record for prewar rosewood Martins is consistent: clean, original examples bring multiples of what modified examples bring. Carter Vintage's current $85,000 ask on an oversprayed 1937 000-28 shows where the top of the market sits when even originality is compromised on a golden-era guitar. Postwar herringbone examples from 1945-1946 appear at specialist dealers like Gary's Classic Guitars and Maken Music, and collector-grade 1950s examples are described by The Music Emporium's vintage buyer's guide as an upper-teens purchase. New, a 000-28 cost $144 in 1946.
One of our sellers, Isaac Dailey, put it simply after selling his Martin to us: "Sold my old Martin guitar to Gavin at Edgewater ... Really knowledgable guy and overall great experience!!"
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a vintage Martin 000-28 worth?
Prewar (1934-1942) scalloped-brace herringbone examples bring $40,000-90,000 or more depending on originality. Postwar Brazilian examples typically run $10,000-35,000, and post-1969 Indian-rosewood guitars trade for a fraction of that. Call Edgewater at (440) 219-3607 for a free, honest appraisal.
How do I date my Martin 000-28?
Read the serial number stamped on the neck block through the soundhole and enter it in our free Martin serial lookup for the exact year. Then confirm era features: scalloped bracing through late 1944, herringbone trim through 1946, and Brazilian rosewood through late 1969.
What is the difference between a 000-28 and an OM-28?
They share the same 15 inch body. The OM-28 (1929-1933) uses a 25.4 inch scale; when Martin standardized the 14-fret 000 in 1934, the 000-28 got the shorter 24.9 inch scale. Original OM-28s are far rarer, with only 487 built. See our OM-28 value guide.
Where can I sell a vintage Martin 000-28?
Edgewater Guitars buys vintage Martins nationally and pays fair market value with fast payment. Start with the free valuation form at edgewaterguitars.com/get-a-free-estimate or call (440) 219-3607.
Written by the Edgewater Guitars team. Last updated: August 2026.
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