 MARTIN | | ACOUSTIC: SIZE 5 MODELS | Martin's Size 5 guitar body is the only Model number guitar to be produced after the 1930s. The Model 5-18 was produced through 1989 and various other models have been produced as one-offs during the 20th century. The Size 5 is also often referred to as a "Terz" guitar because they are often tuned one-third higher than standard guitars. In the late 1990s, the Size 5 guitar was introduced with the Size 5 Mini Martin and the reintroduction of the 5-15 in Martin's mahogany 15 Series. The small body size has also been utilized on Claire's Guitar - a limited edition model built for Chris Martin's daughter, Claire.
Size 5 dimensions: 11.25 in. lower bout width, 3.875 in. body depth, 16 in. body length, and 21.4 in. scale (1898-1924) or 22 in. scale (1924-present).
Martin produced five other Size 5 guitars in limited quantities including three Model 5-30s (1900-02), one Model 5-34 (1899), one Model 5-35 (1971), two Model 5-42s (1921-22), and one Model 5-45 (1922). For the recent production of the Model 5-15, refer to the 15 Series. | | MODEL 5-15T | | - tenor configuration, Size 5 body, mahogany top, back, and sides, round soundhole with three thin W/B/W rings, no binding, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard with single dot inlays, two-per-side tuners, rectangular bridge, available in Natural non-gloss finish, 22 in. scale, total production of 1,325 instruments, mfg. 1949-1963. |
| MODEL 5-16 | | - Size 5 body, spruce top, mahogany back and sides, round soundhole with three-stripe rosette (1/9/1 grouping), black outer body binding, mahogany neck, 12/19-fret rosewood fingerboard, three-per-side chrome tuners, rosewood bridge with black white dot pins, available in Natural finish, total production of 127 instruments, mfg. 1962-63. |
| MODEL 5-17 (FIRST VERSION) | | - Size 5 body, spruce top, mahogany back and sides, round soundhole with three black soundhole rings, three-ply top binding with outer rosewood layer, rosewood back binding, mahogany neck, 12/19-fret unbound ebony fingerboard, three-per-side die-cast tuners with nickel buttons, rosewood bridge with black pins, available in Dark finish, total production of 14 instruments, mfg. 1912-16. |
| MODEL 5-17 (SECOND VERSION) | | - Size 5 body, mahogany top, back, and sides, round soundhole with three thin W/B/W soundhole rings, three-ply top binding with outer rosewood layer (1927-1930) or no top binding (1930-1943), rosewood back binding (1927-1930) or no back binding (1930-1943), thin black back stripe, mahogany neck, 12/19-fret unbound rosewood fingerboard with double dot inlays at the 7th fret, three-per-side die-cast tuners with nickel buttons, rectangular rosewood bridge with black pins, available in Natural finish, total production of 218 instruments, mfg. 1927-1943. |
| Model 5-17T Tenor | | - similar to the Model 5-17 (Second Version), except in four-string tenor configuration with two-per-side tuners and 22 in. scale, total production of 3,666 instruments, mfg. 1927-1949. |
| MODEL 5-18 | | - Size 5 body, spruce top, rosewood (1898-1917) or mahogany (1917-1989) back and sides, round soundhole with colored rope pattern rosette (1898-1902) or three-stripe rosette (1/9/1 grouping between 1902 and 1988 and 5/9/5 grouping between 1988 and 1989, rings weren't actually inlaid until the mid 1930s), five-ply top binding and single-ply back binding with rosewood (1898-1932), black (1932-36, 1966-1989), or tortoise (1936-1966) outer layer, black back stripe, unbound ebony fingerboard with no inlays (1898-1902) or dot inlays (1902-1989), three-per-side tuners, rectangular bridge, total production of 2,774 instruments, mfg. 1898-1989. |
| MODEL 5-21 | | - Size 5 body, spruce top, rosewood back and sides, round soundhole with three-stripe rosette (single herringbone ring between two groups of five rings), five-ply top binding with outer rosewood layer, two-ply back binding with outer rosewood layer, herringbone backstripe, ebony fingerboard with slotted diamond inlays, total production of 118 instruments, mfg. 1902-1927, and one produced in 1977. |
| Model 5-21T Tenor | | - similar to the Model 5-21, except in four-string tenor configuration with two-per-side tuners, total production of 312 instruments, mfg. 1927-1928. |
| MODEL 5-28 | | - Size 5 body, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood (1901-1939, 1968-69) or Indian rosewood (1969-1981, 1988) back and sides, round soundhole with three-stripe rosette (5/9/5 grouping), ivory (1901-1918), ivoroid (1918-1939), or white (1968-1981, 1988) top binding, herringbone top purfling (1901-1939) or six-ply top purfling with outer white layer (1968-1981, 1988), three-ply back binding with outer ivory (1901-1918), ivoroid (1918-1939), or white (1968-1981, 1988) layer, zig-zag backstripe (1901-1939) or chainlink back stripe (1968-1981, 1988), unbound ebony fingerboard with slotted diamond inlays (1901-1939) or dot inlays (1968-1981, 1988), total production of 26 instruments, mfg. 1901-1939 (15 produced), 1968-1981 (10 produced), and 1988 (one produced). |
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