Martin started making archtop guitars in 1931, with the smaller R (00 size) and C (000 size) series. They started making 16" wide F-series archtops in 1935. At the time, the F-9 at $250 was the most expensive guitar that Martin made (a 000-45 was only $175). In 1940, Martin started making the F-1. These were made for only three years, with a total of 91 produced (coincidentally, the same as the number of pre-war D-45s). Workmanship is outstanding, as you would expect of a pre-war Martin. The F-1 had mahogany back and sides, compared with Brazilian rosewood in all the other F-series models. Fretboard is ebony, which is kind of unusual for a mahogany guitar after the 30s. In 1940, the F-1 cost $85, which was $5 less than a 000-28. Martin got into making archtops late in the game, by which time Gibson and Epiphone already dominated the scene.
Martin archtop guitars do not sound like Gibson and Epiphone archtops. Jazz players went for the Gibson/Epiphone sound, which was the downfall of Martin archtops. Martin archtops are less percussive with more bass and sustain, somewhere between a classic archtop sound and a flat top guitar. I guess that is what you would expect of an archtop guitar made by the premier flat top guitar maker. However, this makes it a fairly versatile guitar compared to most archtops. It does a nice job with bass-strum flatpicking, and leads really cut through. I think of Mother Maybelle Carter playing early country music on her Gibson L-5 and think that she might have been happier with a Martin archtop. We all know how a guitar sounds very different out in front compared to from a playing position. This is accentuated in these archtops. The sound difference between when you are playing and when you are out in front listening is huge. These have a ton of volume, although it doesn't seem like it when playing.
Bottom line - if you need to sound like the classic jazz players, get a Gibson or Epiphone. If you are more eclectic and like more bass and sustain while still getting the archtop punch, then you might find the Martin archtops an interesting alternative. The 16" wide F-series gives the most volume and the mahogany F-1 is the most affordable of those. However, they are not easy to find.
1 Comment
Yes I play my Martin F-1 almost every day
Submitted by john peterson (not verified) on
I have had her for 35 + years, and have played her a lot. she plays vary nice and sounds good.