Martin 1928 5-17T Tenor Guitar

In this pre-World War II 1928 version of the 5-17 the neck, the X-braced top, the back, and the sides are all solid mahogany, with a rectangular rosewood bridge, and a rosewood fingerboard with small dot inlays (I believe that both the fingerboard and bridge are Brazilian Rosewood). The three-stripe rosette, the vintage tortoise pick guard, and the solid headstock with its original Grover Patented gear tuners complete the picture of a wonderful vintage guitar.
The 5-17’s total length is about 33”, with a body length of 16”, a lower bout of 11 ¼”, a 14/20-fret scale length of 23”, and a depth at the lower bout of 3 ¾”. This instrument (serial number 35330) is in very good condition for 98 years old, with light wear on the apparently original thin frets and more visible wear on the first three frets of the fingerboard, suggesting that it might have been played with nylon strings for much of its career. Cosmetically, there are the inevitable small dings on the top, back, and sides; some pick wear below the pick guard; and a series of dings and stains on the back of the neck.

Structurally, I see no cracks or repairs, the bridge, headstock, neck, and top are all solid/straight/flat as can be, the tuners are tight, and the action is quite playable at 4/32” at the 12th fret. As mentioned, the thin mahogany top is lightly X-braced, and the sound is bright and much louder than you might expect from such a small package.