~1935 Burton 2-17 Parlor Brazilian Rosewood
I wish I could tell you how much fun it is just to hold this gem—it feels kind of like you’re holding a Stradivarius violin. It is very similar to the rather plain Martin “New Style” 2-17 produced from 1929 to 1938, but I see no Martin marks on it. The 2-17 was one of a series of Concert (O Series), parlor, and smaller guitars created by Martin starting in the 1890’s and occasionally re-issued since.
In this apparently pre-World War II version of the 2-17 style, the neck is solid mahogany, the top is straight-grained spruce, while the back and sides are solid highly-figured Brazilian Rosewood. It has a vintage-style pyramid bridge, a rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays at the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets, and an inlaid multi-stripe rosette. Conspicuously displayed at the 17th fret is an ivoroid plate with the name “BURTON”, but I don’t know if that’s the name of a previous owner or of an early 20th-century “boutique” maker who copied elements of the Martin design.
This guitar’s dimensions are slightly larger than the Martin 2-17: total length of about 37”, body length of 17 ¾”, nut of 1 ¾”, upper bout of 8 ¾”, waist of 7”, lower bout of 12 ½”, and a depth at the end pin of 3 ¾”. The apparently original open brass tuners work well (one tuner button has been repaired), and the 12/18 fret board is in good shape, with a scale length of 24 ¼”. While the bone nut and the bridge pins look rather recent, the saddle may well be original.
This instrument is in very good condition for perhaps 75+ years old, with very light wear on the apparently original frets, suggesting that it has been played with nylon strings for much of its career. There is a stable repair on the edge of the top lower bout visible in the pictures, but the bridge, headstock, neck, back, and sides are all solid/straight/flat as can be, the open tuners are tight, and the action is very playable with new classical ball-end nylon strings: a hair over 4/32” at the ninth fret low E.
Due to its unusual size I have it in a new Kayces padded gig bag rather than rattling around in a too-large hard case. Naturally, the case is in excellent condition, the guitar fits it perfectly, and it offers very good light-weight protection. However, if its next owner loves it as much as I think he will, he may find a small hard-shell case to offer better security because everybody’s gonna wanna play it, with or without permission.
All in all, this is a wonderful pre-War period piece, sure to appreciate as a part of a serious stringed instrument collection due to the gorgeous Brazilian Rosewood if nothing else. However, I believe it is still, first and foremost, a player’s guitar, with its ringing, seasoned tone and pre-war quality construction guaranteeing many more years of musical pleasure.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower forty-eight states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s and personal checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I have tried to be perfectly clear and accurate in describing this vintage instrument, but I am far from an expert on pre-War instruments. Its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions you might have before offering to purchase it.
Thank you for your interest.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.