c. 1842
Martin Birds Eye Terz Guitar
This guitar was likely built at
close to the same time as the Goncalo Alves "Tigerwood" Martin
and Coupa above but with three differences.
It is a smaller "Terz" guitar, tuned a minor third above
standard pitch.
It was built with a bird's eye maple veneer over mahogany rather
than Goncoa Alves.
It has a single "C. F. Martin New York" stamp on the back in
place of the Martin & Coupa label.
The Terz is a small guitar, still made by Martin today, and made
popular in the 1950's and 60's by Marty Robbins.



The dimensions are:
22 1/8" scale
18 1/4" body length
11 3/8" body width
32" total length
3 3/8" depth at upper bout
3 3/4" depth at lower bout
1 3/4" nut width
2 5/16" string spacing
4 29/32" wide bridge
6" x 1 7/8" x 3" headstock
3 1/4" soundhole
Ebony pegs
Ice Cream Cone heel
Black binding
Broad foot under wide rounded neck
block
Three rounded back braces at 4", 3
3/4", 3 3/4"
Three strut fan braces
Bridge plate
While this guitar was build at
approximately the same time as the Martin & Coupa, the
Martin & Coupa label was used only on guitars distributed
from New York by John Coupa while Martin was also selling a
smaller number of guitars directly from the workshop at their
new home in Cherry Hill, Pennsylvania.
Illustrated in
"Inventing the American Guitar: The Pre–Civil War
Innovations of C. F. Martin and His Contemporaries"
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