Martin Style A

About the Martin Style A

Martin, primarily a guitar builder, approached the mandolin from guitar-construction logic rather than the carved-top Italian tradition Gibson drew on: the Style A has a flat back with a gently bent (rather than carved-arch) top, an oval sound hole, and a spruce top over mahogany back and sides - materials shared with Martin's own Style 18 guitars. Ebony forms both the fretboard and bridge, with rosewood binding around the body.

The shorter scale and lighter string tension than a typical Gibson-derived F-hole mandolin make the Style A noticeably easier under the fingers, but too lightly built and quiet to compete in a hard-driving bluegrass jam - which is exactly why it's often overlooked by modern bluegrass players while remaining prized among old-time, Celtic and even classical mandolinists for its delicate, ringing tone. An engraved tailpiece and four-per-side tuners complete the hardware.

Where to buy

• Reverb 4 String Tenor Harmony Guitar Indian Rosewood Bridge Compensated For 8 String Mandolins 19 EUR Best price View details
• Reverb 1930 Martin Style 3 Bowlback Mandolin (VIDEO! Fresh Work, Ready) 978 EUR View details
• Reverb Martin Vintage 1924 Mandolin A Style Mandolin 1.107 EUR View details
• Reverb Martin Style 1 Mandolin 1919 1.160 EUR View details
• Reverb 1931 Martin Style A Mandolin Natural w/ Original Case 1.393 EUR View details
• Reverb Martin Style A-K (koa) Mandolin 1921 1.486 EUR View details
• Reverb Martin Style-A Mandolin Natural 1953 1.498 EUR View details
• Reverb Martin A Style Mandolin 1968 1.600 EUR View details
• eBay 1923 Martin Style A Mandoline in Natur 2.124 EUR View details
• Reverb 1923 Martin Style A Mandolin in Natural 2.221 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/91970297-martin-style-a-k-koa-mandolin-1921

Sound character of the Martin Style A

A bent (not carved-arch) top, oval sound hole, shorter scale and lighter string tension add up to a genuinely delicate, ringing voice rather than a loud, cutting one - too quiet for a hard-driving bluegrass jam, which is exactly why old-time, Celtic and classical mandolinists still seek it out for its intimate, sweet tone.

Technical data for the Martin Style A

Price history for the Martin Style A

Cheapest seen: 19 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 2.221 EUR

The history of the Martin Style A

Martin built the Style A from 1914 to 1995, one of the company's longest-running instrument models, during an era when mandolins rivaled guitars in American popularity; it bridged European carved-mandolin tradition with Martin's own flat-top guitar-building methods rather than copying Gibson's approach directly.