What’s most remarkable about this 64 year old guitar is its originality. Except for new frets, which were replaced by Frank Ford’s Gryphon crew, everything is original. We reset the neck before refretting it, but it still has the original bridge, bridge pins, nut, and saddle. Other notable original goodies are the pickguard and tuners, with knobs that sparkle like they were plated a few years ago. The original hardshell case is in equally good shape The finish has some scratches on the back from shirt buttons, and the pick scratches on either side of the fretboard can be seen in the photos, but the neck and sides show almost no wear at all and there are no cracks anywhere. Do we need to prattle on about straight-grain Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and one of the nicest Adirondack spruce tops we’ve seen on a guitar of any vintage? Hopefully not. Martin catalogs of the period had a little tag line at the bottom that read “Many styles, one quality,” and this guitar is living proof that it wasn’t just a slogan.