Seconds and Thirds

To date, there have been five Shenandoahs which have surfaced bearing a stamped marking on the back of the headstock that indicates they were rejected by C.F. Martin & Co quality control inspectors, but eventually released for sale at a discount. Presumably the defects found were not bad enough to scrap the instrument entirely, but noticeable enough that it would be difficult to sell them at full price. Factory seconds were identified, stamped as such, and released for sale. The first four instruments shown below are what this website calls Type 1 - subassemblies made in Japan, final assembly and finishing in Nazareth PA

000-2832

Pic courtesy of Bob Lewis

D12-2832

3 pics courtesy of Rebecca C

This Type 1 twelve-string dread seems to have left the factory without a pickguard ever being installed. The finish in that area is pristine. In addition, the number plate on the neck block seems to have been installed and then removed at some later point in the guitar’s life. Whether or not that was done at Nazareth or sometime afterwards is an open question

eBay auction pics

000-2832

Pic courtesy of Chris O’Brien

The two guitars shown above have some subtle variations between them. The one to the left conforms in every way to the rest of its 000-2832 brethren except for the “2” stamp. Crucially, it has the typical maple plate glued onto the neck block bearing the model and serial numbers plus the usual C.F. Martin & Co logo stamped into the back of the peghead. The numeral “2” is stamped in after the logo

By contrast, the one on the right seems to have been flagged earlier in the production process since it has no model/serial number plate at all and is also missing the Martin brand stamp on the back of the peghead. Nothing back there but the “2”. Otherwise, it’s a typical 000-2832 in every detail

OMC-2832

Pic courtesy of Anonymous

And last but not least, there is this Type 2 Shenandoah - 100% Made In Japan - that shows a very different sort of mark. This instrument is something of a mystery for a couple of reasons. Not only is the QC stamp completely different from the other three but it is found on a Type 2 twelve-string, something that was never mentioned in any Shenandoah sales brochure or price list