C. F. Martin 00-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1931)
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Item # 12083
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C. F. Martin 00-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1931), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 48736, natural lacquer finish, Adirondack spruce top, Honduras mahogany sides and neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge, rosewood bound top, black tolex hard shell case.
This is simply a stunner, one of the cleanest and best sounding pre-war 12-fret Martins we have ever seen. These "Old style" 12-fret, steel string Martin flat tops from the 1927-32 period are some of our absolute favorite guitars. For only a few years at this time -- just before Martin altered nearly all their designs to the 14-fret neck "Orchestra Model" pattern -- the company crafted a relatively small number of traditional long-body scallop-braced flat-tops specifically designed for steel strings instead of the gut used previously.
The other features are pretty much as they had been since the last century, with a wide ebony fingerboard on the neck which joins the body at the 12th fret. These guitars were the final evolution of the original 19th century Martin patterns before the "modern" 14-fret design became the standard just a few years later. This late 1931 guitar has what many would consider the perfect combination of features: Steel string X-bracing along with the new ebony belly bridge and tortoise celluloid pickguard both just recently been added to this model.
The Style 18 designation signifies a fairly modest instrument, the 00-18 being the middle mahogany model in the company's line, between the smaller 0-18 and the 15" wide 000-18. These Style 18 models were built with mahogany back and sides instead of the even-at-the-time costly Brazilian rosewood but still maintain the same quality workmanship standards as the highest-grade instruments. The trim is simple with rosewood binding on the body, plain wood soundhole rings and small graduated dot inlay on the unbound ebony fingerboard. The tuners are simple unplated brass strip units with celluloid buttons.
This 00-18 was built towards the end of 1931 and is one of 201 examples shipped that year, priced at $45.00 (without the case). Although this may seem like a bargain even in period money, that was a lot of cash for most Americans as the depression was seriously settling in. This late 12-fret 00-18 is a rare guitar by today's standards; 1930's Martins were made in very small numbers compared to later periods, and if the original price seems laughable today this was still fairly expensive for a flat-top guitar at the time.
This example shows some very light play and wear and a few beautifully executed maintenance repairs, but is an excellent player in far more original cosmetic and playing condition than most period survivors. The sound is more powerful than one might expect for a smaller mahogany instrument and has surprising depth. It makes a great fingerstyle guitar, and also works very well with a flatpick, from stringband music to early jazz and beyond. It remains a testament to its builder's skill and reputation and at least as fine a mahogany 12-fret 00-sized model as anyone has ever made -- then or since.
Overall length is 38 1/8 in. (96.8 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
This is a beautiful and very original example of the early steel-string Martin 00, with some light wear for its 90+ years on the planet but no major finish loss or repair. The original lacquer shows light checking and other light signs of use; there are some small dings dents and scratches, but no large areas of loss. The headstock face has many tiny pit marks where the finish has sunk slightly into the rosewood veneer, but very little wear. The only deeper marks on the instrument are some "case bites" on the top near the widest part of the lower bout and two more between the pickguard and the binding and one more prominent scratch off the back edge.
This guitar is amazingly crack-free, which is somewhat miraculous for a Martin of this era. The neck has been neatly reset along with a partial refret; the first ten bar frets were carefully replaced and matched to the existing fret stock, which is no easy task with 1930s Martin bar fretwire. The bridge has been replaced with an exact reproduction that matches the footprint and contours of the original, along with a new saddle. Everything else remains original on the instrument. The interior is undisturbed including the very small maple bridgeplate, intact with very little ballend wear.
The tuners are original and still fully functional with buttons that have shrunk a bit over time but are not crumbling. This is a very fine playing and simply spectacular sounding guitar; powerful, evenly balanced and super responsive in any style of play. This model only existed in this exact 12-fret steel string form for a relatively brief time, and this one is the finest example we have seen. Overall Excellent Condition.
This is simply a stunner, one of the cleanest and best sounding pre-war 12-fret Martins we have ever seen. These "Old style" 12-fret, steel string Martin flat tops from the 1927-32 period are some of our absolute favorite guitars. For only a few years at this time -- just before Martin altered nearly all their designs to the 14-fret neck "Orchestra Model" pattern -- the company crafted a relatively small number of traditional long-body scallop-braced flat-tops specifically designed for steel strings instead of the gut used previously.
The other features are pretty much as they had been since the last century, with a wide ebony fingerboard on the neck which joins the body at the 12th fret. These guitars were the final evolution of the original 19th century Martin patterns before the "modern" 14-fret design became the standard just a few years later. This late 1931 guitar has what many would consider the perfect combination of features: Steel string X-bracing along with the new ebony belly bridge and tortoise celluloid pickguard both just recently been added to this model.
The Style 18 designation signifies a fairly modest instrument, the 00-18 being the middle mahogany model in the company's line, between the smaller 0-18 and the 15" wide 000-18. These Style 18 models were built with mahogany back and sides instead of the even-at-the-time costly Brazilian rosewood but still maintain the same quality workmanship standards as the highest-grade instruments. The trim is simple with rosewood binding on the body, plain wood soundhole rings and small graduated dot inlay on the unbound ebony fingerboard. The tuners are simple unplated brass strip units with celluloid buttons.
This 00-18 was built towards the end of 1931 and is one of 201 examples shipped that year, priced at $45.00 (without the case). Although this may seem like a bargain even in period money, that was a lot of cash for most Americans as the depression was seriously settling in. This late 12-fret 00-18 is a rare guitar by today's standards; 1930's Martins were made in very small numbers compared to later periods, and if the original price seems laughable today this was still fairly expensive for a flat-top guitar at the time.
This example shows some very light play and wear and a few beautifully executed maintenance repairs, but is an excellent player in far more original cosmetic and playing condition than most period survivors. The sound is more powerful than one might expect for a smaller mahogany instrument and has surprising depth. It makes a great fingerstyle guitar, and also works very well with a flatpick, from stringband music to early jazz and beyond. It remains a testament to its builder's skill and reputation and at least as fine a mahogany 12-fret 00-sized model as anyone has ever made -- then or since.
Overall length is 38 1/8 in. (96.8 cm.), 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 7/8 in. (48 mm.).
This is a beautiful and very original example of the early steel-string Martin 00, with some light wear for its 90+ years on the planet but no major finish loss or repair. The original lacquer shows light checking and other light signs of use; there are some small dings dents and scratches, but no large areas of loss. The headstock face has many tiny pit marks where the finish has sunk slightly into the rosewood veneer, but very little wear. The only deeper marks on the instrument are some "case bites" on the top near the widest part of the lower bout and two more between the pickguard and the binding and one more prominent scratch off the back edge.
This guitar is amazingly crack-free, which is somewhat miraculous for a Martin of this era. The neck has been neatly reset along with a partial refret; the first ten bar frets were carefully replaced and matched to the existing fret stock, which is no easy task with 1930s Martin bar fretwire. The bridge has been replaced with an exact reproduction that matches the footprint and contours of the original, along with a new saddle. Everything else remains original on the instrument. The interior is undisturbed including the very small maple bridgeplate, intact with very little ballend wear.
The tuners are original and still fully functional with buttons that have shrunk a bit over time but are not crumbling. This is a very fine playing and simply spectacular sounding guitar; powerful, evenly balanced and super responsive in any style of play. This model only existed in this exact 12-fret steel string form for a relatively brief time, and this one is the finest example we have seen. Overall Excellent Condition.