C. F. Martin 0-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1951), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 120126, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a lovely little Martin 0-18 from mid-1951, showing some wear but with a lot of character. The mahogany body carries the typical period features including tortoise celluloid binding on the edges, tortoise celluloid pickguard and long-saddle Brazilian rosewood bridge. The spruce top shows a nicely ambered thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The headstock corners are the somewhat rounded style typical of the period, with the peghead face adorned with the "CF Martin" gold decal on the face and individual openback Kluson tuners with large baseplates.
This guitar, like all made prior to 1964, is the product of the "old" red brick Martin factory, before the move to the modern facility down the road that year resulted in many changes in the way the guitars were made. These 1950s 0-18s are lovely-sounding instruments, fairly lightly built compared to examples from a decade or so later. Exactly 575 of these small mahogany-and-spruce marvels were shipped from Nazareth in 1951, priced at $70 (Plus case). This one has plenty of volume (more than many expect in a smaller body guitar) and a nicely even ringing tone. This is a superb-playing and sounding small-body Martin, showing some typical wear and minor repair from the just over seven decades since it first left Nazareth PA.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 9/16 in. (34.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This is a solidly preserved guitar overall, showing general wear overall. The original finish is worn but completely unaltered showing scrapes, pickwear, scratches, dents and dings throughout but no overspray anywhere. The top has some fairly heavy pickwear through the finish, most notably on either side of the fingerboard extension and between the pickguard and edge binding on the treble side of the soundhole. Beyond this there is a moderate collection of checking, scrapes, dents and scratches throughout the top. The back and sides show a number of scrapes, scratches and dings along with some buckle wear. The neck is comparatively clean with only a few notable marks.
The instrument shows only some minor crack repairs, which is nice to find on a Martin of this vintage. There are two tight grain cracks on the top, one at the edge of the treble side lower but along with a couple of adjacent carefully reglued chips right next to the binding and there is a typical "B" string crack between the pickguard and the bridge. There is also one tightly sealed grain crack on the bass side rim at the upper curve.
The interior, including the small maple bridge plate, remains unaltered original. The neck has been carefully reset to the original full-height bridge. The bone nut and saddle appear to be replaced; the tuners are the original openback large plate Klusons. The original frets are intact with a recent grind and polish and have plenty of life left in them. This guitar plays extremely well with a comfortable action and offers a lot of sound for a small body instrument. It includes a nice modern HSC Overall Very Good + Condition.
