C. F. Martin 0-18K Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1927), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 35654, natural varnish finish, koa wood body; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
Starting in the mid-1910's Martin began to be deluged with requests to make Hawaiian style guitars, as a craze for native musical stylings had taken hold of the country. After some in retrospect quizzical experiments with fan-bracing tops, Martin settled on simply replacing the rosewood and spruce normally used for the guitar body with native Hawaiian koa wood. The scalloped X-bracing pattern was the same as used on the standard Martins, beefed up a bit as these were intended from the start to use steel strings. Many were destined to be used as lap-style instruments, but some examples were shipped set up standard style.
The 0-18K was the simplest such model, first built in 1918 but not officially cataloged by Martin until 1923. This guitar is one of 475 shipped out in 1927, the model's peak production year. This was a fairly large quantity for Martin at the time marking the model as a sales success. After the mid-20's Martin usually shipped them in a dedicated Hawaiian mode, this guitar has been neatly converted to the standard Spanish style. As Hawaiian bands used guitars for rhythm as well as lead, even at the time a group would sometimes use several with differing set ups!
This guitar has the same basic features as a standard 1927 Martin 0-18, with the exception of the nicely grained koa body in place of spruce and mahogany. The 12-fret neck is mahogany, with a slotted headstock and unbound dot-inlaid ebony fingerboard. The body bindings are wood while the tuners are unplated strips with celluloid buttons. Construction is very light overall, even compared to later Hawaiian style Martins.
Martin's koa models were somewhat more expensive than standard models in any given style; the 0-18K listed for $45 in 1927 which was a $5 premium over the standard 0-18. The woods were imported from Hawaii, usually using an intermediary on the west coast so the process must have added considerable expense. This guitar is built with the harder flamey-grained koa Martin settled on by the mid-1920s which offered more dramatic look than the earlier supplies. Koa Martins like this are really a connoisseur's delight, a different and distinct flavor of the best small body flat tops ever made and especially favored for fingerpicked (and Hawaiian!) styles.
Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 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 95 year old guitar is in very fine playing condition overall, showing mostly light dings and scrapes, and of course the work required to convert the instrument from the original Hawaiian configuration to Spanish-style play. There is a minor repaired center seam separation starting at the bridge and extending towards the tailblock, solidly sealed but visible. There are no other cracks, which on a koa instrument of this vintage is a delightful situation!
The guitar retains its original lacquer finish without any noticeable overspray. There are a number of quizzical marks confined to the treble side that appear to be spots where either oils in the Koa have caused the lacquer to darken and lift, or something long ago spilled on the guitar. These small stain spots are noticeable but not a playing issue, and fortunately are only on the "down" part of the guitar when played!
The conversion entailed neck being reset and the saddle lowered. The small ebony bridge remains original; it has been re-glued, slightly shaved down and the saddle slot filled and re-routed to compensate for intonation, with some visible touch-up on the forward edge. The original thin ebony fingerboard was replaced with a slightly thicker ebony board than the original spec., with modern T-frets in place of the original bar frets. It retains three graduated pearl dots at the fifth, seventh and ninth positions and celluloid side dots. The original bone nut has been shaved down.
The guitar retains its original three-on-a plate white button Waverly tuners. The interior of the guitar is clean complete with the undamaged original small maple bridge plate. This is a lovely example of a 1920's koa Martin, well converted and an excellent player. The 0-18K is not a fancy model but a discreetly elegant guitar with a very fine sound. It resides in a modern HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
