C. F. Martin 0-18T Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1932), made in Nazareth, PA, sunburst top, natural back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge.
A very rare and very cool sunburst finish 0-18T from the early 1930's. It's hard to imagine a flat-top tenor guitar better than this! We consider this model Martin to be one of the finest tenor guitars ever made, and this is a spectacular example from their golden era. Sporting the then-new features of the belly bridge, teardrop pickguard, and 14 fret neck, this was a very "modern" instrument for Martin in 1932! Rosewood-faced headstock has early silkscreen (not decal) logo and Grover "no-tab" tuners. Ebony fingerboard and nut, bar frets; mixed-size dot inlay at frets 5, 7, and 10.
While designed in the late 1920's for tenor banjoists getting pushed out of work by the preference for the guitar's mellower tone, tenor guitars have a range of possibilities still not fully explored. Rabon Delmore used small tenor Martin models including an 0-18T nearly identical to this one to play the deftly picked leads that characterize the Delmore Brothers' music; this is one "Ol' Guitar" it's hard to "Lay Down"!
Overall length is 35 7/16 in. (90 cm.), 13 11/16 in. (34.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
Very nicely original example; one repaired area of damage to the back, otherwise excellent. Overall Very Good + Condition.
