{"product_id":"c-f-martin-00-18-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1942-12726","title":"C. F. Martin 00-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1942)","description":"C. F. Martin 00-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1942), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 80348, natural lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, spruce top, Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, black tolex hard shell case. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a played but still superb original \"just-wartime\" Martin 00-18 made early in 1942. This example would have shipped out not long after the beginning of the year, just as the US was starting to shift to wartime footing. At this point many changes WWII would bring to Martin instruments were still in the future; wartime metal restrictions were not yet in place, so this 00-18 does have a steel truss rod in the neck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 00-18 in general to many players constitutes one of the Martin company's most propitious combinations of wood, wire and inspiration. This early wartime guitar retains the prewar light mahogany body and delicately scallop-braced Adirondack spruce top of the 1930s making for a very handy and a superbly responsive instrument. The 00-18 was never a flashy guitar; the trim is discreet with tortoise celluloid binding on the outer body edges, a tortoise celluloid pickguard and a simple multiply celluloid soundhole ring. The unbound, small-dot inlaid fingerboard and bridge are very dark rosewood, a change from the earlier prewar ebony spec. The neck has a fairly slim profile with only the hint of a \"V\" spine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis 00-18 was one of exactly 350 shipped in 1942, a year which oddly enough registered the model's best sales since 1938, when the pre-war top tier total of 352 were sold. Unlike most other instrument builders Martin managed to keep up steady guitar production during the war; some totals actually increased. Listing from late 1941 at $55.00 (plus case) this was not a particularly expensive instrument by Martin standards but still represented a fairly substantial investment to many players. Despite its smaller size body and lack of bling this was a professional-quality instrument described in the catalog as suitable \"for broadcasting or stage work\".\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the years since, Martins of this era have become the benchmark for nearly all subsequent acoustic guitar designs. The 00-18 is on the small side compared to the more ubiquitous dreadnoughts, but earlier models offer a surprisingly powerful sound. This is an extremely versatile instrument, a delightful fingerpicker with a strong reserve of sound if driven with a flatpick. The scalloped bracing (discontinued in 1944) makes a major sonic difference on smaller bodied guitars, and this instrument has a wealth of tone not evident on most 00's from later decades. An ideal writing or recording instrument as well as stage guitar, this pre-war 00 is a wonderful creative tool and a fine survivor of the tail end of Martin's undisputed \"Golden Age\".\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOverall length is 39 3\/8 in. (100 cm.), 14 3\/8 in. (36.5 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 11\/16 in. (43 mm.). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis featherweight tone machine shows some wear and tear for its 80+ years on earth but remains a nicely original instrument. The finish shows general checking, with dings, scratches and some heavier wear spots but remains original. There is strum wear to the wood around the soundhole (especially the lower rim) and fingerboard extension, and off the edges of the original pickguard. The back has more significant wear through the finish along the waist on bass side, which is heavily worn through to the wood. It looks like something (contact paper?) was once stuck there to try to protect that spot. There is lighter belt buckle wear around the center seam. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is finish wear and some capo scrapes along the back of neck behind the first four\/five frets but not deep dings. There are a few deeper few nicks on the top, but the spruce remains crack-free. There are repaired bookmatched cracks on lower bout area of the back. The bass side had some cross-grain damage and has been cleated, the treble side appears a simpler grain split sealed without cleats. All are solidly repaired and not too conspicuous. There is also a laterally cleated side crack repair along the waist on the bass side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe guitar has had a clean neck set, and a correct-style refret with the fingerboard trued; the original bone nut was retained. The rosewood bridge appears to be a nice reproduction with a correct bone saddle. The tuners are modern repros of pre-war Kluson openbacks, there is a strap button installed on heel cap and the endpin hole was previously enlarged for a jack, now removed. This is a superb playing and sounding guitar, a fine candidate for a recording guitar in particular worn enough to play without worry and a very rewarding instrument even to the casual strummer. Overall Very Good + Condition.","brand":"C. F. Martin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853684002956,"sku":"12726","price":13500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/8702\/3756\/files\/01_c3993787-30de-4c14-8761-2d46fc4bfb5a.jpg?v=1774342914","url":"https:\/\/retrofret.com\/products\/c-f-martin-00-18-flat-top-acoustic-guitar-1942-12726","provider":"RetroFret","version":"1.0","type":"link"}