C. F. Martin 00-18 Shade Top Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1938)
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Item #11772
C. F. Martin 00-18 Shade Top Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1938), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 68881, natural lacquer finish, mahogany body and neck, Adirondack spruce top, ebony fingerboard and bridge, original black hard shell case.
It's not everyday well into the 21st century we see something like this turn up: a beautiful and well preserved JUST 1938 00-18 in the very rare "Shade Top" sunburst finish. The 00-18 in general may not be one of Martin's rarer creations, but this original late '30s "Shade Top" is a truly delightful find and a superb playing and sounding guitar.
A "Shaded" or "Dark" top was a catalog option for certain Martin models first listed in the early 1930's. Originally this was a fairly subtle amber tone darkening around the edges of the top. By the time this guitar was made the edge shading was somewhat less subtle and the whole top had a darker look. This option not often ordered at the time, but likely inspired by Martin customers and/or dealers and looking at Gibsons and wanting something with a similar look. 1930s catalog listings for the Style 18 noted "This style will be furnished with a shaded dark top instead of natural finish on request at no extra charge".
The 00-18 in general to many players constitutes one of the Martin company's most propitious combinations of wood, wire and inspiration. This very-beginning-of 1938 guitar (one of the first 20 serial numbers assigned that year) has a mahogany body and delicately scallop-braced Adirondack spruce top making for a very light and a superbly responsive instrument.
This 00-18 was one of exactly 353 shipped in 1938, a year which registered the model's best sales since 1927. Of those only a very small proportion would have been ordered in this optional finish. Listing at $45.00 (plus case) it was not a particularly expensive instrument by Martin standards but still represented a fairly substantial investment to many players in that still depression era period. In early 1938 this model was still built with the now much desired earlier features including the "forward shifted" scalloped X-brace and the wider 1 3/4" nut. The bridge and fingerboard are ebony, both changed to rosewood not long after.
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 shaded top gives the instrument a different look than the standard natural livery, darker and more stately but never as overtly attention-getting as the Gibsons it was inspired by. Despite its smaller size body and lack of bling this was a professional-quality instrument described as fully suitable "for broadcasting or stage work".
In 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, making for a very easily handling guitar. Despite this it offers a surprisingly powerful sound and is an extremely versatile instrument, a delightful fingerpicker with a strong reserve of sound if driven with a flatpick. The "advanced" scalloped bracing 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 Martin's undisputed "Golden Age".
Overall 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 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This featherweight tone machine shows some wear and tear for its 85 years on earth, but remains a spectacular original instrument. The finish shows checking, dings, dents and scratches overall but remains original with no overspray, just what look like some very minor touched up spots to the sunburst. There is pick wear down to the wood below the lower rim of the pickguard and some loss on the lower soundhole rim; lacquer is visibly worn off part of the pickguard as well. The back and sides have typical dings, dents and scrapes but less belt buckle wear than many. The back of the neck has wear down to the wood across some of its length but no deep divots or capo wear, only some tiny dings.
Crack repairs are minimal as well; there is one spruce grain split running to the soundhole rim along the treble side of the fingerboard extension, sealed but not cleated or touched up. The top has seen some slight movement on the lower center seam and one area of grain split just above it, neither appearing to have opened up into the interior of the body. The upper side waist shows one tiny grain split.
The ebony bridge appears to be original, lowered slightly and polished out on the top with tiny sings or what were probably repaired chips to the ebony on the top. The small maple bridgeplate is original with a some small chips around the pin holes.
Internally there is no major internal repair work, the beautifully delicate scalloped bracing is intact and unaltered; it looks like a couple were neatly reglued long ago.
The neck appears to have been VERY cleanly reset some time ago; the saddle is low but the instrument is very playable with the action set at 4/32" bass and 3/32" treble. The original small frets have been crowned down a bit but still play well, the fingerboard shows some minimal wear in the lower positions. The original metal button Grover tuners are intact and working well. This very rare guitar offers a delightful and expansive sound for a 00 sized instrument, and has a unique look as the early shade tops all do. It is housed in the even rarer original HSC, few of which have survived into the 21st century. Overall Excellent - Condition.
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It's not everyday well into the 21st century we see something like this turn up: a beautiful and well preserved JUST 1938 00-18 in the very rare "Shade Top" sunburst finish. The 00-18 in general may not be one of Martin's rarer creations, but this original late '30s "Shade Top" is a truly delightful find and a superb playing and sounding guitar.
A "Shaded" or "Dark" top was a catalog option for certain Martin models first listed in the early 1930's. Originally this was a fairly subtle amber tone darkening around the edges of the top. By the time this guitar was made the edge shading was somewhat less subtle and the whole top had a darker look. This option not often ordered at the time, but likely inspired by Martin customers and/or dealers and looking at Gibsons and wanting something with a similar look. 1930s catalog listings for the Style 18 noted "This style will be furnished with a shaded dark top instead of natural finish on request at no extra charge".
The 00-18 in general to many players constitutes one of the Martin company's most propitious combinations of wood, wire and inspiration. This very-beginning-of 1938 guitar (one of the first 20 serial numbers assigned that year) has a mahogany body and delicately scallop-braced Adirondack spruce top making for a very light and a superbly responsive instrument.
This 00-18 was one of exactly 353 shipped in 1938, a year which registered the model's best sales since 1927. Of those only a very small proportion would have been ordered in this optional finish. Listing at $45.00 (plus case) it was not a particularly expensive instrument by Martin standards but still represented a fairly substantial investment to many players in that still depression era period. In early 1938 this model was still built with the now much desired earlier features including the "forward shifted" scalloped X-brace and the wider 1 3/4" nut. The bridge and fingerboard are ebony, both changed to rosewood not long after.
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 shaded top gives the instrument a different look than the standard natural livery, darker and more stately but never as overtly attention-getting as the Gibsons it was inspired by. Despite its smaller size body and lack of bling this was a professional-quality instrument described as fully suitable "for broadcasting or stage work".
In 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, making for a very easily handling guitar. Despite this it offers a surprisingly powerful sound and is an extremely versatile instrument, a delightful fingerpicker with a strong reserve of sound if driven with a flatpick. The "advanced" scalloped bracing 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 Martin's undisputed "Golden Age".
Overall 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 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This featherweight tone machine shows some wear and tear for its 85 years on earth, but remains a spectacular original instrument. The finish shows checking, dings, dents and scratches overall but remains original with no overspray, just what look like some very minor touched up spots to the sunburst. There is pick wear down to the wood below the lower rim of the pickguard and some loss on the lower soundhole rim; lacquer is visibly worn off part of the pickguard as well. The back and sides have typical dings, dents and scrapes but less belt buckle wear than many. The back of the neck has wear down to the wood across some of its length but no deep divots or capo wear, only some tiny dings.
Crack repairs are minimal as well; there is one spruce grain split running to the soundhole rim along the treble side of the fingerboard extension, sealed but not cleated or touched up. The top has seen some slight movement on the lower center seam and one area of grain split just above it, neither appearing to have opened up into the interior of the body. The upper side waist shows one tiny grain split.
The ebony bridge appears to be original, lowered slightly and polished out on the top with tiny sings or what were probably repaired chips to the ebony on the top. The small maple bridgeplate is original with a some small chips around the pin holes.
Internally there is no major internal repair work, the beautifully delicate scalloped bracing is intact and unaltered; it looks like a couple were neatly reglued long ago.
The neck appears to have been VERY cleanly reset some time ago; the saddle is low but the instrument is very playable with the action set at 4/32" bass and 3/32" treble. The original small frets have been crowned down a bit but still play well, the fingerboard shows some minimal wear in the lower positions. The original metal button Grover tuners are intact and working well. This very rare guitar offers a delightful and expansive sound for a 00 sized instrument, and has a unique look as the early shade tops all do. It is housed in the even rarer original HSC, few of which have survived into the 21st century. Overall Excellent - Condition.
