C. F. Martin 000-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1936)
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Item #11726
C. F. Martin 000-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1936), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 62585, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, black hard shell case.
This is a fantastic sounding and super vibey player's example of an early 1936 000-18, with a major repair in its past but still a wonderful instrument. Some time ago the guitar suffered a split at the base of the headstock, now cleanly repaired. The neck has been refinished and the rosewood veneer on the face is newer, now without the customary Martin decal. The tuners are recent as well, and all work is very professionally done.
Apart from the legacy of this mishap this is a lovely guitar, worn in overall but more original than many. The 000-18 is not one of Martin's rarer creations but to many one of the company's most beloved combinations of wood, wire and inspiration. The light mahogany body and scallop-braced Adirondack spruce top make for a super responsive guitar; the 15 1/4" wide narrow-waisted 000 size body contributes power, depth and clarity to the sound.
This guitar was built early in 1936, one of 280 000-18s shipped out that year. It incorporates construction features that were changed a couple of years on, notably the "forward" X-bracing with the center closer to the soundhole. Recently, as older Martins have been studied in ever more detail both of this has become much discussed and sought after feature. In 1936 000-18's still featured an ebony fingerboard. The nut width is 1 11/16"; these are not always absolutely consistent but it may have been slimmed slightly when the neck was worked on as a 1936 would normally be expected to be 1 3/4" wide.
While not particularly expensive by Martin standards 1936 listing at $55.00 (plus case) the 000-18 still represented a substantial investment to many depression-era players. This is not a flashy guitar; the trim is discreet with tortoise celluloid on the body edges and a simple multiply soundhole ring. In classic Martin style, the elegant understatement speaks for itself. Despite its lack of bling this was a fully professional instrument popular with radio entertainers, most obviously the country acts common in the southeast.
In the decades since, Martins of this era have become the benchmark for practically all subsequent acoustic guitar designs. The 000-18 is an extremely versatile instrument; the repair has not affected it functionally at all and this guitar can be used to play effectively in virtually any style of music. We like to call these worn-in veteran Martins "Ragged but Right" in honor of pioneering picker Riley Puckett; this one took its lickin' and kept on tickin'!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) width, 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.).
This is a fine playing mid-'30s 000-18, showing scars from its 85+ years of use. The most obvious is the repaired headstock, which suffered a split along the grain between the lowest tuners and the nut, likely more or less fully detached. Long ago there were thin lengthwise splines added, and the original veneer was lost. This has been neatly put right with a correct thin lacquer refinish of the entire neck, shaded slightly in the headstock area to better conceal the break. The newer rosewood peghead veneer is neatly fitted and looks fine, as noted without a decal added.
The body has not seen any significant finish re-work but shows a decent amount of wear overall though less than some we have seen. There are numerous dings, dents and scrapes overall, with finish smoothly worn down in several areas of player contact mostly on the sides. The top shows some deeper pick wear into the wood above and behind the soundhole as well as all around the pickguard. There are some lightly occluded spots to the finish and an odd small dollop of glue spooge that resists easy removal. There is some general buckle marking to the back, into but mostly not through the finish. The neck finish is recent, so pretty much unmarred.
Amazingly enough the top is completely crack free, not even the standard pickguard-bridge split is evident. There is a deep scrape behind the bridge, but this is not a crack and does not go through to the inside. The back has one very tightly sealed (not cleated) grain split running from the front edge below the heelblock about 1/3 of the way across. There is one small (somewhat sloppily) repaired bash mark on the upper side at the turn of the lower bout. Whatever trauma befell this guitar, the headstock took the brunt of the blow!
The bridge is a later short-saddle rosewood replacement, and the neck has been re-set. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact and unaltered, as is the beautifully graceful advanced scalloped bracing. The guitar was almost certainly refretted with correct style wire some time back; these have been crowned down but still play well. The fingerboard has some filled divots from the first to seventh fret areas. There is a strap button added on the lower side of the heel, and some "ring dings" to the side finish below.
Despite its past trauma this guitar is a perfect player's example of what makes pre-1939 Martins so sought after by connoisseurs. Whether played lightly or resolutely the sound is huge, both precise and expansive with an unmatched combination of clarity and depth. This well-worn mahogany 000 excels as both a finger- or flatpicked instrument, and is perfectly suited to just about any musical application. This is not a "collector's" guitar but still a truly fine example for the player as genuine "golden age" Martins are increasingly hard to acquire well into the 21st century. Overall Very Good Condition.
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This is a fantastic sounding and super vibey player's example of an early 1936 000-18, with a major repair in its past but still a wonderful instrument. Some time ago the guitar suffered a split at the base of the headstock, now cleanly repaired. The neck has been refinished and the rosewood veneer on the face is newer, now without the customary Martin decal. The tuners are recent as well, and all work is very professionally done.
Apart from the legacy of this mishap this is a lovely guitar, worn in overall but more original than many. The 000-18 is not one of Martin's rarer creations but to many one of the company's most beloved combinations of wood, wire and inspiration. The light mahogany body and scallop-braced Adirondack spruce top make for a super responsive guitar; the 15 1/4" wide narrow-waisted 000 size body contributes power, depth and clarity to the sound.
This guitar was built early in 1936, one of 280 000-18s shipped out that year. It incorporates construction features that were changed a couple of years on, notably the "forward" X-bracing with the center closer to the soundhole. Recently, as older Martins have been studied in ever more detail both of this has become much discussed and sought after feature. In 1936 000-18's still featured an ebony fingerboard. The nut width is 1 11/16"; these are not always absolutely consistent but it may have been slimmed slightly when the neck was worked on as a 1936 would normally be expected to be 1 3/4" wide.
While not particularly expensive by Martin standards 1936 listing at $55.00 (plus case) the 000-18 still represented a substantial investment to many depression-era players. This is not a flashy guitar; the trim is discreet with tortoise celluloid on the body edges and a simple multiply soundhole ring. In classic Martin style, the elegant understatement speaks for itself. Despite its lack of bling this was a fully professional instrument popular with radio entertainers, most obviously the country acts common in the southeast.
In the decades since, Martins of this era have become the benchmark for practically all subsequent acoustic guitar designs. The 000-18 is an extremely versatile instrument; the repair has not affected it functionally at all and this guitar can be used to play effectively in virtually any style of music. We like to call these worn-in veteran Martins "Ragged but Right" in honor of pioneering picker Riley Puckett; this one took its lickin' and kept on tickin'!
Overall length is 40 in. (101.6 cm.), 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm.) width, 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.).
This is a fine playing mid-'30s 000-18, showing scars from its 85+ years of use. The most obvious is the repaired headstock, which suffered a split along the grain between the lowest tuners and the nut, likely more or less fully detached. Long ago there were thin lengthwise splines added, and the original veneer was lost. This has been neatly put right with a correct thin lacquer refinish of the entire neck, shaded slightly in the headstock area to better conceal the break. The newer rosewood peghead veneer is neatly fitted and looks fine, as noted without a decal added.
The body has not seen any significant finish re-work but shows a decent amount of wear overall though less than some we have seen. There are numerous dings, dents and scrapes overall, with finish smoothly worn down in several areas of player contact mostly on the sides. The top shows some deeper pick wear into the wood above and behind the soundhole as well as all around the pickguard. There are some lightly occluded spots to the finish and an odd small dollop of glue spooge that resists easy removal. There is some general buckle marking to the back, into but mostly not through the finish. The neck finish is recent, so pretty much unmarred.
Amazingly enough the top is completely crack free, not even the standard pickguard-bridge split is evident. There is a deep scrape behind the bridge, but this is not a crack and does not go through to the inside. The back has one very tightly sealed (not cleated) grain split running from the front edge below the heelblock about 1/3 of the way across. There is one small (somewhat sloppily) repaired bash mark on the upper side at the turn of the lower bout. Whatever trauma befell this guitar, the headstock took the brunt of the blow!
The bridge is a later short-saddle rosewood replacement, and the neck has been re-set. The original small maple bridgeplate is intact and unaltered, as is the beautifully graceful advanced scalloped bracing. The guitar was almost certainly refretted with correct style wire some time back; these have been crowned down but still play well. The fingerboard has some filled divots from the first to seventh fret areas. There is a strap button added on the lower side of the heel, and some "ring dings" to the side finish below.
Despite its past trauma this guitar is a perfect player's example of what makes pre-1939 Martins so sought after by connoisseurs. Whether played lightly or resolutely the sound is huge, both precise and expansive with an unmatched combination of clarity and depth. This well-worn mahogany 000 excels as both a finger- or flatpicked instrument, and is perfectly suited to just about any musical application. This is not a "collector's" guitar but still a truly fine example for the player as genuine "golden age" Martins are increasingly hard to acquire well into the 21st century. Overall Very Good Condition.
