C. F. Martin D-18 Model Acoustic Guitar (1959), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 174836, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black tolex hard shell case.
This is a heavily worn-in but great playing 1959 D-18; in honor of Riley Puckett we call these "Ragged but Right". It shows numerous signs of long use, including an old headstock repair and some fairly heavy wear. This guitar shows typical appointments for 1959 including large varied-dot inlay on the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, a rosewood long-saddle bridge and tortoise celluloid binding and pickguard. Despite a checkered life this guitar has a fabulous big voice and remains in fine playing condition. It has a set of first-year Grover Rotomatic tuners replacing the original Klusons, probably done long ago.
In 1959 -- partially thanks to the Kingson Trio -- Martin Dreadnoughts were the most sought-after flattops in the world, already long considered the world standard. Only 475 D-18's were made that year, and many were gigged heavily like this one over the decades to come. The D-18 and D-28 were the undisputed favorites of many professional Country & Western entertainers when new, and are still fantastic guitars for a wide range of styles. This one shows is wear and repair proudly but remains unbowed, an excellent player's instrument, a great stage or recording guitar.
Height is 40 3/8 in. (102.6 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) width. Scale length is 25 1/2 in. (648 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar is fairly worn in but remains in good playing condition. It has a number of old repairs, the most serious being a solid but quite visible "smiley" crack at the base of the headstock; this repair was not touched up nor perfectly aligned, but was well sealed and is holding fine, not presenting a further structural issue. The instrument also shows numerous top cracks. One runs from the top edge of the pickguard to the top of the upper bout, about an inch away from the treble fingerboard extension. Another spruce grain crack extends from the treble side waist to the middle of the lower bout and one from the edge of the bass side lower bout going towards, but not quite to the bottom of the pickguard. The center seam has been resealed from the bridge to the tailblock.
The finish shows a lot of wear over the entire instrument, with noticeable pickwear into the wood on the top above the soundhole and below the pickguard. There are three 'case bites" on the bass lower bout, with short grain cracks on either side of one of them. The back has some scratching and some odd blushing to the finish, but is not too heavily worn. The treble side rim shows three cracks, from the waist towards the lower bout. They have been sloppily cleated on the inside, but are solid and not moving. The headstock shows noticeable scars from the repair and filled screw holes from the original Klusons.
The good news on this D-18 is it retains the original nut, bridge (somewhat shaved down), pickguard, the frets are original with some wear but recently crowned with a surprising amount of life left. Other than the rim cleat the interior is clean, including the small maple bridge plate. The finish remains mostly original with some overspray at the headstock break and light overspray over the treble side cracks. Oddly, it has never had a neck set. This guitar is not a collector's showpiece but still a fine playing and sounding instrument, an solid player's piece still and the perfect touring or recording D-18. Overall Very Good Condition.
