C. F. Martin T-18 Model 10 String Tiple (1938), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 69618, natural top, dark stained back and sides finish, mahogany back, sides and neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a very nice and rare variant of the Style 18 Martin Tiple, from the only year of Martin's manufacture of this model during the entire decade of the 1930s. The Tiple (laughingly called "The Uke that went to College") was basically a Martin invention, designed by and for New York based Hawaiian music entrepreneur William J. Smith to be an "upsell' for ukulele players. Loosely based on South American originals, Martin's model is strung with 10 steel strings in uke tuning. Martin offered the basic design in several different models, surprisingly keeping some in the catalog up into the 1980s.
The T-18 in particular had an odd production history. It was the first Tiple model offered and sold well for a time in the early-mid 1920s, but was discontinued around the end of the decade in favor of the cheaper all-mahogany T-17. It returned to production after a 10-year hiatus with a single batch of 25 produced in 1938, of which this is one. These were the ONLY examples from the entire decade and the last pre-war T-18s built except for a single one-off shipped in 1940. The model then returned to Martin's line after the war and was sold up into the 1970s.
The T-18 is built to the same standards as pre-war Style 18 guitars; mahogany back, sides and neck with a spruce top, ebony fingerboard and bridge. The headstock overlay and binding are Brazilian rosewood; the tuners are unplanted Waverly brass strips with celluloid buttons. This 1938 model has an X-braced top, sturdier than the earlier fan-braced 1920s examples but still extremely light and resonant. The T-18 listed for $35 in 1938, more than enough to buy a good guitar from anyone who was not Martin.
While not well-remembered today, numerous small African-American string-swing ensembles of the 1930s made extensive use of these small, loud instruments for both fast lead work and frantic rhythm strumming. Two of the best known were the Spirits Of Rhythm (featuring guitarist Teddy Bunn) and Cats and the Fiddle, where Tiny Grimes got his professional start. Comic Timmie rogers was the best known exponent of the instrument in the 1960s. This T-18 is a lovely example from this rare batch that plays and sounds great. No better examples of these now somewhat obscure instruments have ever been made, and the Martin Tiple remains -- even if by default -- the world's standard.
Overall length is 27 1/4 in. (69.2 cm.), 9 in. (22.9 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 17 in. (432 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/2 in. (38 mm.).
This nearly 90 year old T-18 remains a very fine player with the bright ringing tone these are known for and plenty of volume. The top finish shows some light checking and minor dings, dents, and scrapes but none of the heavy strum wear Tiples often have. The back, sides and neck have some scratches and small dings and dents but no really heavy wear.
Structurally the instrument is excellent with a nice, flat top; internally the delicate scalloped X bracing remains all original and unaltered. The ebony bridge is a correct style replacement; Tiple bridges are notorious for having self-destructed over the years to this is very common. There are small scars around the base of the bridge from the original lifting. There are no cracks.
The neck has probably been reset; the original thin bar frets show little wear but some work done to the fingerboard around them, some looking to have been pulled and re-seated, probably to true the fingerboard. Playability is very good, like most Tiples intonation becomes suspect higher up the fingerboard but this one has been tweaked to be better than most. This rare 1930s model is one of the best sounding and certainly coolest Tiples to brighten our doorstep in a while. The lovely original hardshell case is included. Overall Excellent - Condition.
