Music

C. F. Martin 0-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1926), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 24708, natural lacquer finish, Adirondack spruce top, Honduras mahogany sides and neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge, black tolex hard shell case. This is a nicely preserved 0-18 from very early 1926, the beginning of golden era of steel-string, 12-fret "old style" or "standard" Martins. Just that year the 0-18 was settling into its new specifications as a steel-string guitar, still a fairly novel idea at Martin. Even though technically built for steel stringing, this 0-18 by modern standards remains an extremely lightly built guitar, especially in regards to the dainty scalloped X pattern bracing. The Style 18 had begun to be offered with steel strings only in 1923; this model was Martin's first spruce top guitar so equipped from the factory and soon became a very popular instrument. Legions of Hawaiian players, vaudeville players and string band musicians were looking for guitars just like this in the mid-20s, and Martin hit on a formula that scored big. As a result 1926 was the peak production year for the "old style" 0-18 with 900 shipped, second only to the budget all-mahogany 2-17 in sales volume. The price was raised from $35 to $40 in the middle of the year likely indicating the factory was having trouble keeping up with demand! The 0-18 is a 13 1/2" wide mahogany-bodied guitar with relatively plain trim. It would only be continue to be built in this 12-fret form up through the end of this decade before the advent of 14-fret neck joints, slim necks, solid headstocks and pickguards changed its character in the 1930s. This 1926 guitar has an Adirondack spruce top with some slightly wavy grain braced to handle steel string tension but really not much changed from its gut strung ancestors. Other features remained as before; the top and back are bound with rosewood and the narrow pyramid bridge and 1 13/16" wide fingerboard made of very high-grade dark ebony. The position marks are three simple descending-sized pearl dots, the nut is ebony and the tuners on the slotted headstock are unplated strips with grained ivoroid buttons. This small-bodied mahogany guitar may have been near the bottom of the Martin line, but this was still a more expensive instrument than many competing 1920s flat-tops. It is built throughout to the lofty standards that only C.F. Martin & Co. ever sustained, most discerning players at the time would have considered this 0-18's combination of features and price to be the best of its type in the world. This is simply a wonderful 12-fret guitar; it remains a very fine playing instrument, considered a classic old-time string band or solo guitar but really suitable for just about any style. The sound is truly fantastic, considerably more powerful than one might expect from an instrument this size, full-bodied with surprising depth. It makes a great fingerstyle guitar but also works equally well with a flatpick. Overall length is 38 in. (96.5 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 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 13/16 in. (46 mm.). This is a lightly played-in but still nicely original 98 year old Martin, showing some light but average wear and repair. The finish remains all original; The very thin lacquer shows dings, dents, and scrapes overall with some noticeable pickwear on the treble side of the top running from the front edge to below the soundhole and beyond the lower waist. The back has some odd cross-grain scratching, while the back of the neck is cleaner than most with light wear and none of the heavy capo dings often encountered. The original ebony fingerboard is very clean but has an odd restoration we are at a bit of a loss to explain. There are subtle thin stripes across the fingerboard centered between fret positions 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10 where it looks like someone once planned to add extra bar frets, or possible some decoration. These have been very neatly filled and polished out, in fact the entire fingerboard is very smooth and even. We don't know what happened here, but thankfully the remaining evidence is very subtle and has no effect on the instrument's performance. The small ebony bridge is original, the saddle slot was widened slightly when a new slightly compensated bone saddle was fitted. The bridge has been reglued (likely more than once) and there are some small scars from this process along the perimeter. The original TINY maple bridgeplate is still solidly intact and the beautiful delicate scalloped bracing is original and unaltered. The top shows little of the bellying typical of these lightly built early guitars and is completely solid. The only crack repair is a small bash mark on the turn of the side at the lower bass bout, it looks like the guitar took a small hit there decades ago. Apart from this one impact incident the instrument is crack free, which is delightful nearly a century on considering the light build. The neck appears to have been very neatly reset. What appear to be the original bar frets are still intact and very playable; these were likely crowned down a bit. It is possible an expert bar refret was done, but if so the wire is a perfect match for the original. While not pristine, this guitar is a wonderful survivor in above average condition for an early steel-string Martin. The great majority of these scallop-braced 12-fret steel-string Martins show far more use and repair --often poorly done -- usually due to decades of heavy stringing through the 1930s, '40s and '50s. This one has survived those times intact and remains simply a superb playing and sounding instrument, living in a modern hard shell case. Nearly century old Martins really don't turn up as nice as this as much as we would like, and when they do are always a treat to see, play, and especially hear. Overall Excellent - Condition.

The Martin 0-18 is a revered acoustic guitar featuring a parlor body shape and high-quality woods, providing a balanced and articulate tone suitable for various music styles.