C. F. Martin 0-18T Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1957)
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C. F. Martin 0-18T Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1957), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 158699, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original brown chipboard case.
The Martin 0-18T is one of the finest and most popular tenor guitars ever made, arguably the world standard and a lovely and well-balanced design. This is a relatively clean example overall dating to the later 1950's JUST before the Kingston Trio hit BIG in 1958-9 with the 0-18T along for the ride in the hands of group member Nick Reynolds. Folk groups who emulated the Trio's sound wanted one in their arsenal and the model had a noticeable boost in popularity for a few years. In 1957 only 63 of these shipped out; within the next few years this would double then triple.
The 0-18T shows typical 1950s Style 18 Martin features including a Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood belly bridge and fingerboard, teardrop celluloid pickguard and slim 14 fret 23" scale neck. The Brazilian rosewood-faced headstock has a small "C. F. Martin" decal logo and open back Grover Sta-Tite tuners. The sound is full and powerful without the tinniness ("Ewhhh; TINNY!") endemic to many lesser tenor guitars.
The Martin tenor has experienced upswings and downtimes in popularity over the last century. Designed in the late 1920s for tenor banjoists getting pushed out of work by the switch to guitar, tenor guitars like this 0-18T can be tuned in the "correct" fifths tenor tuning (C-G-D-A) or simply as the higher four guitar strings (D-G-B-E) or beyond. In either case they offer a range of possibilities to this day still not fully explored. In the 1930's long before the Kingston Trio Rabon Delmore used small tenor Martin models including the 0-18T to play deftly picked leads on the Delmore Brothers' records, and many others have explored them since.
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 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 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This lovely 1950's Martin tenor guitar remains all original with no alterations. The top finish shows a some checking with scratches, scuffs and dings overall. There is one deep scratch to the top near the bottom edge and some random pickwear, mostly as usual to the lower soundhole edge. The back and sides show some dings and scratches mostly along the edges. The neck finish is very clean, as is the headstock.
The interior, including the original small maple bridge plate, is clean and shows no signs of any repair. The back center seam may have opened slightly at some point but is solidly sealed now. The only possible alteration is the saddle on the otherwise un-modified original bridge may have been slightly lowered.
The original frets have a only very light and plenty of life left in them. Overall this is a cleaner than average, very easy playing and great sounding example of Martin's -- and the world's -- most perennially popular tenor guitar. It includes a still-solid original 1950s chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
The Martin 0-18T is one of the finest and most popular tenor guitars ever made, arguably the world standard and a lovely and well-balanced design. This is a relatively clean example overall dating to the later 1950's JUST before the Kingston Trio hit BIG in 1958-9 with the 0-18T along for the ride in the hands of group member Nick Reynolds. Folk groups who emulated the Trio's sound wanted one in their arsenal and the model had a noticeable boost in popularity for a few years. In 1957 only 63 of these shipped out; within the next few years this would double then triple.
The 0-18T shows typical 1950s Style 18 Martin features including a Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, rosewood belly bridge and fingerboard, teardrop celluloid pickguard and slim 14 fret 23" scale neck. The Brazilian rosewood-faced headstock has a small "C. F. Martin" decal logo and open back Grover Sta-Tite tuners. The sound is full and powerful without the tinniness ("Ewhhh; TINNY!") endemic to many lesser tenor guitars.
The Martin tenor has experienced upswings and downtimes in popularity over the last century. Designed in the late 1920s for tenor banjoists getting pushed out of work by the switch to guitar, tenor guitars like this 0-18T can be tuned in the "correct" fifths tenor tuning (C-G-D-A) or simply as the higher four guitar strings (D-G-B-E) or beyond. In either case they offer a range of possibilities to this day still not fully explored. In the 1930's long before the Kingston Trio Rabon Delmore used small tenor Martin models including the 0-18T to play deftly picked leads on the Delmore Brothers' records, and many others have explored them since.
Overall length is 35 1/2 in. (90.2 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 23 in. (584 mm.). Width of nut is 1 1/4 in. (32 mm.).
This lovely 1950's Martin tenor guitar remains all original with no alterations. The top finish shows a some checking with scratches, scuffs and dings overall. There is one deep scratch to the top near the bottom edge and some random pickwear, mostly as usual to the lower soundhole edge. The back and sides show some dings and scratches mostly along the edges. The neck finish is very clean, as is the headstock.
The interior, including the original small maple bridge plate, is clean and shows no signs of any repair. The back center seam may have opened slightly at some point but is solidly sealed now. The only possible alteration is the saddle on the otherwise un-modified original bridge may have been slightly lowered.
The original frets have a only very light and plenty of life left in them. Overall this is a cleaner than average, very easy playing and great sounding example of Martin's -- and the world's -- most perennially popular tenor guitar. It includes a still-solid original 1950s chipboard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.