C. F. Martin 00-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1955)
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C. F. Martin 00-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1955), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 146758, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top; mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard, tweed hard shell case.
This lightly played-in mid-1950s 00-18 is not one of Martin's rarer creations, but a really fine sounding flat top just hitting its 70th birthday. To many players and Martin fans this 14 1/4" mahogany guitar constitutes one of the company's most beloved combinations of wood, wire, and inspiration. This is not a flashy instrument; the trim is discreet with tortoise celluloid on the body edges and a simple multiply sound hole ring. In classic Martin style, the elegant understatement speaks for itself.
The 00 sized mahogany body makes for a very light and responsive guitar, with a nice mix of depth and clarity to the sound. This example was built in mid/late 1955, one of a total of 450 00-18s shipped that year. It has typical period features with tortoise celluloid binding and pickguard, a rosewood belly bridge, and an ambered top finish over the X-braced spruce top which has a bit of cross-grain figure. The tuners are open back single-unit Waverlys more familiarly used by Gretsch and Danelectro, among others.
While not a particularly expensive guitar by Martin standards, listing at $105.00 (plus case) in mid-1955 the 00-18 still represented a substantial investment to many players. Despite its smaller size and lack of flash, the 00-18 remains a fully professional instrument popular with pickers of just about any type. This is a lightly played in and great feeling example of one of Martin's most versatile and timeless classics. It sounds "bigger" than it is, an excellent recording, songwriting or performing guitar in a host of styles new and old.
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This 00-18 has seen some play time over the last 70 years, but with some recent maintenance is ready for the next century. The finish is nicely aged, finely checked and ambered with some pick wear to the wood on the top (mostly behind and below the pickguard) and dings, dents and scratches overall. There is scuffing and scratching wear to the pickguard itself, probably from metal fingerpicks "back in the day". The finish on the back and sides is somewhat less affected, while the back of the neck is surprisingly clean with fairly minor dings and dents except for one larger scrape above the nut.
This venerable 00 has recently had a full "spa treatment" to bring it up to modern playing standards. There are no cracks to the instrument except for a very small sealed grain split on side of pickguard closest to soundhole. The neck has been neatly reset and refretted with period correct wire; the original bone nut is still intact. The fingerboard was trued but still shows some divoting in the first position. The original rosewood bridge has been cleanly reglued, it appears practically full height with perhaps a hair shaved off in front of the pins long ago. Internally the original braces and small maple bridgeplate are intact and unaltered. Newer bridgepins and endpin are fitted. The original Waverly tuners are still intact and functional. This is a superb playing 00 with a bright, upfront sound that never gets thin even when pushed. It resides in a modern tweed HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.
This lightly played-in mid-1950s 00-18 is not one of Martin's rarer creations, but a really fine sounding flat top just hitting its 70th birthday. To many players and Martin fans this 14 1/4" mahogany guitar constitutes one of the company's most beloved combinations of wood, wire, and inspiration. This is not a flashy instrument; the trim is discreet with tortoise celluloid on the body edges and a simple multiply sound hole ring. In classic Martin style, the elegant understatement speaks for itself.
The 00 sized mahogany body makes for a very light and responsive guitar, with a nice mix of depth and clarity to the sound. This example was built in mid/late 1955, one of a total of 450 00-18s shipped that year. It has typical period features with tortoise celluloid binding and pickguard, a rosewood belly bridge, and an ambered top finish over the X-braced spruce top which has a bit of cross-grain figure. The tuners are open back single-unit Waverlys more familiarly used by Gretsch and Danelectro, among others.
While not a particularly expensive guitar by Martin standards, listing at $105.00 (plus case) in mid-1955 the 00-18 still represented a substantial investment to many players. Despite its smaller size and lack of flash, the 00-18 remains a fully professional instrument popular with pickers of just about any type. This is a lightly played in and great feeling example of one of Martin's most versatile and timeless classics. It sounds "bigger" than it is, an excellent recording, songwriting or performing guitar in a host of styles new and old.
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This 00-18 has seen some play time over the last 70 years, but with some recent maintenance is ready for the next century. The finish is nicely aged, finely checked and ambered with some pick wear to the wood on the top (mostly behind and below the pickguard) and dings, dents and scratches overall. There is scuffing and scratching wear to the pickguard itself, probably from metal fingerpicks "back in the day". The finish on the back and sides is somewhat less affected, while the back of the neck is surprisingly clean with fairly minor dings and dents except for one larger scrape above the nut.
This venerable 00 has recently had a full "spa treatment" to bring it up to modern playing standards. There are no cracks to the instrument except for a very small sealed grain split on side of pickguard closest to soundhole. The neck has been neatly reset and refretted with period correct wire; the original bone nut is still intact. The fingerboard was trued but still shows some divoting in the first position. The original rosewood bridge has been cleanly reglued, it appears practically full height with perhaps a hair shaved off in front of the pins long ago. Internally the original braces and small maple bridgeplate are intact and unaltered. Newer bridgepins and endpin are fitted. The original Waverly tuners are still intact and functional. This is a superb playing 00 with a bright, upfront sound that never gets thin even when pushed. It resides in a modern tweed HSC. Overall Excellent - Condition.