C. F. Martin 2-18T Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1930)
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Item # 13073
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C. F. Martin 2-18T Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1930), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 40919, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back and sides, Adirondack spruce top; mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard, original black chipboard case.
This is a Martin Style 2-18 tenor guitar from 1930, the final year of production for the model. At the time this instrument was designed and built nobody quite knew what the tenor guitar ought to be. Conceived in the 1920's for tenor banjoists seeking a double for the guitar's mellower tone, tenor guitars were initially cast as smaller bodied instruments to give them a brighter, higher voicing. What most players wanted, however, was pure volume and power so larger bodied instruments quickly superseded the first small tenors like this 2-18T.
In the late 1920's Martin produced small numbers of different tenor models, trying to get the formula right. The 2-18T mates Martin's nearly obsolete small size 2 body to standard Style 18 specs with a 22 5/8" scale four-string neck. The 2-18 was considered a standard size 6-string guitar in the 19th century; in the "modern" era it had largely been phased out before 1910, superseded by the larger style 0 but was occasionally built in very small numbers as late as 1938. When Martin inaugurated 4-string tenor guitars, the 2-18 was one of the initial models listing at $40.
The tight-grained Appalachian spruce top features wood soundhole inlay and binding with a rosewood outer layer. The rosewood-faced headstock has no Martin logo on the front (this was not used until the early 1930s) but the stamp on the back and "no-tab" Grover patent tuners. The ebony fingerboard has bar frets and small mixed-size pearl dot inlay at frets 5, 7, and 10 (which is the standard banjo layout).
The 2-18T was one of Martin's shortest-lived models with just over 400 shipped over three years, most in 1928-9 but the final 50 in 1930, of which this is one. Apparently dealers initially ordered them in some quantity but then never re-ordered, as after that the model was never revived. The larger, louder 0-18T introduced in 1929 at just $5 more became Martin's go-to tenor guitar for decades, and these small body tenors were mostly forgotten except for all-mahogany Style 17 student models. This 2-18T is a dainty feeling guitar but plays well and has a lovely bright but still mellow sound, offering a range of sonic possibilities.
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 22 5/8 in. (575 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This lovely if diminutive tenor looks like it went back to the Martin factory sometime in the late '60s or early '70s for a refinish, as the patina of the lacquer is more consistent with that era than 1930. Still the finish is quite light and does not appear to have impeded the sound quality any. Since that time the guitar has accumulated only very minor cosmetic wear and is very clean overall.
Structurally the guitar is excellent with no notable cracks or repairs. Everything but the finish appears original or at least Martin factory fitted including the full-height ebony bridge and small maple bridgeplate. The original frets show some very light wear and this is an excellent player with a sweet and full tenor sound. It comes in what appears to be the original period chipboard case, still solid after 95 years. Overall Restored to Excellent Condition.
This is a Martin Style 2-18 tenor guitar from 1930, the final year of production for the model. At the time this instrument was designed and built nobody quite knew what the tenor guitar ought to be. Conceived in the 1920's for tenor banjoists seeking a double for the guitar's mellower tone, tenor guitars were initially cast as smaller bodied instruments to give them a brighter, higher voicing. What most players wanted, however, was pure volume and power so larger bodied instruments quickly superseded the first small tenors like this 2-18T.
In the late 1920's Martin produced small numbers of different tenor models, trying to get the formula right. The 2-18T mates Martin's nearly obsolete small size 2 body to standard Style 18 specs with a 22 5/8" scale four-string neck. The 2-18 was considered a standard size 6-string guitar in the 19th century; in the "modern" era it had largely been phased out before 1910, superseded by the larger style 0 but was occasionally built in very small numbers as late as 1938. When Martin inaugurated 4-string tenor guitars, the 2-18 was one of the initial models listing at $40.
The tight-grained Appalachian spruce top features wood soundhole inlay and binding with a rosewood outer layer. The rosewood-faced headstock has no Martin logo on the front (this was not used until the early 1930s) but the stamp on the back and "no-tab" Grover patent tuners. The ebony fingerboard has bar frets and small mixed-size pearl dot inlay at frets 5, 7, and 10 (which is the standard banjo layout).
The 2-18T was one of Martin's shortest-lived models with just over 400 shipped over three years, most in 1928-9 but the final 50 in 1930, of which this is one. Apparently dealers initially ordered them in some quantity but then never re-ordered, as after that the model was never revived. The larger, louder 0-18T introduced in 1929 at just $5 more became Martin's go-to tenor guitar for decades, and these small body tenors were mostly forgotten except for all-mahogany Style 17 student models. This 2-18T is a dainty feeling guitar but plays well and has a lovely bright but still mellow sound, offering a range of sonic possibilities.
Overall length is 36 1/2 in. (92.7 cm.), 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 22 5/8 in. (575 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/16 in. (30 mm.).
This lovely if diminutive tenor looks like it went back to the Martin factory sometime in the late '60s or early '70s for a refinish, as the patina of the lacquer is more consistent with that era than 1930. Still the finish is quite light and does not appear to have impeded the sound quality any. Since that time the guitar has accumulated only very minor cosmetic wear and is very clean overall.
Structurally the guitar is excellent with no notable cracks or repairs. Everything but the finish appears original or at least Martin factory fitted including the full-height ebony bridge and small maple bridgeplate. The original frets show some very light wear and this is an excellent player with a sweet and full tenor sound. It comes in what appears to be the original period chipboard case, still solid after 95 years. Overall Restored to Excellent Condition.