C. F. Martin 2-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar , c. 1880
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C. F. Martin 2-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, c. 1880, made in Nazareth, PA, natural varnish finish, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, spruce top; blacked poplar neck with ebony fingerboard, period black coffin case.
This is a well traveled but nice playing and sounding late 19th century Martin Style 2-18, a worn but lovely instrument with a lot of older repair work; it looks to have had some adventures getting to the 21st century from America's first Gilded Age. It resides in a period Martin coffin case labeled for a style 2-27 but the guitar itself appears to be a style 2-18, one of the company's more popular offerings in the 19th century. This was a comparatively plain and affordable model listing around 1880 at $37.50 (Martins were NEVER cheap!) that remained popular through the later 19th century. Although at just over 12" wide the size "2" is considered a very small guitar today, before the 1850s it was the second largest standard size Martin made. This one has a couple of 20th century alterations (notably the tuners and fingerboard dots) but survives in otherwise largely original condition.
In the 20th century "Style 18" designates a mahogany guitar, but in the 19th century this was a rosewood model. This 2-18 is ornamented with a lovely colored wood herringbone rosette and multi-ply wood trim around the soundhole and top edge with an unbound back. The Brazilian rosewood body has some nice tight grain figure, the red spruce top is very delicately X braced with elaborate scalloping to the main brace legs. The bridgeplate is a slightly larger maple piece added under the traditional pyramid-end ebony bridge. "C.F. Martin & Co, New York" is stamped on the backstrip and the heelblock.
The neck is cedar, carved to a fairly shallow medium/soft "V" profile, topped with an unbound ebony fingerboard. This has three large pearl position dots that would have ben added later but is still fitted with traditional Martin bar frets. The slotted headstock is equipped with tuning machines dating to the later 1930s or 1940s; we suspect based on these and the very neat work inlaying the dots the guitar may have gone back to Martin in that period for a re-work which was not unusual; it would have been something like 60 years old at the time!
Martins from this period have no serial numbers and this one does not show any definite internal dating; there are some red pencil scribbles under the top but nothing legible. This guitar resides in an original coffin case with the Martin label intact under the lid indicating it originally contained a 2-27; it is impossible to say how long these pieces have been together. Recent research by Grieg Hutton dates this particular style of label to between 1875-1886, which dates the case at least; the guitar is likely from roughly the same period. Despite this mismatch and a litany of older repair this is still a fine playing and lovely if delicate sounding instrument, a testament to the quality of work done in Nazareth nearly 150 years ago. Like all Martins from this era it is suited to gut or nylon strings ONLY.
Overall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Over a century-and-a-half this delicate instrument has survived some misadventures but still sings with a lovely voice. The finish appears to be a combination of original and later overfinish on both neck and body. The original varnish body finish appears intact under a thin lacquer overspray that is many decades old, likely 1930s or 40s era. This is rubbed away in some small spots on the top, with an area of later amateur overfinish over the pickwear below and behind the soundhole. The headstock and neck has overspray down to the fourth fret; below that the original varnish survives undisturbed. The finish has dings, dents, scrapes overall most heavily to the top; the neck shows comparatively little wear.
The top has numerous crack repairs. There are spruce grain splits that run from the soundhole to the bottom on the bass side of the top that have been sealed and cleated, a spline was added to one on the lower bout above and behind the bridge. There are three cracks along the center seam off the rear edge of the top, and another two on the lower bout on the treble side, sealed and cleated. There are also two grain splits running underneath the popsicle brace under both sides of fingerboard extension.
A strip of bias tape has been added internally to the bass side along lower bout to reinforce some pretty minor grain splits in the rosewood. A larger impact crack on the treble side of the lower bout has been repaired with rosewood spline and small gross-grain cleats along remainder of its length.
The neck has been reset, a later repro ebony bridge and newer saddle are fitted. The maple bridgeplate is old but not original, larger than 19th century practice but not overly heavy. The incredibly delicate original braces are still in place, the X-brace on the bass side next to the bridgeplate and attendant finger brace have repaired spots and there was some solid but sloppy gluing involved long ago. The original bar frets have been recrowned and show light subsequent wear; someone naughty was playing this guitar with steel strings along the way!
Despite (or because of) the multiple repairs this guitar still plays very well and sounds just lovely, with an amazingly rich tone for such a small instrument. Like all Martins of this period, it is NOT suited for steel stringing. The black coffin case it resides in shows external wear but remains completely solid, with the historic but mismatched label under the lid. Overall Very Good Condition.
This is a well traveled but nice playing and sounding late 19th century Martin Style 2-18, a worn but lovely instrument with a lot of older repair work; it looks to have had some adventures getting to the 21st century from America's first Gilded Age. It resides in a period Martin coffin case labeled for a style 2-27 but the guitar itself appears to be a style 2-18, one of the company's more popular offerings in the 19th century. This was a comparatively plain and affordable model listing around 1880 at $37.50 (Martins were NEVER cheap!) that remained popular through the later 19th century. Although at just over 12" wide the size "2" is considered a very small guitar today, before the 1850s it was the second largest standard size Martin made. This one has a couple of 20th century alterations (notably the tuners and fingerboard dots) but survives in otherwise largely original condition.
In the 20th century "Style 18" designates a mahogany guitar, but in the 19th century this was a rosewood model. This 2-18 is ornamented with a lovely colored wood herringbone rosette and multi-ply wood trim around the soundhole and top edge with an unbound back. The Brazilian rosewood body has some nice tight grain figure, the red spruce top is very delicately X braced with elaborate scalloping to the main brace legs. The bridgeplate is a slightly larger maple piece added under the traditional pyramid-end ebony bridge. "C.F. Martin & Co, New York" is stamped on the backstrip and the heelblock.
The neck is cedar, carved to a fairly shallow medium/soft "V" profile, topped with an unbound ebony fingerboard. This has three large pearl position dots that would have ben added later but is still fitted with traditional Martin bar frets. The slotted headstock is equipped with tuning machines dating to the later 1930s or 1940s; we suspect based on these and the very neat work inlaying the dots the guitar may have gone back to Martin in that period for a re-work which was not unusual; it would have been something like 60 years old at the time!
Martins from this period have no serial numbers and this one does not show any definite internal dating; there are some red pencil scribbles under the top but nothing legible. This guitar resides in an original coffin case with the Martin label intact under the lid indicating it originally contained a 2-27; it is impossible to say how long these pieces have been together. Recent research by Grieg Hutton dates this particular style of label to between 1875-1886, which dates the case at least; the guitar is likely from roughly the same period. Despite this mismatch and a litany of older repair this is still a fine playing and lovely if delicate sounding instrument, a testament to the quality of work done in Nazareth nearly 150 years ago. Like all Martins from this era it is suited to gut or nylon strings ONLY.
Overall length is 37 in. (94 cm.), 12 in. (30.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
Over a century-and-a-half this delicate instrument has survived some misadventures but still sings with a lovely voice. The finish appears to be a combination of original and later overfinish on both neck and body. The original varnish body finish appears intact under a thin lacquer overspray that is many decades old, likely 1930s or 40s era. This is rubbed away in some small spots on the top, with an area of later amateur overfinish over the pickwear below and behind the soundhole. The headstock and neck has overspray down to the fourth fret; below that the original varnish survives undisturbed. The finish has dings, dents, scrapes overall most heavily to the top; the neck shows comparatively little wear.
The top has numerous crack repairs. There are spruce grain splits that run from the soundhole to the bottom on the bass side of the top that have been sealed and cleated, a spline was added to one on the lower bout above and behind the bridge. There are three cracks along the center seam off the rear edge of the top, and another two on the lower bout on the treble side, sealed and cleated. There are also two grain splits running underneath the popsicle brace under both sides of fingerboard extension.
A strip of bias tape has been added internally to the bass side along lower bout to reinforce some pretty minor grain splits in the rosewood. A larger impact crack on the treble side of the lower bout has been repaired with rosewood spline and small gross-grain cleats along remainder of its length.
The neck has been reset, a later repro ebony bridge and newer saddle are fitted. The maple bridgeplate is old but not original, larger than 19th century practice but not overly heavy. The incredibly delicate original braces are still in place, the X-brace on the bass side next to the bridgeplate and attendant finger brace have repaired spots and there was some solid but sloppy gluing involved long ago. The original bar frets have been recrowned and show light subsequent wear; someone naughty was playing this guitar with steel strings along the way!
Despite (or because of) the multiple repairs this guitar still plays very well and sounds just lovely, with an amazingly rich tone for such a small instrument. Like all Martins of this period, it is NOT suited for steel stringing. The black coffin case it resides in shows external wear but remains completely solid, with the historic but mismatched label under the lid. Overall Very Good Condition.