C. F. Martin 0-18 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1944)
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Item # 8912
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C. F. Martin 0-18 Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar (1944), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 89123, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, Adirondack spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This is a Martin 0-18 from 1944, when despite the difficulties of the war years the company managed to keep up a steady output of guitars. This year 425 of these featherweight mahogany marvels shipped out of Nazareth, which considering the limited production of most guitar builders seems rather miraculous in hindsight.
This 0-18 is a simple but delightful small-body flat-top, built superbly lightweight with typical features for the era. The mahogany body has a scalloped X-braced Adirondack spruce top with tortoise celluloid binding on the edges, tortoise celluloid pickguard, a long-saddle Brazilian rosewood bridge, and a nicely ambered nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The mahogany neck has a slim round-backed profile and rosewood fingerboard. The headstock face is adorned with a "C.F. Martin" gold decal on the rosewood facing and fitted with individual Kluson openback tuners typical of the war years. This is a great-playing and fantastic-sounding little guitar, with a very big tone for its size.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 9/16 in. (34.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved original guitar, with some wear but no major repairs. The finish has some checking overall -- dings and dents with some fairly light pickwear mostly around the sound hole. The top is crack-free; indeed, there is one small grain split to the lower bout treble side that appears to be the only crack on the instrument. The neck was likely reset some time ago and the bridge lowered a bit, but it still has plenty of height. There are no internal repairs or modifications. The frets still have plenty of height and were recently dressed; there is some light wear to the fingerboard in the lower positions. The guitar plays and sounds excellent and is complete in an original period HSC with an old music store tag under the lid from a shop in Tacoma. Excellent - Condition.
This is a Martin 0-18 from 1944, when despite the difficulties of the war years the company managed to keep up a steady output of guitars. This year 425 of these featherweight mahogany marvels shipped out of Nazareth, which considering the limited production of most guitar builders seems rather miraculous in hindsight.
This 0-18 is a simple but delightful small-body flat-top, built superbly lightweight with typical features for the era. The mahogany body has a scalloped X-braced Adirondack spruce top with tortoise celluloid binding on the edges, tortoise celluloid pickguard, a long-saddle Brazilian rosewood bridge, and a nicely ambered nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The mahogany neck has a slim round-backed profile and rosewood fingerboard. The headstock face is adorned with a "C.F. Martin" gold decal on the rosewood facing and fitted with individual Kluson openback tuners typical of the war years. This is a great-playing and fantastic-sounding little guitar, with a very big tone for its size.
Overall length is 38 3/4 in. (98.4 cm.), 13 9/16 in. (34.4 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
Overall this is a nicely preserved original guitar, with some wear but no major repairs. The finish has some checking overall -- dings and dents with some fairly light pickwear mostly around the sound hole. The top is crack-free; indeed, there is one small grain split to the lower bout treble side that appears to be the only crack on the instrument. The neck was likely reset some time ago and the bridge lowered a bit, but it still has plenty of height. There are no internal repairs or modifications. The frets still have plenty of height and were recently dressed; there is some light wear to the fingerboard in the lower positions. The guitar plays and sounds excellent and is complete in an original period HSC with an old music store tag under the lid from a shop in Tacoma. Excellent - Condition.