C. F. Martin 0-18T Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1966)
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Item # 9706
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C. F. Martin 0-18T Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar (1966), made in Nazareth, PA, serial # 213903, natural lacquer finish, mahogany back, sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
The Martin 0-18T is one of the finest and certainly the most popular tenor guitars ever made, a lovely and well-balanced design. This is a nice example from the end of the 1960s "folk" era. The Kingston Trio hit BIG in 1958-9, and the 0-18T was along for the ride in the hands of group member Nick Reynolds. Many folk groups who emulated the Trio's sound wanted one in their arsenal and the model definitely had a boost in popularity for a few years. By 1966 that was tapering off but still 125 were shipped over the year.
This 0-18T shows typical period Martin features including a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, teardrop celluloid pickguard and a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard on the 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 rosewood bridge is the newer "short saddle" style recently adopted at the time.
Designed in the late 1920s for tenor banjoists getting pushed out of work by the preference for the guitar, tenor guitars like this 0-18T have a range of possibilities to this day still not fully explored. Long before the Kingston Trio exposure in the 1930's 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. The Martin tenor has enjoyed several upswings in popularity over the years; this is one of the nicer post-WWII example we have had.
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 1960's Martin tenor remains all original with no alterations except a recent clean neckset. The top finish shows a few scratches, scuffs and dings, with light checking throughout. The back and sides show only a few light scuffs. The neck finish has a barely feelable four inch scratch running parallel to the grain on the spine but is otherwise clean, as is the headstock.
There is one long repaired spruce grain crack on the treble side of the pickguard and a short crack at the top of the pickguard, both sealed up with no added finish. The frets have a bit of wear but have plenty of life left in them. Overall a cleaner than average, very easy playing and good-sounding example of Martin's -- and the world's -- most perennially popular tenor guitar. It includes a very nice example of the seldom-ordered original hard shell Martin case; these are more commonly found housed in cheaper chipboard. Overall Excellent - Condition.
The Martin 0-18T is one of the finest and certainly the most popular tenor guitars ever made, a lovely and well-balanced design. This is a nice example from the end of the 1960s "folk" era. The Kingston Trio hit BIG in 1958-9, and the 0-18T was along for the ride in the hands of group member Nick Reynolds. Many folk groups who emulated the Trio's sound wanted one in their arsenal and the model definitely had a boost in popularity for a few years. By 1966 that was tapering off but still 125 were shipped over the year.
This 0-18T shows typical period Martin features including a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, teardrop celluloid pickguard and a dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard on the 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 rosewood bridge is the newer "short saddle" style recently adopted at the time.
Designed in the late 1920s for tenor banjoists getting pushed out of work by the preference for the guitar, tenor guitars like this 0-18T have a range of possibilities to this day still not fully explored. Long before the Kingston Trio exposure in the 1930's 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. The Martin tenor has enjoyed several upswings in popularity over the years; this is one of the nicer post-WWII example we have had.
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 1960's Martin tenor remains all original with no alterations except a recent clean neckset. The top finish shows a few scratches, scuffs and dings, with light checking throughout. The back and sides show only a few light scuffs. The neck finish has a barely feelable four inch scratch running parallel to the grain on the spine but is otherwise clean, as is the headstock.
There is one long repaired spruce grain crack on the treble side of the pickguard and a short crack at the top of the pickguard, both sealed up with no added finish. The frets have a bit of wear but have plenty of life left in them. Overall a cleaner than average, very easy playing and good-sounding example of Martin's -- and the world's -- most perennially popular tenor guitar. It includes a very nice example of the seldom-ordered original hard shell Martin case; these are more commonly found housed in cheaper chipboard. Overall Excellent - Condition.