Martin 000-18 151829 (1956)

C.F. Martin serial number 151829 is this 000-18, which was with the same owner from 1960 until his recent passing. We acquired the guitar from his descendants, who had inherited it.

The aforementioned recent owner had documented this guitar's life well, though sadly there are no pictures to accompany his writings (which were retained by the family and are not included with the guitar). We had a chance to examine these documents and see no reason to doubt their integrity.

According to provenance, the original owner of this 000-18 sold it aboard a Navy vessel in 1960 when he needed money. And for the next several decades, it was the traveling companion of its second owner, who used it to provide shipmates entertainment during his time at sea. The guitar carries a look and sound that bear these stories out. Its voice is wide open, powerful, and mature; and its structure has certainly taken its share of late-night bumps.

During the last few years, the guitar was maintained by luthier, Trevor Healy, who glued a top crack and a back crack. There are also a couple minor, superficial stress cracks in the sides (likely the result of a neck reset which was performed sometime in the instrument's past). The instrument's structural components are all original--only the saddle and frets have been replaced.

Our shop has inspected the guitar and freshened its setup. It plays easily, whether under a flatpick or bare fingers. The takeaway? This is a player's guitar that will delight anyone in search of the coveted old-Martin sound (though it may not be the right choice for anyone in search of minty fresh condition). Priced with a modern Martin thermoplastic case.

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