Martin 00-18 (1928)

This is a lifetime guitar for anyone who's been on the lookout for a 12-fret vintage Martin.

This 1928 Martin 00-18 has been in TME's orbit for many years: it was owned by a regular customer, and we always remembered it as one of the lightest pre-war Martin flattops we've ever encountered. (It's just a hair under three pounds!) It's a beautifully preserved guitar, made during a short stretch of time when Martin was using a rectangular bridge before transitioning the the familiar "belly" style bridge in late 1929. As you might imagine, based on its weight, it's an amazing-sounding guitar -- whether played fingerstyle or with a light-to-medium gauge flatpick a la Norman Blake. Its light bracing and thin-but-stiff Red Spruce top produce endlessly fat, warm tones (and it's got a shocking amount of bass response for such a small guitar). It's a lifetime guitar for anyone who's been on the lookout for a 12-fret vintage Martin.

The guitar's overall condition is lovely for its age. The bridge is a replacement, made with the appropriate footprint, but all other structural components are original. There is a small amount of scattered playwear, in the form of scratches, dings, etc., but nothing glaring or off-putting. We have it strung with .011 - .052 strings, with a .012 and .016 for the high E and B respectively; and we feel that's the best combination of gauges for tone and tension combined. Priced with its original chipboard-style hard case (one latch does not function). Expedited shipping only at online checkout -- please call us for an in-hand description!