Martin 00-18 (1947)

We acquired this lovely sounding 1947 Martin 00-18 from the son of its original owner. As we understand it, this guitar was a high school graduation present for a budding guitarist who simply never played it as much as she'd hoped to. As it does for so many of us, life got in the way; and the 00-18 stayed in its case, largely dormant for the last few decades.

If it's not obvious from that lead-in and our photos, this guitar is in excellent condition. You'll see the scattered dings and lacquer checking imparted by semi-regular use and time, but the structure is crack free and all-original (save for the new bone saddle). We have just had the neck reset by luthier, Laurent Brondel, who dressed the frets and removed some old case fuzz which had adhered to small areas of the binding over time. The setup is spot-on perfect, and the guitar is ready for a new lease on life.

This is a particularly light and lively 00-18; and considering it hasn't been played all that much, the next owner is in for quite a ride as its voice develops and reawakens. It's beautifully balanced, and crystal clear, with woody articulation when played fingerstyle and more than enough pop to be a great flatpicker for a player with a relaxed pick attack a la Tim O'Brien. Priced with non-original hardshell case.