Martin OM-18 (1933)

We have known this 1933 Martin OM-18 since 2013, when the man who inherited it from his elderly neighbor brought it to TME. According to his story, he'd lived next to said neighbor for many years -- she knew he played guitar, and often regaled him with stories of the "old Martin" she owned that had belonged to her father. When he finally saw the guitar one day, he was pleasantly shocked ... and eventually made a routine of inviting himself over to play the neighborhood's only pre-war Martin for hours on end. Noticing how much her neighbor was bonding with the guitar, the owner decided to will it to him at the time of her passing. And when he could no longer play, he brought it to our shop. When we received the guitar back in 2013, no work had even been done to it (and it needed every repair in the book). Luthier TJ Thompson reset the neck, installed new frets, a new bridge, and a new bridge plate. Needless to say, TJ's work is exemplary; and the setup hasn't moved a millimeter since his initial bout of work. The current owner had TJ install new Waverly tuners on the guitar, but the original machines are included with the sale.

It should be noted that, story and provenance aside, this is a truly excellent-sounding OM-18. The repairs it has had don't detract from its tone (and have arguably enhanced its playability). We still feel confident rating its condition "excellent" as pre-war OM-18 are concerned: it looks beautiful, it's firing on all cylinders as powerfully as it can, and the sound is characterized by the remarkable mix of balance, warmth, and woody clarity that have made OM-18 the stuff of legend in the pre-war Martin lore. It's housed in a Martin Geib-style hard case.