Martin

There is something so gratifying about laying hands on a true player’s guitar, like this wonderful 1957 00-18.  First off, there is the feel—it is the incomparable sensation of effortlessly melding with an inanimate object, much like the comfort of donning that special pair of old blue jeans that has been following you around for a decade or two.  Some of this can be attributed to the genuinely hard-won, worn-in patina of an instrument that has been actively used for many years.  Indeed, in this context of a vintage player’s guitar, all the scuffs, dents, dings, finish wear, and oxidation somehow enhance rather than detract. This is especially true of those instruments that were intended to be utilitarian from the outset.  Much like a weathered tool, the signs of heavy use seem appropriate, as they underscore the fulfillment of a promise of long-term reliability.

Yet, perhaps more importantly, there is also an intangible influence of all the music that has passed through the guitar over those years at play. In concert with the passage of time and the concomitant gradual crystallization of the tonewoods, the routine (and conceivably extreme) regimen of sonic exercise ultimately produces a more responsive and open instrument.  In turn, this strengthened response translates to a more expressive and nuanced guitar where the player can literally feel more capable of emoting, in that the notes come alive more readily with the added benefit of improved clarity, separation, and sustain.  

Unfortunately, one cannot simply expect every worn vintage guitar to have such a pleasing feel, nor necessarily perform in this manner!  In fact, with regard to the quality of both the build and tone, modern guitars are manifestly more consistent.  However, when one does come across a good vintage instrument, there is simply no modern guitar that can compete. Granted, all guitars are individuals, such that no two are the same; yet, in the case of the great vintage instrument, the years of use and all the residual emoting seemingly condense into a hard-won dynamic personality and presence that is, for lack of a better description, singular.

Along that line, this 00-18 most assuredly falls into the category of distinctive vintage guitar.  As a 00, it strikes a pleasing balance between breadth of frequency response and focus.  This balance is primarily attributed to the top having enough surface area to generate a fair amount of bass, while still being small enough to promote mid-range presence and upper end clarity.  As a result, while it would be unrealistic to expect a small guitar to overpower the presence of a dreadnought in an ensemble setting, this 00-18 has enough cut, clarity, and headroom to penetrate through the mix and thus compete in a variety of settings.  All in all, 00-18 number 155937 has a voice that is pure, confident, balanced, bright, and lively, all while being infused with just the right amount of near-septuagenarian played-in gravel and gravitas. For fingerstyle and melody work, in particular, this guitar is a delight to play.

Condition:

As one would generally expect for a guitar of this age, this well-loved 00-18 definitely shows some signs of use, and it has had a few repairs over the years.  Even so, in the grand scheme of things, this guitar has survived with little ill effect.  In addition to some fairly typical minor scuffs, scratches, dents, and belt rash, the most significant wear is some pick wear on the top surrounding the soundhole. Otherwise, from a cosmetic standpoint, the most obvious issue is the noticeable footprint of a previous aftermarket pickguard, where the previously obscured wood underneath is lighter—judging from the footprint, the pickguard was likely similar to a Gibson style with a point a la a mid-century B-25 (perish the thought!). While perhaps an unfortunate decision in retrospect (given the cosmetic impact), the earlier removal of the original pickguard appears to have possibly prevented any of the typical Martin pickguard crack issues.  We do see some evidence of finish disturbance on the far side of the existing pickguard near the treble side edge. However, there is no evidence of cracks or repairs internally in the pickguard area; and, the area in question effectively sits directly under the end of the X-brace arm, which serves to stabilize the area and would therefore theoretically arrest any crack.

From a structural standpoint, there are thankfully not too many issues to note. There are no top or back cracks, but we do note a very tight side crack on treble side lower bout that measures approximately  2 ¾” in length (this has been address since the guitar arrived).  More significantly, there is 7/8” x 3/8”rectangular hole on the side of the bass-side lower bout that has been plugged with mahogany—this repair appears to have been well-executed and is further supported with a rectangular spruce cleat internally that is somewhat diagonally placed in terms of grain.  The bridgeplate is in good condition, but does exhibit some wear such that some ball ends sink slightly—there is no chip-out or pull through.  Most importantly, the neck has been professionally reset, and there is very healthy saddle clearance remaining.  The frets have manifestly been redressed at least once prior to the guitar arriving here; and, following a light fret level and re-crowning in our shop there is still fair fret height remaining (approximately .028” - .030”). Thus, the guitar’s playability is very good and a re-fret is not needed at this time and should not be necessary for a good while. That said, in light of the relatively low fret height, it is questionable as to whether another leveling can be achieved in the future.  VERY GOOD condition.

• 14-Fret 00 Body
• Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• X-Brace (Straight Bracing)
• Mahogany Back and Sides
• Tortoiseshell Body Binding
• 5-Ply Top Purfling
• 3-Ring Rosette
• Simple Back Strip
• High Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish
• Mahogany Neck
• C-Shape Neck Contour
• Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard
• Style-18 Mother of Pearl Dot Fingerboard Inlays
• White Side Dots
• Brazilian Rosewood Headstock Veneer with Script Logo
• Brazilian Rosewood Heelcap
• Semi-Gloss Nitrocellulose Neck Finish
• Brazilian Rosewood Bridge with Drop-In Contoured Saddle
• Nickel Waverly Open Back Tuning Machines with Oval Buttons
• Non-Original (Oversized) Black Martin Pickguard
• Bone Nut and Compensated Saddle
• 1 11/16” Nut Width
• 24.9” Scale Length
• 20 Frets
• Non-Original Martin Molded Hard Case