1930 C. F. Martin 000-18 Natural

SN: 42649. Made in Nazareth, PA just before the seismic shift to 14-fret designs, the 12-fret 000 braced for steel is one of the rarest and most desirable prewar models. The body is 7/16” longer than the 14-fret dreadnaught stem to stern and only 5/16” narrower at the waist giving it nearly as much surface area as the dread. The 25.4” scale is identical to the dreads. The tone is present and foundational and (dare I say) iconic with its fundamental woodiness and clarity. All this comes in the simplest of packages – Adirondack spruce top with simple rosewood trim and binding along with mahogany back and sides bound in rosewood. The ebony fretboard has three small graduated dots, ebony nut, bar frets. The mahogany neck has ebony reinforcement. Ebony belly bridge is an older but accurate replacement. The slotted headstock with original three-to-a-plate is stamped on the back of the headstock with a plain rosewood faceplate. The decal would not appear for a couple years.

How rare are these? According to the literature there were 62 000-18s made in 1930 (only two 000-28s). Martin “changed to steel strings” sometime in 1923 but the belly bridge, a key component in steel string architecture, was not consistently used until 1930.

Structurally, this is one of the nicest I’ve had. The original hardshell case has helped no doubt. Many were purchased with softshell cases or none at all. The top is crack free with a moderate amount of playwear. A previous listing suggests some of the playwear was sealed and it looks like there are a couple of small areas of discreet touchup from long ago. The finish is otherwise original. The sides have some short hairline cracks glued and reinforced with cloth. Recent maintenance includes a full refret by TJ Thompson. TJ likely replaced the nut in the setup and detailed the bridge. The bridge plate has undergone the Stew Mac bridge plate saver repair. I wish more luthier’s would do this.

This would be a fine addition to a fingerpicker’s arsenal. Please email or call for any additional information on this very cool instrument.

SPECS:

Top: Adirondack spruce
Band & Sides: Mahogany
Bridge & Fretboard: Ebony
Appointments: Three graduated dots 5, 7, 9 frets
Nut width: 1-7/8”
String spacing: 2-5/16”
Neck profile: Modified V
Body width: 15”
Depth: 4-1/16”
Scale length: 25.4”
Case: OHSC