❌SOLD❌ Martin 0-18 Steel String Guitar Natural, 1965

Introduced in 1898, discontinued in 1996 and reissued in 2017, the Martin 0-18 is one of the oldest, longest produced guitar designs. It hasn’t changed much over the decades. In 1934 the most notable change occurred with the shift to the 14-fret neck, following the lead of the then-recently introduced OM or Orchestra Model. The next change was in 1947 with the use of Rosewood instead of Ebony for the fingerboard and bridge. At the time and ending in 1969, that meant Brazilian Rosewood. For top woods, until the early 1940’s Adirondack Spruce was the wood of choice, but wartime demands on that species caused a shift to Sitka Spruce.

Here we’re looking at a Martin 0-18 that dates to May of 1965 and built at the Martin plant in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. As an ’18’ model, it pairs a Sitka Spruce top with Honduran Mahogany for the sides, back, body blocks linings and neck. The fingerboard, bridge and headplate are Rosewood, specifically Brazilian Rosewood. For hardware, the tuners are standard open-gear Grover Sta-Tite models that have been popular since the 1930s. Over time these have worn and while they hold tune well, the ones installed here could be replaced with exact-fit, drop-in models.

It is in overall good shape with one expected crack, the common Martin pickguard split that occurred because the pickguard was until 1984 glued directly to the top, with finish applied over top. Over time, the materials used for the pickguards shrank at different rates than the wood, and if the glue didn’t fail, the top would split somewhere between the bridge and the pickguard. These cracks are very common on vintage Martins (and Gibsons!) and do not reduce the structural integrity of the top.

Over decades, virtually all steel string guitars will ‘settle’ under tension and ultimately require a neck reset. That has just been done on this Martin 0-18, along with re-gluing the bridge and setting up the guitar. Consequently, this example is fully playable and ready to go for many more years!

A 1960’s Fiber case is included.