Martin | 0-18 | 1943 | SN:unknown
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Luthier Facts :
Name: Martin
Location: Nazereth, PA
Wait list: Sockists Worldwide
Taking Orders?: Yes, standard & customs
RIYL: Martin have set the benchmark for a lot of builders and manufacturers.
Note: (RIYL) Recommended If You Like
Resources: Read more about other 018 styled Martins:
1934 0-18K
1927 0-18k
and about 018K’s in our article: here.
This is an early 40′s 018. One of the 475 built that year, the guitar features a classic combination of spruce and mahogany in a simple trim. The style 18 was listed in 1857 and has gone on to be a popular style. Built in ’43, this guitar has the sought after Adirondack or red spruce top.
The prior owner has this to say about the guitars “This beautiful 1943 Martin 0-18 is as spectacular as they come. It is completely original, with the exception of a meticulously performed neck reset and refret. The action is low and even and the tone is beyond expectation; intimate and inspiring. It shines for fingerstyling, as well as flatpicking. This is a prime example of the true golden era of Martin Guitars.”
References: Martin Guitars, a History by Mike Longworth.
Pictures kind courtesy of jcriggio.
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Thanks for sharing the photos and text.
I too own a ’43 O-18, and they are remarkable instruments. Its serial number is 83119, which I believe puts its manufacture in the very early 1st quarter of the year.
The tone is louder than one would first think, and that’s always a surprise to people who sit down with it. The balance across the scale is clear and very open.
Played in a intimate setting, late at night, it is a transcendent experience.
My Father-in-law bought an O-18 with his $80 check from leaving the army in 1944. It is a model with the scalloped braces, like the earlier models. Later in 1944 they stopped making the scalloped ones.
For the serial number, get a flashlight and look upward through the hole.
Thanks Jim,
unfortunately we couldn’t get the serial number from the original owner. Would you like to share your father’s 0-18 with us?