Among the more elusive vintage Martin models of the Golden Era, the 14 fret wide-neck 0-18 is a guitar that’s strangely hard to come by despite production numbers of reasonable quantity. Martin built 175 0-18s in 1936, and about 1700 wide-neck 14 fret-versions of this model through the 1930s, so while not terribly rare, they are certainly in short supply given how many players are gravitating towards small-bodied vintage guitars lately.

This example has just come through our shop with a fresh neck reset, frets, new saddle, and the re-repair of a few old top crack repairs. The guitar is entirely original but for frets and saddle. Playability is top-notch, and the guitar’s tone lives up to expectations. Its bass is well developed and much bolder than one might expect, trebles are muscular, and the midrange is dry and clean, with a wonderful fundamental presence. It’s an exciting guitar to play, with a tone that belies its small dimensions.

Original full-height unmodified bridge, original bridgeplate, original pickguard, tuners, and nut. Original finish throughout with touch-up localized to the area around the pair of top cracks below the bridge.

The guitar’s restoration included redoing older crack repairs along both sides of the fingerboard extension and the addition of a popsicle brace, re-cleating and levelling top cracks between the bridge and endblock, and subsequent finish blending and aging.

Scalloped bracing, Adirondack spruce top, mahogany back and sides, tortoise-celluloid binding and pickguard. Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, Grover G98 tuners.

1-3/4” nut width, V neck carve, 24.9” scale, 2-5/16” string spread at the bridge. Set up with standard action and 12-53 strings.

With new TKL Deluxe double-arch hard shell case