1941 martin D-18

1941 D-18 SN. 77288

It is hard to top a pre-war/war-time mahogany Martin dreadnought, and a few minutes picking this '41 D-18 is sure to win over any fan of Martin's guitars of the 'golden era'. Mahogany back and sides, Adirondack spruce top, mahogany neck, ebony fret board and bridge and scalloped traditional X pattern top bracing. Weighs just 4 lbs. I'm classifying this guitar as 'player' grade due to some wear, a few replaced parts and repairs, but it is in great structural and playing order and needs nothing at the moment but a new home. The top is crack free, though the original top finish shows play wear around the pickguard and on either side of the fret board that is through the finish to the wood, tough not deep into the wood. The rest of the top finish shows dings and scrapes consistent with 80 years of regular handling but no serious degradation. The sides have several short/small hairline cracks that have been repaired and are tight/level and stable. The finish on the sides shows wear from handling and play commensurate with the age of the guitar. The back of the guitar has one repaired crack that runs the nearly the length of the body, along with two other cracks of 5-6" that are also repaired, the repairs are well done and stable. The back finish appears to be original and has similar wear to the sides and top. The original tortoise pickguard is in excellent condition, flat and secure to the top. The fret board is a recent replacement, as the original had been damaged by previous work on the guitar. The board was replaced (new frets, of course) and the neck reset at the same time (last fall). There is an old repair to the heel where the installation of a strap button caused a hairline crack. This repair was done when the neck was off the guitar for a recent reset and included plugging the strap pin hole, the crack repair is visible only on very close inspection and is not a structural concern (see pics). The neck finish has had some touch up and over spray at some point in the past to address wear from play/capo chipping etc. There is a thin ebony wedge under the upper portion of the fret board to prevent fret board 'drop off' after the neck reset, see final photo. The bridge is a replacement but is the proper size and shape. The bridge plate is a replacement as well but appears to be quite old, and it is the proper size and thickness. The bone nut is a recent replacement and the end pin is a modern replacement. The original tuners have lost some of their plating but function fine. The nut width is 1 11/16" and the pin spacing at the bridge is 2 1/8". The neck is straight under tension of medium gauge strings. At the 12th fret the action measures 6/64" at the low E and 5/64" at the high E, with strong saddle height. The guitar plays easily with no buzz and good intonation. The sound is just plain huge, great projection and sustain. Check out the sound file for samples of flat and fingerpicking. Comes with a modern Martin 300 series hardshell case.