1936 C. F. Martin D-18 Natural, Excellent, Hard, Call For Price!

SN 63590 – Among the most desirable instruments on my personal list is the prewar D-18. It’s my desert island guitar. This particular guitar came to me nine years ago from the Mohave Desert where it resided happily with the same family until I bought it. For much those nine years I’ve been in denial, thinking and sometimes believing that the guitar was actually mine knowing that one day…and that day has come. This exceptional guitar has all the most desirable characteristics of the golden era – a heftier neck closer to a ’35 than the leaner ’37 and ‘38, the 1 ¾” nut, forward shifted X-brace, scalloped bracing, wider string spacing at the bridge, Adi top, ebony bridge and fingerboard. The guitar is also in remarkable condition. It’s dried out with plenty of checking, a moderate amount of playwear, and some string-winder scars. On the top, there are two small areas where the finish has been worn – south of the guard and on the east side of the sound hole. There are some divots in the first position and some finish worn from the back of the neck, also in first position. The original owner’s social security number is written in pencil on the X-brace. The bridge had been ramped before I bought it and the frets were worn so I did the right thing and had a forgery quality bridge crafted and installed along with complete refret and neck reset. The work was performed by Mark Tossman. The guitar is completely solid architecturally; it is crack free, has the original tuners and completely original innards. Tonally, this ’36 is top tuned to respond like a piano and growl deeply on the bottom end. It has a long decay, great volume, and thrives in an ensemble. The patina of this instrument is otherworldly and it veritably glows sitting in its purple-lined vintage style Collings case. Please examine the pictures carefully and email with any additional questions. Also, check out the link to the video of this guitar played by Eli West in the offices of Fretboard Journal. Note that if you access this listing through my web site rather than Gbase, the pictures will blow up much larger.