1933 C. F. Martin OM-18 Shaded

SN 51340. Shaded top OM-18 from the third year of production when only 225 were made and fewer still with the dark top option. I’ve had a number of OM-18s over the years but I am hard pressed to remember one set up so and well and with such a colorful tone. This is a fairly well-known guitar currently known as “Diamond Jim”. NYC luthier Ken Fallon is responsible for the neck reset and refret. The bar fret job is one of the best I’ve seen. The bridge is either a full height original or a very convincing forgery. The neck is straight and the action set to a medium low 6/64ths on the bass side and 4-5/64ths on the treble. Replacement bone nut and saddle. Cosmetically there are some issues but no abuse. There are three circular areas of wear that I can only guess about – exposure to a light bulb or something liquid – plenty of play wear and buckle wear and one small area of impact in the side that has been very capably pushed flush, glued and disguised. One four inch crack on the back has been glued and touched and a key crack in the waist on the treble side that is about 3” glued and some touched up wear under the strings. On the headstock is an aftermarket inlay with a folksy quality that has become this guitar’s signature. Otherwise, it is the typical setup for a prewar OM – long scale, bar frets, 1 ¾” nut, wider string spacing at the bridge. The sunburst from this period is like none other. It is great fun to play and sounds balanced, woody and resonant, a terrific fingerstyle or singer-songwriter guitar with mojo. It comes with an early 30’s purple-lined case that is somewhat oversized. On consignment.