1966 Martin 000-18 Flattop Guitar
Update Nobember 2025: The current owner of this Martin is accepting that he's a Gibson guy at heart, and so this fella is "back in the shack." His loss! I've updated the photos and description.
This is an interesting guitar -- it's a '60s 000-18 that sounds remarkably like an early-'50s model. It's got a woody, warm, full sound that's not too scooped in the mids and has a lot of volume. Some work had been done on it in the recent past and because of that it has a non-original, pretty -- but not-quite-period -- through-saddle bridge. It's quite a nice bridge, however, with great-looking rosewood and an authentic cut.
The tuners are not original but are nice, 18:1, modern Grovers. It has a few repaired hairline cracks but is overall pretty clean structurally though it has a bunch of pickwear at the soundhole and and scratches on the sides.
Repairs included: It's had a previous neck reset and just recently I refretted it and fit a K&K pickup so it's ready to go for the gigging life!
- Weight: 3 lbs 12 oz
- Scale length: 24 7/8"
- Nut width: 1 11/16"
- Neck shape: medium soft V
- Board radius: 16"
- Body width: 15 1/8"
- Body depth: 4"
- Top wood: solid spruce
- Back & sides wood: solid mahogany
- Bracing type: x
- Bridge: rosewood
- Fretboard: rosewood
- Neck wood: mahogany
- Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
- String gauges: 54w-12 lights
- Truss rod: non-adjustable
- Neck relief: straight
- Fret style: medium
Condition notes: It has a repaired hairline crack near the center seam on the top, lower bout. It's hardly visible unless you're looking for it. The bridge is Brazilian rosewood but replaced and has a lightly-sanded top and new bone saddle. There's a small hairline crack (repaired) on the bass side near the endpin area. The tuners are not original. It also has a healthy amount of pickwear around the pickguard and upper bout near the fretboard extension and various small scratches/scuffs throughout. There are some bigger wear marks on the sides. The nut is plastic and its slots have been filled/adjusted now and then.
It comes with: It has a period, likely original, hard case in good order. As I recall, there's also a taller, "winter" saddle in the case pocket, too.
Comments