1937 00-18 Shaded-top Martin serial number 68121
A rare Shaded-Top Martin Guitar from 1937!
1937 00-18 Martin shade top 68121
What handsome guitar!! Many people in the know consider 1937 to be the ultimate year for Martin guitars. Rightfully so, in our opinion, and for many reasons: the level of craftsmanship, the advances in the design like the T-bar and T-frets which allow enhanced neck profile and fretting. Indeed, the neck is very friendly with a 1 3/4 nut and 2 1/4 at the 12th fret. Combine these innovations with the extraordinary wood available in that golden age of guitar building: Adirondack spruce top; Honduran mahogany back, sides and neck; ebony fingerboard with small dot position markers; fingerboard width of 1 3/4 at nut and 2 3/16 at 12th fret; Brazilian Rosewood peg head overlay with “C.F. Martin & Co. Est. 1833” peg head decal. Of course, a ’37 00-18 includes beautiful tortoise-colored acetate bindings on top and black bindings on back; ebony bridge; acetate tortoise-shell colored teardrop pickguard and the highly desired forward-X scalloped bracing system. All those features are original in this guitar. And as if that is not enough, 00-18 68121 also features the rare and even more highly desired Martin “shaded top” finish on the top. Playability is perfect, having had a professional neck set, and the beautiful, crack-free top in in correct profile for that model and year. Finish is all original except for the touch up on a very well hidden graft in the rim at the end pin. Like many guitars nearly 90 years of age, this jewel has seen calamity, luckily to the back and not to the precious top. Repairs include the previously mentioned graft in the rim, a variety of back cracks emanating from the endpin; and inside, a bridge plate retainer (a thin maple wafer over the orignal bridgeplate) to extend the life of the bridge-plate without sacrificing sound.
Ready for delivery this is a fingerpickers dream and a collector’s prize. Please inquire for price and terms:
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