Vintage Martin

[39martind18]

It was an R18 archtop. Yeah those V's are comfy. No adjustable trussrod in these, the neck was perfect after 75 years! That's what properly aged wood will do for you. That guitar had the lowest action of all my guitars including the electrics! Not very loud though, but wonderful to play sitting on the deck etc! (and not a flat radius like later Martins!)

Sweet! Love my D18, went and put a new set of Elixir 10-47s on it tonight. Dayum, what a sound! Loud. bright and ringing. The neck on mine has never been reset, has no bowing issues, plays like my electrics, and has been worn smooth on the back by 83+ years of loving use- it's a delight to play. I have two mid-high end Taylors for playing out, an 815ce and an 816ce, both of which I love, but it's the old Martin that guarantees me eargasms.

The Martin and his older brother a 1933 A Style Mandolin.

 

[zombywoof]

You spoke volumes when you said you were now the guitar's "custodian." There are certain guitars which you do as much feel that you own as you have been appointed their caretaker. While I own older guitars and even though it is not a piece of family history, that is how I feel about my 1942 Gibson J50. For me, no guitar speaks to a specific time and place as eloquently as a Banner Gibson. But in 60 years of playing the only instruments I have found to be life changing experiences were built before the end of WWII.

The recommendation to drop by UMGF for a reference on somebody to do repairs is a good one. I do not, however, put a whole lot of stock in whether they are authorized to work on this or that guitar. If I did, I would have been in a world of trouble trying to find somebody to fix up Kay Krafts, Harmoys and such.

 

[zombywoof]

It was an R18 archtop. Yeah those V's are comfy. No adjustable trussrod in these, the neck was perfect after 75 years! That's what properly aged wood will do for you. That guitar had the lowest action of all my guitars including the electrics! Not very loud though, but wonderful to play sitting on the deck etc! (and not a flat radius like later Martins!)

My first guitar back in the early-1960s was a Martin R18. It was given to me by a friend of my grandfather who had it sitting in a closet. At the time though it was all wasted on me as I did not know a Martin from a can of tuna and I do not recall a thing about it. I do currently play a 1920 Gibson L3 so it predates truss rods and adjustable bridges. These were originally marketed as the perfect accompaniment instrument for mandolin orchestras. O size round soundhole 13 fret instrument with a wacky pin trapeze tailpiece. The neck which has never been reset is wonderous. V carve with a 1 7/8" nut and depth at the 1st fret of 1.05". It still amazes me though how they radiused the top to line everything up perfectly.

 

[trapdoor2]

My first guitar back in the early-1960s was a Martin R18. It was given to me by a friend of my grandfather who had it sitting in a closet. At the time though it was all wasted on me as I did not know a Martin from a can of tuna and I do not recall a thing about it. I do currently play a 1920 Gibson L3 so it predates truss rods and adjustable bridges. These were originally marketed as the perfect accompaniment instrument for mandolin orchestras. O size round soundhole 13 fret instrument with a wacky pin trapeze tailpiece. The neck which has never been reset is wonderous. V carve with a 1 7/8" nut and depth at the 1st fret of 1.05". It still amazes me though how they radiused the top to line everything up perfectly.

A beauty! I have a 1915 L-1 with that pin tailpiece...celluloid. I'm making a replacement out of African Blackwood, the original is a crumbly mess. I'm switching to string through. That pin thing was a mistake.

 

[Rockinvet]

That’s a piece of history there.

 

[Recce]

This is what I was going to suggest. The UGMF crowd will know who to recommend, though shipping it to the factory for repair is a good option too.

I was going to suggest going to the UMGF Forum the D28 Lounge and ask them. They are the pros for Martins and you will get the best information from them. Know if you want someone nearby, send it to their recommendation, or send it to Martin. Directly to Martin is real slow and I don’t know if it’s necessary but they will give you options.

 

[zombywoof]

A beauty! I have a 1915 L-1 with that pin tailpiece...celluloid. I'm making a replacement out of African Blackwood, the original is a crumbly mess. I'm switching to string through. That pin thing was a mistake.

I only ended up with this guitar because it showed up living 20 minutes down the road and the guy who owned it wanted a couple of my guitars which I was willing to part with so I ended up not having to lay out any cash for it. In fact, he forked over a couple of hundred bucks to me. The L series archtop I was interested in was one built before around 1909 when Gibson was still going with fixed pin bridges.

 

[Tricone]

I have been blessed by the good Lord to be the custodian of a Martin 1945, OOO-18. It belonged to my wife's father who passed away when she was in her teens. He was from west Texas he played it and sang to his wife and 6 kids all the time. The guitar was in the hands of my brother in-law for many years and he would let me play it when I visited. He passed a couple months ago and in his will declared that this family item would go to his sister (my wife) as he knew how much I loved it and knew I would care for it. I know it is not mine, it belongs to the family and I already know who gets it when I go. The wife will ask me to play it at times and a little western swing will bring her to tears remembering her Dad.
It plays great and sounds heavenly. The frets are still fine and the action is perfect.
However, it has a bit of an issue which you can see from the pictures and I am looking for opinions/advice on getting it repaired. I absolutely do not want it refinished, refurbished or anything of that sort. Just want the bad spot dealt with.
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Beautiful acoustic. As a blessing it needs to be played. Heve a certified Martin luthier fix the structural cracks and anything else. Set it up for another 77 year playing run. Pass it on.