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Hello! Here we have a war-time production Martin 00-18 with Adirondack Spruce top, Mahogany back, sides and neck, Brazilian Rosewood fretboard and bridge. What makes war-time production unique is the fact that during war Martin used Ebony reinforcement in necks, thinner finish and lighter tuners.
War-time Martins have same bracing pattern and wood as pre-war and sound very similar. They are sill a part of Golden age of Martin, but the guitars made between 1942 and 1945 have their own spot among the line of vintage Martins.
This particular guitar is somewhat unique too. While it shows a lot of wear and tear it is actually almost entirely original! Except for normal replaceable components like frets, saddle and pins the entire guitar is just the way it left the factory! In fact there is no cracks on top and back! The sides are also solid except one spot where a tiny finish crack started. It\'s not all the way through the wood though. It has been addressed with a small cleat underneath just to prevent any future issues.
So here we have basically a crack free all original Martin! Now we need to address the obvious: while the finish on top is in pretty decent condition, the rest of the guitar shows some finish disturbance. It is common for war-time Martin as I said above their finish is thin and somewhat brittle. The sides and back show some wear you can see on pictures. There are a few small spots where finish is missing. The neck also missing fishing in upper position. Interesting thing is the loss of fishing on the neck makes it very smooth and fast. Overall the finish is all original though and there is no overspray anywhere. That\'s the important part!
The guitar went though a complete restoration. Many decades ago someone put a tail piece on it as well as a soundhole pickup. If you look at the end pin area you can kind of see a few small spots where the screw holes used to be. There are also two small fixed holes on the headstock. The guitar just received new frets with correct size wire, neck reset and original bridge re-glue. Original pickguard has been re-glued as well, this time over the finish! Top belly has been addressed and even though some of it still remains it\'s perfectly within specs for a vintage guitar.
Guitar plays very easy with action being about 5/64 at 12th fret and relief being right around .007Overall this is fully restored easy to play and amazing sounding vintage Martin from Golden era. May be not the best looking, but solid and comfortable. Comes with a brand new Martin hand case for secure carrying.
Feel free to ask any questions.
