Description
We offer here a true rarity. A Martin which is unbelievable 109 years old. Year of construction 1910. At that time this guitar model was called 0-17. In 1918 Martin changed that because they started to intruduced the 0-17 model as a full mahogany guitar then and produced the spruce top guitars from that time on as the 0-18 models.
According to the information of the previous owner this guitar was played during the recordings of the Robert Johnson Memorial / Tribute album. However, I cannot prove these data further.
The top made of alpine spruce with its complex harmonics, the extra portion of clarity and an unbelievable punsh was only used on the very old guitars. The back and sides are made of high-quality mahogany.
This 0 – 18 sounds really great. An incomparable sound, which one looks for in vain with today’s guitars. For all who are looking for a special sound experience, this is the right choice.
As everyone can imagine, 109 years of natural aging make itself felt on a guitar. The small guitar has an impressive lovely sound, which is at the same time powerful and warm. Hard to describe – for me it is also not everyday to hold such a really antique Martin guitar in my hands.
The guitar is in good condition for old age. It has certainly experienced a lot of history, but despite everything it has survived the whole years surprisingly well. All I could discover was a very well repaired crack in the frame. In addition, the guitar was repainted or oversprayed a long time ago.
The bridge was obviously replaced, but now there is a true to original bridge on the guitar again.
Inside and also outside are some brand stamps, which guarantee the authenticity of the instrument. In addition, a signature of the builder can be seen at the bottom of the ceiling.
The guitar is really in a grandiose vintage state from the playful aspect. The neck is straight, the frets are in good shape and the string position is super flat. Also the bridge inlay still has room – no Neckreset is to be feared.
