For Sale: Martin 0000-18 Sinker Mahogany, Oval Soundhole (2) Burst & Natural, BOTH SOLD 2-27-24

[Robbypad]

For sale are 2 rare, mint, Martin 0000-18, sinker mahogany, oval sound hole guitars (BURST & NATURAL). Beautifully playing & appearing. Superb tonally. Action perfect & overall condition like new.

Price: BOTH SOLD Feb 27, 2024 to AGF member. Made only in 2018. Serial #s are 8 apart.

Read what George Gruhn says. He & Martin produced these superb guitars, but first a note on their rarity.

THERE IS CONFLICTING INFORMATION REGARDING HOW MANY MARTIN/GRUHN OVALS WERE MADE. ONE THEORY IS 12 OVALS IN THIS SPECIAL EDITION, 5 WITH BURST SPRUCE TOPS & 7 NATURAL, PER HARRY VADYAK, CUSTOMER SERVICE REP @ MARTIN 10-18-82. THE OTHER THEORY IS 8 OVALS; 2 BURST & 6 NATURAL. IN ANY CASE, THESE ARE THE RAREST MARTIN OVALS.

George Gruhn talks about ordering 150 special order sinker mahogany guitars from Martin: "It has long been an elusive goal to build new guitars that sound & feel equivalent to some of the finest golden era vintage instruments of the 1930s. We feel like the new Martin sinker mahogany guitars are the closest new instrument to meet that goal we have ever seen. In all 150 of these instruments will be produced by the end of 2018 & they will all come through our doors. After 48 years of retail, it is an honor to carry these instruments. While it is possible to meticulously measure vintage instruments and attempt to duplicate these specifications, it has proved to be extraordinarily difficult to duplicate the tone & feel of the vintage originals. What makes a guitar great first & foremost is design, followed by structural craftsmanship, followed by materials, & finally aesthetic beauty. While there are quite a few skilled craftsmen producing very good instruments today, endangered tropical hardwoods are in short supply & some, especially Brazilian rosewood are highly regulated & in some cases prohibited from import. In addition, even when the proper species of wood is available, very little virgin forest old-growth wood is obtainable & much of what is currently offered for sale is either not properly aged & stabilized or has been kiln dried rather than air seasoned.

We were excited to learn that Martin had obtained a small quantity of mahogany from trees that had been cut in virgin forests in Belize in Central America between 1880 & 1920. The Central American mahogany is the species used by Martin on the pre-World War II golden era instruments. This wood is of the same genus, but a different species than the South American mahogany most commonly used today. It is denser, darker in color, more attractive, as well as different sounding than the wood on standard new model instruments. When these trees were cut down, the logs were floated down rivers to the sawmills. Approximately 1/3 of the wood sank during the process. The wood was lost for nearly a century. With the use of sonar & scuba gear, the wood was found & acquired by Martin Guitars. This wood was selected for the neck, back, sides, neck block, & end block in these spectacular guitars. The sinker Mahogany is used in conjunction with Adirondack spruce with forward shifted scalloped bracing & meticulous design work—incorporating the best features of vintage instruments & modern features including a two-way adjustable truss rod & comfortable neck dimensions. When combined with Martin's superb Custom Shop workmanship, this has yielded instruments that we know are some of the finest quality new guitars made by any maker since prior to World War II. While tone is subjective, instruments can be objectively judged on five standards which are indeed measurable: balanced volume on all strings on the entire length of the fingerboard, balanced sustain such that all notes on all strings sustain equally, balanced dynamic range such that all notes on all strings respond equally well to low, medium, or high volume, balanced complexity of tone such that all notes on all strings have a similar complexity of tone with a balance of high-end & low-end harmonics in addition to a strong fundamental note, and finally balanced clarity of articulation such that all notes on all strings in all positions are balanced in clarity. These are objectively measurable criteria. Few guitars excel in all five criteria, but when they do, they are typically superb instruments. The new sinker mahogany Martins excel in all of these measures.

SPECIFICATIONS
Guitar: Martin 0000-18 Custom (oval sound hole)
Bracing on Top: X bracing (forward shifted and scalloped)
Case: Original Geib Hard Shell Case
Cutaway: Venetian (soft)
Dimensions-Total Length: 40 15/16"
Dimensions-Body Length: 20 3/16"
Dimensions-Body Upper Bout: 11 11/16"
Dimensions Body-Waist: 9 7/8"
Dimensions-Body Lower Bout: 16"
Dimensions-Body Depth: 3 1/4" to 4 1/16"
Dimensions-Neck Width @ Nut: 1.78", 1 12.5/16", 45.21mm
Width @ Nut: Outside E to E: 1.484", 1 7.75/16", 37.69mm
Dimensions-String Spacing @ Saddle: 2 3.38/16", 2.210", 56.13mm
Dimensions-Radius: 16"
Dimensions-Scale: 25.375" / 25 3/8"" / 644.53mm
Electronics: No
Fingerboard: Ebony
Finish: Nitrocellulose over natural back and sides and natural top
Frets to Neck: 14
Frets Total: 22
Inlays: Abalone MARTIN logo in verical lettering and snowflake fingerboard inlays, bound fingerboard and head stock, herringbone top trim and back strip.
Nut: Bone
Pickguard: Tortoise
Purchase-Date Purchased: Tuesday October 18, 2022
Rosette: Black and White Ovals set in sunburst top
Saddle: Bone
Tuners: Gold Waverly Tuners
Wood-Back: Sinker Mahogany (cut between 1880 & 1920 and submerged for almost 100 years)
Wood-Binding: Boltaron with Herringbone purfling on top border
Wood-Bridge: Ebony
Wood-Headstock: Sinker Mahogany (cut between 1880 & 1920 and submerged for almost 100 years)
Wood-Neck: Sinker Mahogany (cut between 1880 & 1920 and submerged for almost 100 years)
Wood-Sides: Sinker Mahogany (cut between 1880 & 1920 and submerged for almost 100 years)
Wood-Top: Adirondack Spruce, Oval Sound Hole
Year Made 2018

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (1) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (2) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (9) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (10) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (15) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (8) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018, Natural Top (7) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

2018 0000-18 Burst Top

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (1) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (2) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (9) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (10) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (14) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom, 2018 (15) by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

Martin 0000-18 Custom 2018 3. Headstock front by Bruce Robinson, on Flickr

[Robbypad]

Take a look...........these are not your average Martins in build or tone. These are superbly crafted and sounding guitars...........and pretty darn cool to look at too!

[Robbypad]

Two Rare, Custom Shop Martin-Gruhn 0000-18's-Burst & Natural

Best of Martin in these two!

Let's talk.

[Robbypad]

Gang,

These two Martin Custom Shop (only eight oval sound hole models made) are the best Martins I've played. I am moderately amazed these have not sold. I love 'em but have acquired WAY too many guitars.

Check them out if you haven't.

Robbypad

[MD1212]

I’m Being dense but want to confirm - 1.75 string spacing at nut or 11/16?

[Robbypad]

Sorry, I didn't see your question until today. Been busy with a project.

Dimensions-Neck Width @ Nut: 1.78", 1 12.5/16", 45.21mm

[Robbypad]

Martin 0000-18's, Sinker Mahogany, Oval Sound Holes, Natural & Burst Tops

Both SOLD February 27, 2024........to AGF member.

They are fabulous Martins, best I've played.