Martin's 00-18 is one of the company's absolute standouts in their small to mid-sized offerings, and if this 1959 model year is any indication, it's been that way for decades. Since its inception nearly 150 years ago, the 00-18 has combined a spruce top with a mahogany back and sides for a punchy, full sound replete with cutting high mids as a rule - but decades of playing wear have opened this particular one up into a remarkably balanced and powerful instrument with a surprising amount of low end given its compact and ergonomic design. Cosmetics on the 18 series have always been fairly minimal and modest, with mother-of-pearl inlays, a rosewood fingerboard, and tortoise binding, but the sheer cool factor of this pint-sized folk guitar is in the decades of play wear and aging that's impossible to imitate in new instruments.

This guitar arrived in our store in very good condition, with light to average wear when taking the instrument's age into account. The most notable and obvious damage is two cracks on the instrument's top, with one descending from the bottom of the fingerboard on the treble side down to the soundhole, and the other descending from the bottom of the pickguard to the top of the bridge. Both cracks have been reglued and cleated, and should not reopen provided proper care from the guitar's next owner. Overall wear is on the lighter side of average, with a fairly uniform amount of dents, scuffs, scratches, and divots on all planes of the instrument, including the neck and headstock, and an average to above average amount of finish checking, which is especially prominent on the top. The saddle and bridge pins are non-original, and the guitar is currently missing an endpin. Other parts, including the tuners and the pickguard, are original and in very good to excellent condition. A neck reset was performed sometime within the last 20 years, and the set up overall is very good, with a mild backbow in first position which does not impact the guitar's playability. Included in the price is a non-original hard-shell case.

Specifications

Top Wood: Sitka spruce
Back and Sides Wood: Mahogany 
Width at Nut: 1.63"
Bracing Pattern: X-braced
Scale Length: 24.88" 
Frets to Body: 14
Fingerboard and Bridge Wood: Brazilian rosewood
Body Binding: Tortoise with multi-layer purfling
Rosette: Classic 18 Series multi-ring
Headplate Material: Brazilian rosewood
Headstock Inlay / Logo: Martin script logotype
Neck Binding: None
Neck Shape: Modified V
Fingerboard Side Dots: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 17th frets 
Fingerboard Inlay: Mother-of-pearl dots at 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and 15th frets 
Pickguard: Tortoise teardrop
Tuners: Waverly nickel open-back
Electronics: None
Case: Non-original hard-shell case