Atkin Essential OM - 2023 - Aged Nitrocellulose Finish - KK Pure Mini - OM-18 Style

This is a 2023 Atkin Essential OM — purchased new from The Fretted Buffalo in New York and played by a professional musician who used it extensively for live performances. He returned it to trade up to a larger-bodied Atkin. I bought it directly from the shop and had a K&K Pure Mini pickup professionally installed. It has been set up, played, and cared for properly ever since.

This guitar sounds like an instrument, not a piece of furniture. It rings. It vibrates. The top moves when you play it. It is light, resonant, and responds to the lightest touch with a full, complex tone. This is what a great mahogany OM is supposed to feel like, and it competes with guitars from any builder at any price point.

The neck is one of the most comfortable I've played. At .86" at the 1st fret and .89" at the 10th, it sits right in that everyman sweet spot, not clubby, not thin, just right. It disappears in your hand.

I install K&K Pure Minis in all my acoustic guitars. They simply work. No battery, no EQ curve fighting the guitar, no coloring the tone. This one was installed professionally and sits clean.

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UPGRADES AND MODIFICATIONS

- K&K Pure Mini passive pickup — professionally installed; no battery required; one of the most natural-sounding passive pickups available for acoustic guitar

- Waverly wooden strap button

- Waverly ebony bridge pins — matched to the ebony bridge and fingerboard

- D'Addario XS Light Plus strings — current setup, chosen specifically to maximize top vibration and resonance on this scale length

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CONDITION

The guitar has a beautiful patina and honest player wear — back wear consistent with a professional musician using it for live performance. It has never been abused. The top and face are clean. The nitro finish has the factory lacquer checking Atkin is known for. The neck is straight, action is dialed in, and everything functions perfectly.

The TKL hard case is in pristine condition — no scuffs, no scratches. It looks like it was never used.

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WHY THIS GUITAR

The 1-11/16" nut width on this guitar is a meaningful spec for the right player which is anyone who finds wider necks just slightly too much.

The torrified Sitka top is not a gimmick. Baking the wood drives out moisture, stabilizes the grain, and accelerates tonal development by years, possibly decades. The result is a guitar that sounds broken in from the first note. Paired with torrified pre-war hand-scalloped bracing and a lightweight mahogany body, this OM has the kind of voice that makes you listen to what's happening.

The aged nitrocellulose finish is applied in eight coats and then frozen to produce authentic lacquer checking, the visual patina of a vintage instrument, without the wait. It feels warm to the touch. It looks alive.

Atkin builds every guitar by hand in Canterbury, UK.

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FULL SPECS

Body style: Orchestra Model (OM)

Year built: 2023

Top: Baked Sitka Spruce

Back and sides: Mahogany

Neck: Mahogany

Fingerboard: Ebony

Bridge: Ebony

Backstrip: Ebony

Headstock overlay: Santos Rosewood

Logo: Atkin Decal

Rosette: Black/White/Black

Purfling: Black/White/Black

Binding: Tortoiseshell

Bracing: Pre-war hand-scalloped

Truss rod: Dual-action

Neck joint: Lifetime-guaranteed

Nut width: 1-11/16" (43mm)

Scale length: 25.4" (long scale)

Neck thickness: 1st fret: .86" / 10th fret: .89"

Fingerboard radius: 16"

Finish: Aged nitrocellulose lacquer

Weight: Very light — exceptionally resonant

Case: Atkin-branded TKL hard case (pristine, included)

Pickup: K&K Pure Mini (professionally installed)

Bridge pins: Waverly ebony (installed)

Strap button: Waverly wooden (installed)

Strings: D'Addario XS Light Plus (current)

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New US retail: $4,190 — not including pickup installation or hardware upgrades.

Questions welcome through Reverb messaging. Additional photos of any area available on request.