Martin D-18 1953, Natural

$11,000.00

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Specs


Instrument	Dreadnought
Brand	Martin
Model	D-18
Finish	Natural
SKU	GF11046-A
Handedness	Right
Made In Year	1953
Top	Mystery Top Spruce
Back and Sides	Mahogany
Neck/Fingerboard	Mahogany/ Brazilian Rosewood
Neck Profile	C
Neck Depth	.89"- 1.04"
Fingerboard Radius	16"
Tuners	Kluson-style replacements
Bridge	Original BRW
Scale Length	25.4"
Nut Width	1.678"
String Spacing at Saddle	2.165"
Contains Brazilian Rosewood (Y/N)	Y
Case	Modern HSC
Modifications/Repairs	Replacement tuners, bone nut, refret (oversized), bridge reglue, bone saddle, bridge reglue, replacement Holter pickguard (broken one in case), B-string crack, old lower treble rim crack repair with finish touch-up, strap button, celluloid rot on end wedge, thin maple bridge plate overlay on original, repacement pins, general wear and character

Description

If there is one year of D-18 to get post-war, it's a 1953. Elvis played a 1953 Martin D-18. Kurt Cobain played a 1953 Martin D-18; Cobain nicknamed it Grandpa. They have a mystical nature to them, and for good reason; they have "Mystery Top" spruce soundboards. Martin bought their spruce in batches, and 1953 (and some early parts of 1954) received this legendary red spruce. This example is player ready with an in house fret level and new bone nut and saddle. It is essentially a holy grail guitar that was waiting for a later owner to really put it through the bluegrass circles. The sound is currently fantastic and will likely only get better.

Comes with modern TKL hardshell case.