1934 C.F. Martin Long Scale 000-18
This long scale 000 is 4 serial numbers away from the shade top example also here at the moment. Amazing.... on the bench the same day !!
Rare, rare, rare !!! This is in actuality an OM-18......and it isn't. Here's the story. The OM-18 was made from 1930 until late 1933 with 14 frets and the now infamous 25.4" scale length. That scale length is what makes the OM as desirable as it can get. In early 1934, Martin replaced the OM-18 with the now reintroduced, standard scale 000-18. Only the few earliest examples of this new model are found with the 25.4" scale of the OM.....and this is one of them. The rest of the 000-18 creations from early '34 onward have the now standard 24.5" scale. How many of these were made is a thing of folklore. The Martin blog has all sorts of opinions about this elusive statistic, but there is noone who denies that they are bloody rare and bloody great.
It has the presence and power of an early D-18 with the same sublime and crystalline tonal quality. Every note on every string has it's own space.....every time you touch it, it lights up with a willing and sonorous voice that boggles the mind............. Do I have a 000-18 in my lap?? one would ask......how can this be? It's worthy of every great quote ever said about the model, from every perspective.
It's in great condition for this era as well. A perfectly replaced ebony bridge was created by Dave King, master of the dark arts, as the one that it came to me with was a replacement that wasn't to spec. Otherwise, it's all original. Some light blowover on the upper treble bout where there was rash at some time that shows up much more in the pics than is does in person. A new neck set and a new set of proper, nickle bar frets bring it up to spec and up to concert quality. To play it is to want to own it.
