Vintage inspired tonewoods and specs adorn this Martin 00-18 Custom Shop with a 1933 Ambertone Burst finish. The old growth ‘Sinker’ Mahogany used for the back, sides and neck were originally cut down in the late 1800s. Areas of present day Belize and Honduras in Central America were part of a British colony at that time. Logging this old growth virgin timber deep in the rain forests to export this prime, rare timber at the time was no easy task. Using the rivers as the only means of transport, needless to say some logs did not make it. Many sunk in the mud and basically became a time capsule, aging for over a century void of oxygen to rot. Some logs take on unique, subtle coloring due to mineral deposits in the mud. This set has some wonderful coloring, which we ordered custom without any stain to highlight this striking wood.
We topped it with an Adirondack Red Spruce top which is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of top woods due to it’s light yet stiff properties yielding a high level of vibration, volume and clarity. This is the wood of choice of the builders during the ‘golden era’ of guitar building, the early 1930’s through pre-war early 40’s. We completed the top with Adirondack ‘Golden Era’ style scalloped bracing, the same bracing used then also. The custom neck is also one-piece Sinker Mahogany with satin finish and no stain and a thinner 1 11/16″ nut width for comfort. The wood combination creates a loud and clear, balanced tone with deep warm bass and bell like highs.
Other custom features of this custom 00-18 include Ivoroid bindings, Nickel Grover tuners with vintage buttons, Old style 18 Green Abalone dot inlays and more. The nut width, modified low oval neck profile and 2 1/8″ saddle spacing will feel right at home in your hands. This is the sound of a vintage guitar in a brand new build with the right upgrades.
Includes hardshell case and Lifetime Warranty.
Free shipping in the continental United States.
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