1947 D-18
FRONT - the wood is a warm golden color. I think it goes without saying that the finish is all original! The top is crack free other than the obligatory pickguard crack that was well repaired years ago and is barely visable.
PICKGUARD - it is original and it is glued down nice and smooth.
BRIDGE - it is a new, perfect replica ebony bridge (and bridge plate) made and installed by Don Teeter (author of THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR : REPAIR, MAINTAINCE, ADJUSTMENTS).
BRIDGE PINS - they are made of real ivory. The nut and saddle are made of bone.
BACK - as you can see in the pictures, someone was wearing some extra large belt buckles for the years before I bought this in the summer of 1977. Also, the back was taken off at one time in order to reglue some braces. You would have to be a real expert to notice it the work is so well done, but I always feel that full disclosure is the best policy.
SIDES - they have about as much wear as everywhere else. There are some repaired cracks, but really the pictures make the back and sides look worse than they really are.
SIDES - the finish shows virtually no signs of wear.
NECK - the neck has been reset within the last two years. The intonation is great. It has a great feel to it.
FRETBOARD - in excellent condition.
FRETS - they are new and in great shape.
ACTION - this guitar has been professionally set up and plays wonderfully.
TUNERS - they are retro nickel Waverly's that look great and are as smooth as butter.
HEADSTOCK - the Martin logo is completely intact.
STRAP PIN ON HEEL - yes
INSIDE THE SOUND HOLE - you can see a few spots and a bit of dried blue.
CASE - it's not new but it's in pretty good shape. Not a Martin case, it is covered with various guitar and festival stickers from all over the place.
The 2010 OFFICIAL VINTAGE GUITAR PRICE GUIDE gives a 1947 D-18 in excellent condition a value of $10,000.
This old Martin is in perfect playing condition. It is set up and ready to play. It needs absolutly no work done to it. If you want a new looking vintage D-18, this obviously is not the one for you. However, if you want one of the very best sounding old Martins you'll ever come across and one that could easily pass for a 1937 instead of a 1947, you won't find one like this anywhere.
You can have it, own it, play it and enjoy it for the rest of your life for only $5750.
There are 5 ways you can pay for a guitar...
1. Send a personal check. After it goes through (which could take 7 days or so), I will ship you the guitar.
2. Send a bank cashier's check (also known as a bank check and bank draft among other terms.) I will ship you the guitar immediately.
3. Send a money order (you can usually get them at the post office, banks and credit unions.) I will ship the guitar immediately.
4. PayPal. The good part is that it is fast and I can ship the guitar out immediately. The bad part is that they charge a 2.9% transaction fee. So a $5000 guitar would have a $145. I can't be doing that and still be able to keep my prices really low. So if you want to use PayPal, I'll do it if you will split the cost of the transaction fee.
5. Cash. If you're in the area (central Oklahoma) and want to come and play the guitars and / or pick one up, cash is fine.
This old guitar is hard to part with. I've owned it for 29 years! In fact, it was the only Martin I owned during those 29 years. It is THE best sounding D-18 that I have ever played.
As you can see, it's not a museum piece. It has been played and it should be played a lot. And if you buy it I promise you that you will want to play it all the time.
The sound is as woody and bright and rich and full as you can imagine a vintage
and comfortable.
You are probably wondering why I would be willing to part with this old friend after all these years - well I have decided to go with a smaller body Martin.
Below you will find some high resolution pictures. I am making them large because I don't want to hide anything about this old work horse. To me, this is one of the coolest looking guitars you'll ever see.
After the pictures there is a detailed look at every aspect of this great old Martin.
Martin to be. The first time you play it it will feel like this is the guitar you've had all your life. The neck feels so smooth
