Chiff and Fipple Forums

I suppose could be used for ITM. I had a friend in high school with a 1942 Martin 00-18 I played (50 years ago). He still has it. I still want it.

Here's a video of a 1943. Just wanted to share.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDLWQndZ9ZY

Music starts around 3:40

It could indeed be used for ITM.

More than likely, if your friend has held onto it for 50 years, he won't get rid of it anytime soon. I can't say I blame him. Maybe he'd let you (very carefully) play a few chords on it every now and again?

For the curious, 1940s Martin 00-18s currently listed on Reverb start at about $5,000 US, while a brand-new one can be had for half that sum!

<3 <3 <3 <3

Dan A. wrote:It could indeed be used for ITM.

More than likely, if your friend has held onto it for 50 years, he won't get rid of it anytime soon. I can't say I blame him. Maybe he'd let you (very carefully) play a few chords on it every now and again?

For the curious, 1940s Martin 00-18s currently listed on Reverb start at about $5,000 US, while a brand-new one can be had for half that sum!

It's the old played in wood. I had a 1970s 00-18 in the days when I used to play. I had bought it from a store that had taken it in on trade from a local folk singer. It had a lot of music in it before it hit my hands. (This was in the days when everyone thought they needed a dreadnought.) Mine ended up needing a neck reset. I wasn't sure I needed a guitar anymore since I hadn't been playing it. And was thinking twice about the $465 quoted for the job. My local "Martin authorized repairman" offered me $500 to buy it, which I took.He fixed it and sold it for $2500. That was in 2002+-. I've had mixed feeling about guitars ever since. I hope it is happy, wherever it is. Tim O'Brien (most known for his down home mandolin playing (and in ITM for his Album The Crossing where he collaborated with John Williams, Winne Horan, and John Doyle) is a big fan of the 00-18s.

busterbill wrote:It's the old played in wood.

Yes indeed. Guitarists could carry on for months, if not years, about how steel-string boxes get better with age. Vintage appeal is also a factor; there are even companies producing replicas of pre-war Martins, complete with dishonest wear. Lack of supply, lack of musicians' ability to pony up, or both feed that market.

I also have somewhat mixed feelings about the guitar, but for different reasons. One is the huge price gap between beginner/beater models and what I consider the starting point of high-end models. (Compared to whistles, the increase in percentage might not be much, but the increase in price is huge.) Another is the need to periodically change strings (believe me, I'm horrible at that) and picks. But the biggest strike against the guitar, for me, is storing one. Too bulky and too difficult to keep out of the way of the pets!

By the way, I've heard that altered tuning is favored for guitars in ITM. I believe DADGAD is preferred, but standard EADGAE isn't used as frequently.

Dan A. wrote:By the way, I've heard that altered tuning is favored for guitars in ITM. I believe DADGAD is preferred, but standard EADGAE isn't used as frequently.

You are correct; DADGAD is so popular, it's practically expected. Another tuning favored for Trad is drop-D (DADGAE). You see standard tuning now and again, but most Trad folks aren't enthused over it; the usual chord shapes just don't offer that modal quality that suits Trad so well, and to me the effect is that of an ill fit. Now if you use standard tuning and can make it sound like DADGAD or drop-D, then you're onto something.

Attaching 3 of these gives you a lot of tuning range (standard, drop-D, double drop-D, DADGAD), but might make the guitar a little head-heavy:
https://www.pitch-key.com/

And it's demonstrated on a guitar that, if memory serves me correctly, is known for its ability to neck-dive!

kkrell wrote:Attaching 3 of these gives you a lot of tuning range (standard, drop-D, double drop-D, DADGAD), but might make the guitar a little head-heavy:
https://www.pitch-key.com/

I've also seen capos that have an individual bar for each string, which always fascinated me.

I came across this youtube video a while ago of a 1931 12 fret Martin 000-18 being played by Martin Simpson. It made me go stomping around the guitar stores for a while back then. Of course, I never did fine one that closely matched that vintage sound, but it was fun looking and playing guitars more in my price range anyway. It is amazing how technology has made some new guitars sound really great without playing time on them, even in the lower ranges today, though not a match for something like these old Martins or many vintage solid wood instruments of good design.

The clip is of Martin showing various guitars and giving tips about playing. The Martin 000-18 starts at 2:24 in the clip.
Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAoQGSiVsy4