1929 Martin 0-18

This Martin 0-18 arrived at the shop after being found in a relative’s basement, in excellent overall condition given its age. The interior of the soundbox appeared pristine, and the entire guitar showed no evidence of any previous repair work. It’s bridge had been off for an unknown amount of time, and the top had become distorted under string tension previously to an extent that the bridge was unlikely to stay glued on, and the overall geometry of the guitar suffered as a result. The neck had its original bar frets still in decent condition and showed no signs of excessive relief under simulated string tension. To correct the excessive belly shape in the top’s bridge and bridge plate area, a set of precision machined aluminum cauls were heated and applied to the area for a period of 48 hours, to reverse the upward curve that the bridge’s footprint area had taken on. Once this procedure was complete, the bridge could be re-attached with hot hide glue. Then the bar frets were leveled, crowned and polished and the guitar’s finish was given a gentle cleaning. Once strung, the guitar had a surprisingly loud voice, and the top belly correction improved the neck’s angle enough to achieve a comfortable playing action, while continuing to utilize the guitar’s factory nut and saddle.