1932 Martin 0-18S Guitar, Serial Number 50053
This guitar is one of the very rare and much sought after 14-fret long scale (25.4”) 0-18S guitars from 1932.
A total of six 0-18S guitars were made in early 1932 (stamped between. The first five had the long scale neck and the last had a "0 scale" (24.9”) neck. One of the long scale guitars had banjo tuners while the rest received clipped plate Grover G-98 tuners. These six guitars served as prototypes for the “Model 32“ 0-18 guitars that were launched in late February 1932.
The first regular batch of 14-fret 0-18 guitars was stamped only a few days later on February 24. It appears Martin was happy with the shorter scale so it is unlikely any long scale 14-fret 0-18 guitars were made.The guitar has the ebony neck reinforcement and bar frets typical of the period.
Dimensions
Total length: 38 3/8” Fingerboard width at nut: 1 11/16”
Body length: 18 ½” Fingerboard width at 12th fret: 2 3/16”
Upper bout: 10 3/8” Diameter of sound hole: 3 5/8”
Lower bout: 13 5/8” Scale length: 25.4”
Depth at upper bout: 3 9/16” Depth at lower bout: 4”
Back and sides: Mahogany
Top: Adirondack spruce
Tuners: Grover G-98 clipped plate
The guitar in the left is a 1938 00-18 to contrast with the dark top of the 0-18S. The finish 0-18S is much darker than that normally seen on 1932 14-fret guitars (sometimes known as “amberburst” or “honey burst”).
