Martin Style 15, 17, and 18
The early Style 17 and 18 were nearly identical, but offered in different sizes. Early Styles 17 and 18, like almost all early Martins, were built with Brazilian rosewood back and sides.
In later years, the Style 18 was the simplest of the spruce top, mahogany back and sides Martins, while the 15 and 17 were inexpensive mahogany top guitars.
1893 2 1/5 -17
1936 Martin 0-17
The Style 18 has been distinguished from it's inception in the 1850's by a five ply top border and since soon after the turn of the century by a nine band central rosette ring surrounded by two single black rings.
1943 Martin 00-18
1944 Martin D-18
The Martin "32 Model" 0-17 and 0-18
In 1932, Martin introduced their first 14 fret models to follow the Martin OM, a special "32 model" Style 0-17 and 0-18, with low prices to match the post-depression market. Surprisingly, while the 32 model 0-18 had a standard shaded top, the 0-17 became shaded when the "32 model" designation was dropped.
The all-mahogany shaded 0-17 was shaded on the top, back, and sides.
1932 Martin 0-18 "model 32"
1933 Martin 0-17
Style 18 Tenors
1930 Martin 0-18T
1931 Martin 0-18T
Fretboard Inlays
Martin Guitars built before 1898 had no inlays on the fretboard.
By 1906, and again when reintroduced in 1922, the Style 17 Martins had small dot inlays on the fifth, seventh (2), and ninth frets.
Starting in early 1932, Style 17 Martins had small dot inlays on the fifth, seventh (2), ninth, twelth (2), and fifteenth frets.
Starting with it's introduction in 1939, Style 15 Martins had small dot inlays on the fifth, seventh, ninth, and twelth frets, with no double dots.
By 1902, Style 18 Martins had small dot inlays on the fifth, seventh, and ninth frets.
Surprisingly, with a single dot on the seventh fret, the Style 18 had fewer dots than the Style 17.
Starting in early 1932, Style 18 Martins had small dot inlays on the fifth, seventh, ninth, twelth, and fifteenth frets which were graduated in size.
Here again, the Style 18 had fewer dots on the ninth fret than the Style 17.
In 1946, Style 18 Martins had large dot inlays on the fifth, seventh, ninth, twelth, and fifteenth frets which were uniform in size. (not to seventeenth fret as of 1944 as stated in Gruhn's Guide.)
Starting in 1947, Style 18 Martins had large dot inlays on the fifth, seventh, ninth, twelth, and fifteenth frets which were graduated in size.
Martin Style 17 and 18 Variations Made for Other Firms
At about the same time as Martin formally introduced the pickguard as standard, other forms of the pickguards appeared on Martin guitars madefor other companies on special order, including the 0-17S, a spruce top variation of the 0-17 made for the Montogomery Wards Stores.
1930 Montgomery Wards 0-17S
B & J S.S. Stewart 0-17S
This upgraded Style 17 with a spruce top was a special edition made as the S.S. Stewart 0-17S.
This upgraded Style 17 was a special edition made as the Beltone 2-17S.
Martin 0-15 with Fiberloid tortoise shell color headstock veneer
Beginning in 1938, a number of Martin guitars were built with a "Fiberloid" tortoise shell colored head veneer, starting with asunburst top-of-the-line D-45 #71663 formerly owned by Don Teeter, and including a 1940 D-45 later sold by Bernie Leadon to the Japanesecollector Mac Yasuda, and a third D-45 from 1941, as well as a small handful ofothers, reportedly including a D-28, a couple of 1939 D-18's and a 000-45.
By 1940, the tortoise head veneer appeared on the inexpensive budget model 0-15. It's interesting that a feature apparently desirableenough to be used on special order for the exclusive D-45 should soon find itself as a regular distinctive feature of Martin's cheapest andmost plentiful guitar, but plastics were pretty hot stuff at first!
I've seen several Ebay ads for 0-15 Martins with tortoise headstock veneers with words to the effect of: "Extremely rare, one oftwo or three ever seen."
The full production run was from March, 1940 to October, 1943.
The first batch was specified with "Fiberloid tortoise shell colored head veneer"
I think it's safe to say that tortoise was standard for the 0-15 from the first run in March, 1940 until at least March, 1943, which would mean at least 1,680 tortoise headstock 0-15's were made.
Tortoise headstock 0-15 sightings:
74696 from 4/40
74756 from 4/40
74796 from 4/40
74992 and
75003 from 5/40
75228 from 6/40
76811 from 1/41
78413 from 7/41
78768 from 9/41
78872 from 9/41
79049 from 10/41
79190 and
79202 from 10/41
79839 and
79846 from 12/41
80064 from 1/42
81219 from 3/42
82238 from 8/42
83631 from 3/43
We still await any 0-15 sightings from guitars built from March to October, 1943, but it now seems likely that tortoise was standard for the entire run of the Style 0-15 from 1940 to 1943.
The Style 2-17 Martin Guitar and Steel Strings
The first question one asks about a vintage Martin guitar is often "was it built for steel strings?"
Thanks to the extensive research in the Martin archives by John "Woody" Woodland, we now know that Martin began the process of shipping their guitars with steel strings as regular equipment with two Martin Style 2-17 guitars, #16879 and #16887, shipped to the John Wanamaker Department Store in Philadelphia on March 27, 1922.
This is #16879:
The Martin Style 2-17 sold for a price of $25 each retail, $12.50 wholesale, with canvas duck cases selling wholesale for $2.38 each.
The 0-17 and other Style 17 Martins followed soon after with steel strings as regular equipment.
Martin announced the style 18 as having steel strings as regular equipment on January 1, 1923.
By 1926, the Style 28 was shipped with steel strings as regular equipment, but this is not something that can be detected by measuring the bridge plate and top thickness or bracing. There are no such clear cut differences in build, because Martin did not "brace" their guitars for steel strings as such. It was more a matter of "regulating" for gut on request by then, by setting proper stringheight and such. Martin, in fact, thickened the bridge plate after they had already been shipping their guitars with steel strings for several years. Perhaps the clearest physical difference in guitars regulated for steel is the width of the grooves in the nut. Unfortunately, most dealers and repairers of Martin guitars don't yet have an understanding of such things.
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