15/06/2026
Locating the bridge on this OM-18 with ebony rod and bar frets. It will also get banjo tuners, making it de facto a 1930 OM-18 'replica'.
A bench copy would require American red spruce (Picea rubens) for the top and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) for the braces. This one features moon-logged European red spruce (Picea abies) for both the top and braces.
Let's put it this way: if Martin & Co. had their workshop in Markneukirchen instead of Nazareth, PA back in the day, Picea abies is what they would have used throughout. It was a matter of availability back then, and it still mostly is today: buying local allows access to the best quality wood and, most importantly (for 1930's Martin in particular), the best value.
