1944 Martin 000-18

Bluegrass/jazz flatpicker Grant Gordy discusses and demonstrates his vintage Martin.

As he is equally versed in playing jazz and bluegrass, Grant Gordy puts considerable demands on his instrument. A member of Mr Sun, which includes Darol Anger (fiddle), Ethan Jodziewicz (bass), and Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh (mandolin), Grant is also a past member of the David Grisman Quintet/Sextet, and his self-titled solo album has received widespread acclaim.

Like most flatpickers, Grant had been playing dreadnoughts (including vintage Martins and a Collings), but he’d already started thinking about exploring smaller guitars when he came across this 1944 Martin 000-18 at the Chicago Music Exchange. “I was looking for something that could, if not entirely replace playing dreadnoughts, augment with some qualities that are important to me,” Grant says. “As opposed to a really bright, punchy sound, I’m always going for warmer and darker.” Grant first got to play a vintage 000 when David Grisman lent him a 1934 000-28 for a gig, and the impression stuck with him until he found his own 000. Featuring standard Martin style-18 specs, the guitar is is built with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. It has a short scale, and a nut width of 1¹¹/₁₆ inches. Grant keeps the guitar’s action fairly high and strings it with medium-gauge D’Addario phosphor-bronze strings. He demonstrates the instrument on a chord-melody version of “All the Things You Are” and the fiddle tune “Texas Gales.”

For an additional example of Grant playing the guitar, check out his duet performance of the Bill Monroe Classic “Cheyenne” with Joe K. Walsh here. grantgordy.com

Related Vintage Vault Posts

A. LoPrinzi LR-15 Orville Johnson demonstrates his 1970s dreadnought. Read More

1966 Martin D-28 Guitarist and educator Mark Hanson demonstrates the dreadnought that has been with him for his entire career. Read More

1948 Gibson J-45 Peghead Nation Flatpicking Guitar instructor Scott Nygaard demos his 1948 Gibson J-45. Read More

1930s Gibson L-50 Orville Johnson demonstrates his unusual Gibson L-50. Read More

1956 Martin D-28 Peghead Nation Flatpicking Guitar instructor Scott Nygaard demos his Martin D-28. Read More

1940’s Epiphone Blackstone Bay Area guitarist Jim Nunally demonstrates a vintage archtop he found while touring with David Grisman. Read More

1957 Gibson L-5CES Peghead Nation instructor Matt Munisteri demonstrates his rare Gibson electric archtop with a special pickup configuration. Read More

1926 Martin 000-18 Peghead Nation instructor Doug Young demonstrates his vintage 12-fret. Read More

1960 Gibson LG-2 A classic Gibson small-body with a cross-continental history. Read More

1932 Martin 00-18 Eric Schoenberg with a one-of-a-kind vintage Martin. Read More