This 1956 Martin D-18 was previously owned by Philadelphia based luthier, John Zeidler, who passed away in 2002. Zeidler was exceptionally talented, building some of the finest archtops, mandolins, and flattop guitars. This D-18 was the one that he kept himself and played at home. He performed the repairs on it including a refret, neck reset, new pickguard, and a new rosewood bridge plate. The tone is exceptional and is among the best sounding Martin dreadnaughts I've heard from any era. It has clearly been played hard and loved- a hole has been worn through the top from decades of strumming, exposing the brace underneath. Despite this, it has no cracks or signs of damage from neglect. This is one of the best Martins I've played and for strumming and flat picking, it doesn't get any better.