1936 Martin 000-18 Acoustic Formerly Owned and Inscribed by Woody Guthrie

This 1936 Martin 000-18 acoustic guitar was inscribed and played by folk musician Woody Guthrie.

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) wrote plain-spoken lyrics and simple melodies for and about common folk. His songs are nonetheless some of the most eloquent compositions in the American musical canon. Guthrie’s “Roll on Columbia,” written in 1941 about the Depression-era Works Progress Administration (WPA) project harnessing that river’s immense energy, is the official Washington State Folk Song.

Guthrie was a rudimentary musician on the guitar, banjo and violin, and he purposely avoided becoming too adept so that he wouldn't sound overly polished or commercial. He owned and played this Martin acoustic guitar in Los Angeles in the late 1930s.

A tireless champion of the powerless, Guthrie famously wrote “This Machine Kills Fascists” on several instruments and affixed stickers with the phrase on others. Guthrie carved this swaggering threat, along with his name, into the back of this 1936 Martin 000-18, making it the first known instrument bearing Guthrie's iconic incantation against totalitarian evil.