The Oldest Johnny Cash Guitar
- Mark Valentine
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
In 2022, a Martin acoustic owned by Cash sold for US$437,500.
It was sold by Julien’s Auctions for $437,500 as the only known
1950s era Johnny Cash guitar.
This story is not about that guitar.
This is about a guitar being used in a Toronto recording studio. It is a 1954 Martin D-18 that the owner, Peter Linseman inherited from his father.
The acquistition story was in a sworn affidavit from Rosilie Linseman. She bought it from Fred Roden’s Record Corral in Toronto in 1956 as a birthday present for Peter’s father. He wanted a Martin-D-28 with inlays. She put down a deposit, but when she returned the guitar was gone. Johnny Cash bought that D-28 and left the D-18 in it’s place. She took Johnny Cash’s replacement guitar although her husband was a little disappointed. He grew to like it. In the affidavit, Rosalie said they met Johnny Cash after a concert and tried to return the guitar, but he “graciously” refused.
Follow along now.
In 2007, Peter got the guitar as his father passed away.
He began to prove the D-18’s origin story.
He searched early photographs of Johnny Cash. He even went to The Johnny Cash Museum. Early photographs of Cash’s first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast in 1956 look like they corroborate the family claim. The pattern on the tortoiseshell-style pick guard is a perfect match.
According to experts, that can’t be reproduced.
As Linesman waits for more confirmations, we are witnessing a new piece of guitar history come on the market. Please subscribe to the YouTube channel after you watch this episode of Every Guitar Has A Story. It is about another Grand Ole Opry Martin:
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