Martin D-18 - USA 2017

From Martin:

"Understated looks, timeless tone. The warm tone of mahogany and spruce couple with resonant scalloped bracing under the hood for a sound that's honest, authoritative, and clear. Vintage details include open-geared tuners and classic 18-style appointments pair with a modern, low profile neck for an old-soul sound."

In 1931, Martin introduced the D-18 as part of their "D Series" of guitars. The "D" stands for "Dreadnought," which is a style of acoustic guitar characterised by its large body and bold, powerful sound. The D-18 was positioned as a less expensive alternative to the Martin D-28, which was introduced around the same time.

The original D-18 featured a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. It was known for its balanced tone, clarity, and versatility, making it popular among a wide range of musicians. Over the years, there have been various iterations of the D-18 with minor changes in specifications, but the basic design and tonal characteristics have remained largely consistent.

The D-18 gained popularity among folk, country, and bluegrass musicians, and it became an important instrument in the development of American roots music. Many notable artists have used or continue to use the Martin D-18, including Hank Williams, Doc Watson, Elvis Presley, and Chris Martin (from the band Coldplay), among others.

This particular Martin D-18 has clear, well-defined midrange frequencies, warm bass response, and bright trebles - it is balanced and extremely resonant, a real cannon!

The guitar presents in excellent condition and has been looked after well by its current owner since its purchase in 2017. There a a few small marks and nicks but hardly noticeable. The binding has come away on the treble side at the waist of the guitar - an easy fix for any luthier. This D-18 is equipped with an L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup which perfectly captures the acoustic qualities. So whether you're looking for a bedroom strummer, writing aide, stage workhorse or anything in between - this D-18 is the one for the job!

Comes in it original hard shell case.

Features:

Action at 1st fret: 0.25mm

Action at 12th fret: 2.5mm

Neck depth at 1st fret: 21.49mm

Nut Width: 44.88mm

12 fret width: 54.04mm

Weight: 2.0kg / 4.41lb

Construction: Dovetail neck joint

Body Size: D-14 fret

Top Material: Spruce

Rosette: Old Style 18 multi-stripe

Bracing Pattern: Forward shifted X brace

Brace Shape: Scalloped

Brace Material: Spruce

Brace Size: 5/16"

Back Material: Genuine mahogany

Back Purfling/Strip: Style 18

Side Material: Genuine mahogany

Endpiece: Faux tortoise

Binding: Black

Top Inlay Material: Multi-stripe

Neck Material: Select hardwood

Neck Shape: Modified low oval

Neck Taper: High performance taper

Plek: Yes

Nut Material: Bone

Headstock Shape: Solid with square taper

Headplate Material: East Indian rosewood

Headplate Logo Style: Script old style overlay

Heelcap: Faux tortoise

Fingerboard Material: Ebony

Scale Length: 25.4"

Neck Joins Body At: 14th fret

Number Of Frets Total: 20

Fingerboard Width At Nut: 1-3/4''

Fingerboard Width At 12th Fret: 2-1/8''

Fingerboard Inlay Material: Abalone

Fingerboard Inlay Style: Old style 18

Side Dots: White

Back & Side Finish: Gloss

Back & Side Color: Dark mahogany

Finish Top: Gloss

Top Color: Aging toner

Finish Neck: Satin

Neck Color: Dark mahogany

Bridge Material: Ebony

Bridge Style: Modern belly - drop in saddle

Bridge String Spacing: 2-5/32"

Saddle: Compensated bone

Saddle Radius: 16''

Tuning Machines: Nickel open gear

Knob: Butterbean

Bridge Pin Material: Black plastic

Pickguard: Faux tortoise