The Martin D-18 is the dreadnought's mahogany counterpart: same body and bracing as the D-28, mahogany back and sides instead of rosewood. Kurt Cobain's '53 D-18 is the famous one, the guitar he played on MTV Unplugged. Marty Robbins, Robert Plant, Eric Church, and Jack White all built work around D-18s. On this one, the 1935 Sunburst is Martin's vintage-style burst drawn from pre-war D-18 finishes, applied over a satin top that feels played-in out of the box. Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, select hardwood neck with the GE Modified Low Oval profile, ebony fingerboard and bridge, 1 3/4" bone nut, 25.4" scale. GE-scalloped forward-shifted X-bracing.
Where the D-28 opens wide and shimmers, the D-18 stays focused and punchy in the midrange — the kind of voice that slices through a bluegrass ensemble or sits perfectly under a vocal without overpowering it. Same dreadnought projection and headroom as the D-28, with the warmer, drier mahogany character. The satin top gives up the gloss reflection of lacquered guitars in exchange for a touch more freedom for the top to move.
Satin 1935 Sunburst. New from Martin. Comes with the hardshell case.
