Martin D-18 Satin - Standard Series - 1935 Sunburst
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Description
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. Hank Williams played a 1947 D-18. Mark Knopfler has called his 1935 the guitar he plays more than anything else, David Crosby got a signature D-18DC out of his, Molly Tuttle's 1943 became the D-18 Molly Tuttle, and Kurt Cobain played a 1959 D-18E, the rare factory-electric version, on MTV Unplugged. On this one, the 1935 Sunburst is Martin's vintage-style burst drawn from pre-war D-18 finishes, over a satin top that feels played-in out of the box. 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 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.