Martin D-18 (1947)

This great-sounding 1947 Martin D-18 has just come into the shop for consignment. It'd be a perfect entryway into the vintage Martin niche for a bluegrass player interested in a non-scalloped D-18 because of its price point. It's had a neck reset, refret, and a new bridge installed -- but that's it. Otherwise, it's an incredibly solid post-war D-18 that's had thousands of gig hours logged on it (check out the belt buckle rash). And because of how much it's been played, it's loose-feeling, responsive, and wide open, with an impressively throaty voice and a powerful low end. The midrange and high end are dry and crackling ~ with more than enough snap to power through an acoustic ensemble. This is the kind of D-18 a microphone loves in a live setting!