Martin D-18 (USED, 1954)

This is an excellent-sounding example of a mid-1950's D-18 which exhibits a particularly sweet & warm voice.

Why We Love This

This 1954 Martin D-18 has been 'rode hard' to use the perhaps-cliched parlance of the guitarosphere. Through the decades of heavy playtime it's received, however, the sound has matured dramatically ~ and this is an excellent-sounding example of a mid-1950's D-18 which exhibits a particularly sweet & warm voice.

We acquired the guitar from a longtime client who's owned it since the late 1970's. It hadn't seen much use over the last couple years, as he focused more on his electric guitars; and when it came to us, it was definitely time for the 100,000 mile tune-up. We had luthier Laurent Brondel perform a neck reset, make a new bridge (the original was cut down beyond viability), glue several side cracks, and re-do several internal cleats and previous crack repairs. It's set up for light gauge strings, and plays like a breeze ~ but with the new saddle height, it can certainly handle mediums with room to adjust.

In short, we think this is a dynamite mark for anyone hunting down a 50's D-18 ~ with excellent sound & playability, and no forseeable need for further maintenance. It's priced with the non-original hardshell case we received it in, though we have Calton cases available if an upgrade is desired.