Martin D-18 Review

D18

This guitar sounds amazing and plays very easily and the neck is comfortable. It is worth every penny.

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D-18

Pretty ridiculous guitar. Truthfully out of the box I wasn't overly impressed. After about 5 minutes, I was like, "okay, this guitar is pretty good." After about a month, it is one of the best guitars I've ever played (even better than some custom shop Martins and the couple Hendersons I've played). Loud as I'll get out, very "Martin-y" tone. It doesn't have that dry punchy sound… read more that vintage Martin's have, but it sounds very good still. I've only played maybe 2-3 guitars that are better than this one.

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Look No Further

If you're like me and have combed hundreds of reviews and watched dozens of youtube videos, let me be the one thousandth person to tell you that this guitar is it. Yes, it is exactly as good as everyone says it is. Aaron hooked me up with the guitar and coordinated a setup to lower the action. (Martin actions are typically higher for bluegrass players, but I have a light hand… read more and like the comfort of low strings). Consider having a setup done if you prefer a low action. Sonically, this guitar sucks me in. It is incredibly resonant and the sustain is incredible. I just set the guitar down and I can feel it in the other room pulling me in. As for feel and comfort, which is to me more important to sound, the neck is very comfortable and I've got no qualms about the string spacing. I could play this thing for hours and it is very light. The case is high quality and fits the guitar very snuggly. All together, this guitar is going to be something I pass on to my kids and hopefully on to their kids. Feel free to explore other guitars, but you will inevitably ask yourself, "What about that D-18?"

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What a beautiful Guitar~!

.beautiful features, beautiful sound. beautiful partner.I'm so happy with it.thank you sweetwater.

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Done...

Long overdue with this review... never wrote a review for anything before but just wanted to give credit where credit is due...Ed Nystrom is the man. Been dealing with Ed for almost 10 years & he has always been awesome to talk to & me being as tough a customer as I am can attest that his patience is second to none. Thank you Ed for all you do & I really look forward to years of… read more many more purchases.For the guitar itself... it's a D18. I've played J45s, various Martins & Yamahas all almost exclusively & for whatever reason I've always gravitated towards the D18. My producer has an '89 & back in December I started hunting for a well cared for/used D18 & also some 28s... after talking to Ed though I decided that I was actually interested in a modern brand new D18. It a beautiful instrument but it also has that timeless warm Martin sound you want. When I record with it & hear it, it's hard to believe that it's not a vintage guitar. Keep doin what you're doin Martin.But yeah this guitar is amazing & I can happily say I'm done... if you are considering buying a new D18 don't think twice about this one. It's the real deal

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Best overall I own

Love the mahogany sound. Id like a tad taller frets but its good. Mine is 14 years old and immaculate... Im happy.

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Amazing

This guitar is simply awesome. It has nice, lovely highs and some good bass. The neck joint and bracing make it sound so good. Also, I love the binding and finish. Beautiful yet simple. Also, this guitar can get pretty loud but sounds awesome played soft. It is my favorite acoustic.

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It's what you would expect after playing for 25 years

It's a good guitar. By that, I mean it sounds great. It plays great. It looks good. It's expensive. So I am rating this a 4 star based purely on value. I really love the sound. I am not fond of the price point. I've been playing a long time. I've played a lot of guitars. This is the most expensive guitar I have ever purchased, but I"m 40 with disposable income. I am the target… read more market for Martin guitar. But it is exactly what I want and what I expect at this point. Capitalism at it's finest. No major complaints although I received the guitar with a pretty obvious blemish on the back of the body. It's a couple of inches in length and very obvious in the light (picture attached). It looks like the poly finish was disturbed during the drying process. So maybe Sweetwater's 55 point inspection needs a to move to a 56 point inspection. Check the body for really obvious blemishes and possibly adjust the price. I buy scratch and dent items all the time, but paying full price for this guitar and seeing an obvious aesthetic blemish is a little frustrating. But I did not return the guitar or even contact Sweetwater (which I'm sure would offer an exchange). I kept it because it sounds great, and it plays great. That is the most important aspect for me. And it looks great (looking at the front side). So let's be honest. There is no reason to return it. And I plan on keeping this guitar for decades and imparting my own blemishes over time. I went back and forth between the Natural and Ambertone finish. And since the Ambertone finish is a strong competitor with the D28 natural in price, I wrestled with that one too. All in all, I'm happy. The tone difference between the D28 and D18 is there when viewing comparison videos, but it's subtle and not a question of "better". I played both models at different stores and loved both. The natural look is not super appealing to me so...again, I'm happy with the Ambertone. So if you want a great guitar, it's a safe bet. But you will be able to find excellent guitars at a fraction of the price. Also I purchased a 000-15 a few months ago and returned it. Relatively, the D18 is much louder and with the 1.75" nut, finger picking is easier especially with larger hands. Play-ability is slightly improved with the D18. See my review on the 000-15 Streetmaster on Sweetwater. I loved the look of the Streetmaster 000-15 (wow), but I love the sound of the D18 better. Cheers

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Dream Guitar

When it comes to acoustic guitars it's hard to beat a Martin. The D-18 has always been my dream guitar. It has the sweetest sound of any guitar I've ever heard. I would highly recommend the D-18. Purchasing the guitar from Sweetwater was so easy and hassle free. Sweetwater's attention to their customers and making sure they have the answers to any questions you may have is beyond… read more any company I've ever dealt with.

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D18 Ambertone

Martin really improved the d-18 when they changed the bracing back to the forward shifted scalloped and the set up done at Sweetwater is perfection! Couldn't be happier with it.

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