First introduced in 1932, the Martin D-18 his the original working musicians dreadnought acoustic guitar, and was the entry point of the Martin dreadnought range for a number of years. As vintage Martin guitars have become more and more sought after by players over the years, Martin have begun to look back to some of their most classic models and offer extremely detailed vintage reissues for a fraction of the cost of the real thing. This 2020 Martin Authentic 1939 D-18 is modelled on a '39 D-18 from the Martin museum, expertly recreating all the features that set these original vintage models apart.
This guitar features an Adirondack Spruce top with a tight grain patter, along with period correct scalloped Adirondack Spruce bracing which makes for an extremely resonant, responsive sound board with plenty of projection and definition while flat picking. The finish uses a tinted gloss to age the look of the instrument and mirror the kind of lacquer tint found on vintage acoustics. The body is constructed from Mahogany back and sides, with hide glue used to join the pieces of wood, just as the original pre war models would have used. The Mahogany neck has a typically chunky tapered profile modelled directly from a 1939 example, along with a 1 11/16" nut width that gives an authentically vintage feel. Other features include a aged ivoroid saddle and nut, a vintage style celluloid pick guard, open back butterbean tuners and a VTS pickup system that accurately captures the tone of the guitar both live and in the studio. This guitar also includes its original case
This guitar is in excellent condition, with barely any signs of play wear to speak of. As with all our vintage instruments, this guitar has been given a thorough service & setup by the Vintage Instrument Workshop and is guaranteed for 3 years in line with our vintage instrument warranty.
