1936 Martin D-18
I spent this weekend hanging out with a couple of old friends and we starting reminiscing about all the great acoustic guitars we’ve been lucky enough to play over the years. We remembered Gibson L-5s and Super 400s; Strombergs, D’Angelicos and D’Aquistos; Martin D-45s, Herringbone D-28s and OM-28s; Gibson Advanced Jumbos, J-35s, J-185s and SJ-200s; as well as creations from the Larson brothers, National, Washburn, Epiphone, Guild and dozens of modern luthiers. Eventually we got around to discussing which guitar each of us would choose if we had to choose just one, and almost in unison we all said, “a mid-1930s Martin D-18.”
The D-18 is not Martin’s prettiest guitar, it’s very plain spruce and mahogany with almost no decorative trim, but I do think the 14-fret examples built between 1935 and 1938 are the best sounding guitars they ever made. To my ear, they have a very balanced tone, with a rich bass that is not too boomy and smooth sparkling treble that is not too harsh. They are very loud but they are so lightly built they don’t require much effort to make them sing. That lightness helps explain their scarcity. During that three year period Martin used what is now called the advanced X or forward shifted bracing, where the center of the X-bracing was closer to the soundhole. This configuration allowed more of the top to vibrate but as most players used heavy gague strings back then, it also meant that the tops were more easily deformed under the string tension.
In 1938 Martins moved the X closer to the middle of the top, which stiffened the top and helped the guitars withstand the string tension but at the cost of diminished tone. This particular D-18 was made in 1936 and it has survived in excellent structural condition. It has a few scuffs and dings and a small bit of pick wear on the face but it shows no signs of abuse, just lots and lots of use. This example weighs in at $65,000 but I think this might be the only guitar I would would seriously consider paying that much for. If you are feeling that rich, it’s currently for sale at Mandolin Brothers.
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