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Martin D-18 Acoustic Guitar - Natural

6-string Acoustic Guitar with Solid Spruce Top, Solid Mahogany Back and Sides, Hardwood Neck, and Ebony Fingerboard - Natural
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Martin D-18 Acoustic Guitar - Natural
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Definitive Acoustic Tone from a Legendary Martin

The classic Martin D-18 acoustic guitar will take you back to the days when acoustic guitars were king, and players depended upon rich tone and acoustic projection alone to convey their songs. Pick up Martin's absolutely amazing D-18, and you'll be captivated by its rich tonality, beautiful sonic detail, and vintage-tinged looks. The D-18 gives you the classic Martin guitar experience, with a dreadnought body, a 14-fret design, and beautiful tonality to match its looks. Its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides provide the foundation for stunning sound, and the Martin D-18 acoustic guitar will only sound better as it ages.

Classic "just-right" Martin tone

Ask anyone who knows their bluegrass why the Martin D-18 has been a top choice for serious performers. It's because the D-18's iconic tone sits "just right," cutting through and holding its own without overbearing other instruments. Whether you're playing solo or in a full bluegrass jam, your D-18's rich tone will always be heard without fighting with vocals or covering up the low-end impact from the bass player.

The choice of session guitarists for decades

The Martin D-18's tonality is just as useful in your studio as onstage. Just ask any recording engineer who's been in the business for a couple decades: the D-18 has an uncanny ability to set itself into any mix nicely, with a minimum of processing. Sure, that jumbo-body rosewood guitar looks great, but you'll be rolling off low frequencies and carefully adjusting compressors to prevent it from getting too boomy or indistinct in the final mix. Just grab your Martin D-18, point your favorite small-diaphragm condenser mic at the 12th fret, and you've got a sound that practically mixes itself.

Part of modern music's history

You've already heard the sweet sound of the Martin D-18 more times than you probably realize. That's because it was the choice guitar of legends such as Clarence White, Elvis Presley, and many more. Even Andy Griffith played one on "The Andy Griffith Show." The Martin D-18 is a perfect example of an instrument that became iconic purely based on its tone and craftsmanship.

Martin D-18 Acoustic Guitar Features:

  • An iconic piece of Martin guitar history, with a focused tone that sits well with a wide variety of instruments
  • Solid spruce top for amazing projection and great note definition
  • Mahogany back and sides for a well-balanced tonal range
  • Focused low frequency response that sounds tight, never boomy
  • Hardshell case included

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See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • String Type: Steel
  • Number of Strings: 6
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Body Shape: Dreadnought 14-Fret
  • Back & Sides Wood: Gennuine Mahogany
  • Top Wood: Spruce
  • Top Finish: Gloss
  • Color: Natural
  • Body Bracing: X Scalloped
  • Binding: Tortoise-colored Binding
  • Neck Wood: Select Hardwood
  • Neck Shape: Modified Low Oval
  • Radius: 16"
  • Fingerboard Material: Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay: Old Style 18 Inlays
  • Number of Frets: 20
  • Scale Length: 25.4"
  • Nut Width: 1.75"
  • Nut/Saddle Material: Bone/Compensated Bone
  • Bridge Material: Ebony
  • Tuning Machines: Nickel Tuners with Butterbean Knobs
  • Strings: Martin Lifespan 2.0 92/8 Phosphor Bronze, .013-.056
  • Case/Gig Bag: Hardshell Case
  • Body Length: 20"
  • Body Width: 15.6"
  • Body Depth: 4.8"
  • Overall Length: 40.5"
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 10D18

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Martin D-18 Natural

Just got my new Martin D-18 Natural today from Sweetwater. Love this guitar. Jake was very helpful working with me to decide which D-18 I wanted - love them all! Great guitar and great customer service from Sweetwater. My wife loves the candy and the stickers and I love my guitar so we are both happy! Thanks Sweetwater for fantastic customer service!
Rated 5/5

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 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.
Rated 5/5

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 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?"
Music background: Hobbyist
Rated 5/5

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 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
Music background: Songwriter
Rated 5/5

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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