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FDP Forum / FDP Unplugged - Acoustic Instruments / First Martin
(This message was last edited by hushnel at 12:40 PM, Jun 7th, 2019)
FDP Forum / FDP Unplugged - Acoustic Instruments / First Martin
FlyonNylon
Contributing Member
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East TennesseeJun 5th, 2019 11:18 PM Edit Profile
Got a little into flat-picking over the past couple months and started thinking about getting a Martin.
A year ago I bought a Yamaha AC3R to supplement my strats and ended up playing it every day; and occasionally the strats.
Initially was looking at HD28s and the like but seemed easier to justify a Mahogany dread since I have a couple rosewood guitars.
Worked a pretty terrible run of night shifts over the past week and GAS kept me going lol..
Played 3 D-18s at a local shop today and found a winner. Had some apprehension playing in the shop since I'm used to playing in a quiet room so the guitars didn't sound that great, but bought the one I liked, re-stringed it with Elixer 12s and played all evening.
The 1.75 nut really took some getting used to but I can see its advantages. Tried to record something to commemorate the guitar's first day but ended up with just a short clip due to new-guitar-clams, beer, etc.
Ragtop
Contributing Member
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The older the violin
the sweeter the music.Jun 6th, 2019 03:54 AM Edit Profile
Nice! Sounds just like a D-18 should.
Congrats!
budg
Contributing Member
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ohio
Home of the Goodyear blimpJun 6th, 2019 03:55 AM Edit Profile
Congrats. I too chose the D18 over all the other offerings. Smoking guitar . Nice playing too.
reverend mikey
Contributing Member
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N of I-90, E of I-29
You're old. Then vintage. Then good!Jun 6th, 2019 09:19 AM Edit Profile
Sounds great, nice pickin'!
D-18's are top-of-the-tone-heap guitars, no doubt.
Viera
Contributing Member
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Boycott Amazon
Thank you FDP sponsorsJun 6th, 2019 09:04 PM Edit Profile
There's nothing quite like a good D-18. I just picked me up one recently. The 2012 and beyond D-18s are essentially D-18Vs with 1.75 nut widths and a slightly different neck carve, great Martin Dreads.
Congrats and enjoy that thing!
FlyonNylon
Contributing Member
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East TennesseeJun 7th, 2019 07:44 AM Edit Profile
Thanks guys. Man what a great guitar. Really had to do some mental gymnastics to justify getting another guitar, but no regrets. Plays like a steel string version of my nice classical, which is exactly what I was looking for.
Rings like a bell, perfect intonation, stays in tune, great playability. Not that my other guitars don't do those things, the Martin just does it all so much better.
I am glad that the shop had a few to compare, which seems rare for Martins, because this one did objectively have nicer appearing spruce and mahogany, and subjectively a better sound than the others.
budg
Contributing Member
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ohio
Home of the Goodyear blimpJun 7th, 2019 08:44 AM Edit Profile
That’s awesome to here. I have a 2013 and it’s my only acoustic. I had a d35 that went unplayed when I got mine. That’s when I was sure I was a mahogany guy. No regrets. The neck was an adjustment for me , but I love it now.
reverend mikey
Contributing Member
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N of I-90, E of I-29
You're old. Then vintage. Then good!Jun 7th, 2019 09:37 AM Edit Profile
I had both a D-35 (my first Martin - a 2015), then I got a 2012 used D-18. I loved both, but my experience was that the D-35 had a little bit more presence and punch in the highs, and "thicker" sound overall. No surprise there.
I LOVED the D-18, but decided to sell it to fund a custom Martin J-18. No regrets! That J-18 led to a J-40, which led to selling the D-35, because the J-40 was just "more" of everything. It's my top of the heap guitar, with the J-18 right behind it.
Both of those can keep up with a dreadnought. I know because I have a Martin Model America 1 dread (Adirondack top, Sycamore b/s). Its starting to mature into a great guitar, but it hasn't caught the Jumbos...yet!
Enjoy that D-18. Martin IS definitely making some great guitars today.
Chris Greene
FDP Host
Idaho, USA
Buy your virtue signal hereJun 7th, 2019 09:54 AM Edit Profile
Congrats. I like the D-18 and had one for a time (it was a broken 1974). Had great tone but I couldn't get it fixed to my satisfaction so I sold it back to the repair guy in Boise for what I had into it. I was fine not having yet another acoustic but the D-18's are special.
hushnel
Contributing Member
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North Florida
A Friend of Bill W.Jun 7th, 2019 10:34 AM Edit Profile
Jon Garron of My Favorite Guitars, one of the largest on-line dealers of Martins, used to live in Naples Florida. I’d ride over and visit him on occasions, including coffee house gigs he did with his buddies from time to time.
He always had hundreds of Martins in stock. I asked him once how many guitars did he personally own. He told me one. He asked if I wanted to see it, absolutely. He pulled out this expensive snakeskin “like” carbon fiber case and showed me his one and only D-18. It had an amazing tone. There was one hanging on his wall, as I walked by it I strummed the strings as I passed it, the volume increased and the tone was freaking amazing, I’m almost glad that I was riding the Harley. If that happened today I’d figure out a way of buying it.
I’ve always preferred the mahoganies over the rosewood. All of my acoustic six strings are mahogany two of them have mahogany tops, I do like the sound of spruce tops with mahogany back and sides.
Jefe has one for sale in the FDP Classifieds that I would love to have, a 00-18V. I’m going to sell off a few instruments to upgrade my acoustics to real keepers, my 00-15 is one I’ll keep. The “Dreads” are just too large for me. The 00 is more comfortable for me but even it is just a bit large. My partially paralyzed right arm goes totally numb at my fingers if the body is too wide. I’ll probably sell off the mid 80s Guild B-50 eventually, that’s going to hurt. That bass was one of my Holy Grails.
MJB
Contributing Member
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Who's we sucka?
Smith, Wesson and me.Jun 7th, 2019 10:43 AM Edit Profile
Congrats on a fine guitar!
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