Martin & Co. have been building guitars for nearly 200 years and in that time they have produced some of the industry’s most iconic guitars. It wasn’t not hard to find a Martin guitar in the hands of some of the world’s most iconic players including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley.
There aren’t many brands that find it easy to innovate and create new products while also maintaining a vast catalogue of classic, unchanged guitars – however, Martin isn’t just any guitar brand. Buying a Martin guitar is an exciting and memorable event for any guitarist. In this article, we’ll compare the Martin 000-18 and the Martin D-18 guitar models.
| Features: | Martin 000-18 | Martin D-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Model: | 000-18 | D-18 |
| Bracing: | X-Brace | Forward-Shifted X-Brace |
| Top: | Sitka Spruce | Sitka Spruce |
| Neck: | Modified Low Oval | Modified Low Oval |
Martin 000-18
Martins 000-18 Standard Series is a timeless acoustic classic. Martin uses selected woods that are conscientiously matched so the tone unfolds easily at the slightest touch.
Its natural appearance features some subtle decoration matching the toned woods, which have changed little since the first edition, giving the 000-18 the impression that you’re holding an actual piece of history in your hands.
Martin has been using North American Sitka Spruce for the top, which has been used for decades for constructing the finest musical instruments plus its Scalloped-X-Bracing and a wafer-thin finish, produce high-quality resonance and responding tone.
For giving its warm saturation sound, Martins 000-18 Standard Series is constructed with a body of high-quality mahogany wood which creates golden reflections depending on the angle of view and lighting conditions.
Design
Martins, 000-18, has a beautiful aged-toned top in Sitka spruce, which is matched with genuine mahogany for the back and sides. The model body is edged with tortoise binding and complemented with a polished finish.
Shape
The 000-18 has an auditorium body style giving a great, warm, balanced tone. Its body style gives excellent projection and focus, especially for recording in a studio. The body feels comfortable and finished to an incredibly high standard, giving the guitar a great look.
Sound
The sound produced by Martin’s 000-18 has the full-bodied tone projections that you’d want from a large-sized acoustic, despite its auditorium body.
Some users have even commented that the high projection levels could even compete with those of a banjo, making it a great opportunity for a jam or duel! its warm and rounded tone works with just about any style of guitar playing, offering richness in both high and low frequencies along with its harmonic resonance.
Martins 000-18 tone not only sounds great – its balanced nature means that it’s ideal if you’re interested in recording in a studio.
Martin D-18
The D-18 is an icon in the world of acoustic guitars, let alone the Martin catalogue. Names such as Elvis Presley, Paul Simon and Kurt Cobain have all had their hands on the D-18 to be their dreadnought of choice, and you can see and hear why.
While it may not appear to look super flashy, it’s not really what the D-18 is about. As it’s a dreadnought guitar, which is built to sound as good as is humanly possible and for a reasonable price tag, it can achieve that target wholeheartedly. There’s something really beautiful about the simplicity of the D-18 model – you’ll understand if you get the chance to play one.
Design
The Mahogany’s porous structure gives the D18’s its warm sound. Its Sitka spruce top opens up the top end of the D-18, while the mahogany – along with its cavernous body – delivers bags of low-end warmth and roundness. Coupled with a healthy helping of volume, the design of the D-18 has proven its worth and earned a permanent spot in music history.
Sound
Without exaggeration, Martins D-18 is one of the best-sounding acoustic guitars in the world. Not only is it as loud as a full dreadnought, but it’s also still capable of astounding harmonic complexity at the same time.
The D18 has superb mid-range complemented by a balanced bottom end. Its forward scalloped bracing delivers excellent bass with projection that can last for as long as you need it. With all of these characteristics, make D-18 very suitable for band playing.
The D-18 is an icon in the world of acoustic guitars, let alone the Martin catalogue. Names such as Elvis Presley, Paul Simon and Kurt Cobain have all had their hands on the D-18 to be their dreadnought of choice, and you can see and hear why.
While it may not appear to look super flashy, it’s not really what the D-18 is about. As it’s a dreadnought guitar, which is built to sound as good as is humanly possible and for a reasonable price tag, it can achieve that target wholeheartedly. There’s something really beautiful about the simplicity of the D-18 model – you’ll understand if you get the chance to play one.
Conclusion
Even though the woodwork of the Martin D-18 is very similar to that of the 000-18, the D-18 is simply a more classic and vintage model.
The guitar has its Dreadnought build shape, resulting in an even more rich and natural tonality than the 000-18, while the larger body overall produces a tone that may be more favorable for many.
They’re both pretty stunning guitars and hold a lot in common, although if you’re a fan of the chunkier and vintage feel of Dreadnought guitars, then the D-18 may be preferable.
The D-18 is an excellent-sounding acoustic guitar for experienced fingerpickers. Being a full-sized dreadnought, it’s loud enough for most gigs. However, if you’re up to some big-hall performances, then perhaps the D-18E would be a better choice – the electronic acoustic version.