1974 Martin D-18 Dreadnought Guitar
Another day, another D-18! I joke, but sometimes it feels like that. Once these '70s Martins are gone-through, however, one can't just throw-out the lame catch-phrase of "oh, but it's a '70s Martin" when you pick it up and play it. Why? Because when they're playing on-spec, they sound like many of the '60s D-18s that came before them -- they're clean, clear, velvety in the mids, and have that braying twung sound on the low-end that speaks to a million bass runs in a zillion old albums.
They're different, though, in that the neck feels ever-so-slightly heavier from the Grover Rotomatic tuners and squared reinforcement rod, the fretboards are ever-so-slightly flatter in their radius, and they like just a bit more right-hand heft to get them to sing-out.
This one was pretty clean and all-original when it came in (via consignment) save that its pickguard was warped-up, one bridge pin was shot, and one of the tuners had been switched with an odd-duck replacement. There's signs of use but the only crack on the instrument is a 1" hairline that's sealed and repaired near the endblock on the side.
My work included a neck reset, fret level/dress, a replacement old Grover tuner (not the same type, but closer), new pickguard, new bone saddle, light cleaning, and a good setup. It's playing on-the-dot, now, and strung with standard 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12 gauges.
Specs are: 25 3/8" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, 1 1/2" string spacing at the nut, 2 1/8" spacing at the bridge, 15 3/4" lower bout, 11 3/8" upper bout, and 4 7/8" side depth at the endblock. The neck is a medium-sized C/V shape with a flattish-radiused board around 14-16" or so. Action is 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret. The neck deflects only a hair above 1/64" tuned to pitch.
Woods are: solid spruce top, solid mahogany back, sides, and neck, and rosewood fretboard, bridge, and headstock veneer. The nut is synthetic but the saddle is bone. The pins are all plastic.
This one was pretty clean and all-original when it came in (via consignment) save that its pickguard was warped-up, one bridge pin was shot, and one of the tuners had been switched with an odd-duck replacement. There's signs of use but the only crack on the instrument is a 1" hairline that's sealed and repaired near the endblock on the side.
My work included a neck reset, fret level/dress, a replacement old Grover tuner (not the same type, but closer), new pickguard, new bone saddle, light cleaning, and a good setup. It's playing on-the-dot, now, and strung with standard 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12 gauges.
Specs are: 25 3/8" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, 1 1/2" string spacing at the nut, 2 1/8" spacing at the bridge, 15 3/4" lower bout, 11 3/8" upper bout, and 4 7/8" side depth at the endblock. The neck is a medium-sized C/V shape with a flattish-radiused board around 14-16" or so. Action is 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret. The neck deflects only a hair above 1/64" tuned to pitch.
Woods are: solid spruce top, solid mahogany back, sides, and neck, and rosewood fretboard, bridge, and headstock veneer. The nut is synthetic but the saddle is bone. The pins are all plastic.
The new pickguard is a hair oversize.
The mahogany on the back looks nice in the sun, huh? The finish is in good shape but it does show use-wear and minor scuffs and scratches throughout.
The high-E tuner is a replacement Grover unit and you can see that it has the "offset" screw post. It was the closest I had on hand and works the same and shares the same, bigger, roundish '70s button-style.
Here's that tiny little repaired hairline crack near the endblock on the side.
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