1998 Martin DM Dreadnought Guitar

I've worked on a lot of Martin DMs from the '90s but like to log them into the blog when I can so folks get a clearer picture of these as they're all over the used market. They're stripped-down D-18s, basically, though they have a satin finish, modified x-bracing (what's called "A-frame" bracing) with fewer braces under the hood, and a tenon/bolt-on neck joint.

Because the tops are less-stiff (they basically don't have tonebars in a traditional sense) they always sound pretty "huge" but that also means they tend to develop a pretty good belly around the bridge as they age. This one's no exception.

This was just in for a K&K pickup install and a fret level/dress and setup. Now freshly-serviced, it's playing spot-on and happy once again. Dimensions and specs on these are much like a D-18 -- spruce over mahogany, long (25 3/8") scale length... but with a thin/quick neck and a very lightweight build.