C.F. Martin D-18, 1944

Dream guitar

The Martin D-18 offered here is able to fulfill even the most demanding wishes of guitar enthusiasts in several respects:

• A genuine pre-war Martin D-18, built in 1944, it still has all the appropriate features, e.g. scalloped bracing.
• Technically in top condition: anything that was damaged has been professionally repaired. No maintenance backlog, newly refretted, easy to play.
• Vintage vibe: original parts. Genuine patina. Comforting, warm sound.

About the model

Martin’s D-18 is considered an icon of the acoustic guitar world. At the beginning of the 20th century, the C.F. Martin company introduced the Dreadnought, the largest acoustic guitar ever made. Since then, this design has become the most popular among steel strings. When the instrument offered here was built, in 1944, the model variant

with the body-to-neck joint at the 14th fret was just ten years old. The D-18 model has been built by Martin without interruption to this day, now in several variations, but always based on the original model as shown here.

Sound characteristics

In terms of sound, this D-18 enchants with its inimitable charm, just as you would expect from a genuine vintage D-18! Despite its light weight, which is immediately noticeable when you pick it up, it surprises with a solid clarity, and every note and every chord rings with that comforting warmth that only a gracefully aged Adirondack spruce top on a mahogany body can produce. At the same time, it delights with a balance across the entire fingerboard that is rarely found even in the highest quality new boutique guitars.

Condition and playability

This is the real deal! Nothing here is artificially aged, all traces of play and use are genuine. They make this musical instrument a true contemporary witness of over eight (!) decades.

Of the tens of thousands of D-18s that have been built to date, those from the 1940s are relatively rarely offered for sale. Fortunately, the guitar shown here had previous owners who always appreciated its value and had it lovingly maintained.

In 2018 this D-18 got new frets in my workshop. As it has only been played a little since then, the fretwork is practically as good as new. The fingerboard was levelled while retaining its radius and is perfectly playable up to the highest frets – no hump at the 14th fret, no drop in the fingerboard towards the sound hole. After consultation with the owner, we had decided to refret the guitar without a neck reset. Even without the adjustable truss rod first introduced by Martin in the 1970s, the neck has the perfect minimal concave curvature in the longitudinal direction under string tension – a postage stamp fits in between, or max. two. The bridge saddle still protrudes more than 1 mm from the bridge, and the string action is 1.5 mm for the E1st and 2.5 mm for the E6th.

Crack repairs had been professionally carried out on the sides and one on the top long before. I added an internal side cleat to stabilize one crack in 2018. The only crack in the top, which had been repaired by inserting a fine spruce strip into the top in earlier years, was reglued by me in 2025, cleated and painted over with nitrocellulose lacquer as original. The entire body must have been relacquered many years ago, as evidenced by three older crack repairs in the ribs underneath the surface. The pickguard was probably replaced in this context. Normal signs of use also make the more recent varnish look old.

The tuners appear to be original and work perfectly. The neck profile is a typical vintage V. The case should also be original and is in good condition for its age, just very used.

The guitar is currently strung with Martin Lifespan 80/20 bronze strings 12-54. The neck and top would also allow a string gauges between 10 and 13 (47-56 for E6th respectively).

Purchase

You get one year warranty from purchase. VAT is not deductable.
If you are interested, please contact me via the contact form.
Worldwide shipping possible.