I have been looking at a J-35 for under $1400 new. It is very nice sounding and playing guitar.
If I could only have one guitar, I would choose the D-18. However it is definitely a Martin and sounds like it. The J-35 is different, and since I have a nice Martin Dread, I'd take the J-35, or hold out for a J-45.

I love some of the Gibsons out there, but out of those two I have to stick to that Martin tone personally.

Well, I could have either and chose the Gibson.

That's it!

I chose D-18 because I already have a Gibby

I think the Martin would be easier to sell! I probably wouldn't want to play either one for long, but the D-18 is a time-honored model for a really good reason - they sound GREAT! Gibson just "brought back" the J-35, and it doesn't do much for me at all...

Plus, the odds are significantly more in favor of the Martin actually SOUNDING good; in my experience, Gibsons are a great deal "spottier" when it comes to any sort of piece-to-piece consistency.

Interesting! My experience is entirely different. I've been playing tons of Martins and I'm really frustrated in the variability (of mostly the D-28 variants). I played a half a dozen J-35s and while a third were ho-hum (but not terrible), two thirds were strong contenders, and one third were winners. The one I took home is stunning. I cannot say that Martins fare any better.

That said, there is an HD-28 that haunts me. And that's after playing a half a dozen copies that convinced me that this model is nothing special.

There are winners and losers in every line and my guess is that there wouldn't necessarily be agreement on which those are!

I would play both guitars and buy the one that sounded the best.:D

I have had the pleasure to play both of these wonderful instruments. After playing both I gravitate to the Martin D-18. I just love the feel and can hear the sound I want come out of the D-18 since I am a Bluegrass guy. The GibsonJ-35 was nice and fun to play but did not give me the sound that I was looking for. The Martin D-18 did. It all comes down to you ear and style and how comfortable the guitar feel to you. I could not tell you to buy this one over the other. It is a personal choice and is strickly left to the buyer to decide which is the right guitar for them. All that I will say is that both brands and models speciified are good quality guitars.

sorry whoop's!

played neither, but I liked the Martin tone better than Gibson

If you've play niether, how would you know that the Martin tone is better?

If I was complimenting my current stable, the Gibson would get some serious consideration. If it was going to be my one and only....the D18.

New Martin D-18 vs New Gibson J-35
 

My sentiments exactly! :p

Glen