I have a D18 Retro and it's my main performing guitar these days. As for becoming obsolete I really don't see it. Compared to my 1996 Guild F47ce that still sounds great (as good as it did 17 years ago).
I believe the D18's plugged in sound will still be comparable to any of the other pickups that are in other guitars from these days. For me the F1 Aura blend is easy to setup in a variety of stage settings. And with all my other guitars and thier pickups I still get the best sound with a mic added to the mix.
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