For Sale: 1969 Martin D-18

[forrestoconnor]

Up for sale is a very nice 1969 Martin D-18! Here’s the demo video:

https://youtu.be/bmOzam88YuI

This 45 year-old D-18 is a great example of a late ‘60s mahogany dreadnought, with considerable volume and responsiveness. It is an excellent flatpicker. Moreover, all components are original (tuners, bridge, bridgeplate) with the exception of the saddle and the frets (see below). The fingerboard, headstock veneer, and bridge are all Brazilian Rosewood; as many of you probably know, ‘69 was the final year Martin used Brazilian on their guitars, switching to Indian Rosewood in 1970.

I recently had luthier Dave Johnson here in Nashville perform a compression refret, so the neck is as straight as an arrow and the playability is super comfortable. Dave also added a bridgeplate saver (very non-invasive), glued a top crack, reglued the bridge, compensated the bone saddle, and installed a new oversized endpin (a pickup had previously been installed). This D-18 has had a neck reset at some point in the past, although I’m not sure when. A pickguard crack has been cleated. There is quite a bit of lacquer checking, especially on the back (see photos). One of these check marks looks like a crack, but Dave poured a small amount of naphtha on it and it didn’t go through the wood, so it is indeed simply a pronounced bit of checking.

Asking $3,800 plus shipping for this great old D-18! Comes in original black hardshell case.