Martin D-18 Authentic 1939 Aged - Thoughts?

[FLTarheel]

I recently purchased a D18A 1939 Aged from Gruhn’s. I played it, was blown away by it’s volume and tone, and did not buy. Kept checking on it and eventually had to have it. Was able to work out a reasonable trade. Yes it is 1 11/16” but the fullness of the neck brings it close to my regular 1 3/4” wheelhouse. With the wear and tear I am confident playing it most anywhere. Loving it!!

[Godfather]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

Brendan,

Actually I have not played the others you mentioned. Incorrectly, I assumed the necks would not be a fit for me.

However, the 1939 Aged is spot on. 1 11/16" with a warn carve that fits my hand like it was made for it.

I can tell you that the Aged 1939 that I played, FELT phenomenal. Very loose, resonant, and for me, no adjustment would have been needed and I like a fairly low saddle and lighter tension in feel. This one just hit the mark - played so easily.

Magic. I am not kidding.

Do not walk...RUN back and snatch it up! If it spoke that loudly to you...buy it, if not, it will haunt you forever.

[Johnkenn]

I have a 2013 D-28 Authentic (non-VTS) that I’ve always considered my forever guitar...but...lol. But, I recently bought a Gibson ‘59 CS J-45 and find myself playing this a ton more than the Martin. Just really gravitate to the smaller neck.

Anyway, I put my 28 up for feelers and have a guy that proposed a trade for one of these aged D-18 aged authentics. Kind of got my attention. Obviously, I’d want to hear it, but I have a feeling my 28 probably “sounds” better...what would you guys do?

[6L6]

OK...

So it's now April 2024 and I have an update since my post several years back.

I eventually bought a wonderful '39 D-18AA and enjoyed it for several years. Then... I walked into Gryphon in 2022 and they had a new '39 D-18A (non aged). I played it and thought it sounded even better than my aged one at home.

So I went home, got my '39 D-18AA, and headed back to Gryphon (just 20 minutes away) for an A/B shootout. The new 2022 D-18A won, no doubt about it.

I bought the new '39 D-18A and sold my '39 D-18AA instantly on my local CL. But the story continues...

The new D-18A sounded fabulous but within a year the action started to rise to the point it became difficult (and painful) to play. I took it back to Gryphon and they agreed the action had gotten out of spec. They contacted Martin and the company agreed.

A neck reset was performed by Gryphon, Martin covered the cost, and I went home 6 days later a happy customer again. But the story continues...

The action has become too high again and the guitar is difficult to play! I should have mentioned my guitars are all strung with PB Light gauge strings.

As of today the guitar is back in the shop at Gryphon for observation and possible repair. Bummer...

Where I live has perfect relative humidity for guitars year around. No issue there. And my other acoustics have zero issues and don't "move' at all during the year.

I'll let you know what Gryphon comes up with. But do understand I am not alone with these kind of problems with Authentics. If you're going to buy one, keep your eyes wide open. They do sound fabulous, but it could be a rocky road ahead.

[martingitdave]

Besides the neck shape being a bit funky for me, I did have one of the ‘37 D-28s move around on me despite best practices. All of the authentics I owned struggled with buzzing in the Winter. Without an adjustable rod, I couldn’t keep the neck relief static with the crazy swings in humidity in Chicago. It’s like a full time job and you need to keep them cased for 23.75 hours a day. lol

I think when you build them that lightly, and depending on the specific cut of wood, it’s a real risk. I no longer have an authentic. I did buy two custom Martins with excellent necks along with GE bracing and premium VTS Adirondack tops. I won’t spend much time comparing them to authentics. I would get consumed by the nuances. They just can’t sound quite as “open.” But, I will say my GE braced guitars are rock solid and the one I’ve had the longest hasn’t moved an iota for 10 years.

[Br1ck]

Bummer, Bill, as I'd expect the 39 to be the one Authentic I'd go for. But when I played one of yours a few years back, I just thought it sounded too rich. Go figure. The 1 3/4 nut width Authentics just don't work for me. But I climbed into bed with my Santa Cruz.

[zoopeda]

Killer sounding guitars. Best modern Martin D-18 imo. I owned one for years. Super light build makes that sound but has also led to reports this model may move in the direction of needing a neck reset sooner than other authentics. Don’t know exactly whether or to what extent that is true, but if you find one that’s several years old that sounds and plays great, it’s an incredible guitar. I will say though that like bill, mine moved quite a bit in three years. Would have needed a neck reset if I’d kept it another year I bet.

[sinistral]

So far my D-18A 1937 has been rock solid, but it has only been a little over a year since it was built. It is an absolute monster of a guitar. I have two PWGC Ds that sound “older,” but the D-18 has more headroom. If I had known for certain that Martin would come out with an aged version a year later, I would’ve waited. I think the aged Authentics are some of the finest guitars being made in the category (i.e., guitars designed to capture a vintage tone and feel).

[Fireside_Guitar]

Originally Posted by 6L6

OK...

So it's now April 2024 and I have an update since my post several years back.

I eventually bought a wonderful '39 D-18AA and enjoyed it for several years. Then... I walked into Gryphon in 2022 and they had a new '39 D-18A (non aged). I played it and thought it sounded even better than my aged one at home.

So I went home, got my '39 D-18AA, and headed back to Gryphon (just 20 minutes away) for an A/B shootout. The new 2022 D-18A won, no doubt about it.

I bought the new '39 D-18A and sold my '39 D-18AA instantly on my local CL. But the story continues...

The new D-18A sounded fabulous but within a year the action started to rise to the point it became difficult (and painful) to play. I took it back to Gryphon and they agreed the action had gotten out of spec. They contacted Martin and the company agreed.

A neck reset was performed by Gryphon, Martin covered the cost, and I went home 6 days later a happy customer again. But the story continues...

The action has become too high again and the guitar is difficult to play! I should have mentioned my guitars are all strung with PB Light gauge strings.

As of today the guitar is back in the shop at Gryphon for observation and possible repair. Bummer...

Where I live has perfect relative humidity for guitars year around. No issue there. And my other acoustics have zero issues and don't "move' at all during the year.

I'll let you know what Gryphon comes up with. But do understand I am not alone with these kind of problems with Authentics. If you're going to buy one, keep your eyes wide open. They do sound fabulous, but it could be a rocky road ahead.

Hope it all works out for you sooner than later. That’s a hassle to deal with for a guitar that’s so new.

The only problem I’ve had so far with my 39 D-18AA was not much of a problem in the end. Last winter a couple of my guitars where playing terrible with with string buzz and bad action. I was trying to sell a Guild D-40 and the buyer and myself were trying get it playing better with truss rod adjustment etc to no avail. The deal fell through because of the poor action so I sent the guitar in for a setup and the Guild was playing fine again. How this relates to the 39 D-18AA is I put the Guild in its case and kinda forgot about it for a while.

One day while playing the D-18 the action and buzzing were so hideous it was unplayable. I took the guitar to the store where I purchased it new from and was convinced it probably needed a neck reset. When the tech finally got in touch with me he said it was because the guitar was dehydrated and needed to be rehydrated before further evaluation. In a few weeks he got back to me and said D-18 was pretty much back to normal just from rehydration and he would keep it another week just to make sure everything was alright. When I got the guitar back it was perfectly normal with no work done except the rehydration.

Where things went wrong in my case is my hygrometer was reading wayyyyyy off. My place is susceptible to big humidity swings very quickly especially winter and spring. My humidifier was always ready to roll on when needed but I wasn’t super anal about it until low 30’s. Because the hygrometer was so far out it was often in the 20’s and I didn’t know so wasn’t humidifying when I should have. I upgraded my hygrometers and humidifier last fall and had zero problems with dry guitars this winter. D-18AA playing great all winter and spring.

Secondly I probably could have avoided the D-18AA dry situation if the tech who worked on my Guild D-40 had let me know the reason it was playing so crappy was it was dehydrated. I blame myself for the situation of the dry guitars but he should have let me know the Guild was thirsty and this was a problem that needed addressing immediately. Because of this I just kept on keeping doing what I was doing which was not a good thing.

Even though this isn’t what’s wrong with your 39 D-18A I hope it helps someone who might be in a similar situation and is able to avoid it. It was not good for two out of three of my guitars. I was mostly playing the old Gibson J-50 during the dry period and it was almost completely unaffected by the whole experience.

I look forward to your update post and hope it’s good news

[richnrbq]

Just as another data point, I have 2007 '37 D-18 Authentic that is a fabulous guitar. I get what people say about it being almost too rich and it is indeed a room filler. I did an acoustic gig with it last summer at a cafe with no PA and the guitar was more than enough in that setting. The trebles are as perfect as any guitar I've played and this one works well finger picked or heavily strummed. Because of its big voice, it wouldn't be my only guitar. I have a Collings OM1T, a Santa Cruz OM and a slope shoulder Vintage Southerner. The D-18A is a perfect complement in this group.

I was leery of buying a guitar without an adjustable truss rod and my guitar tech warned against it. I live in Philly where the humidity and temperature swings are wide in each season. But this guitar has been rock solid so far, no issues. It plays beautifully. Just wanted to give another data point. If you are interested in the Authentics, it may pay to find an older used one that has proven itself to be stable.

[Fireside_Guitar]

I like AGF