Martin D18: Cutaway?

parasko · #1 12-03-2020, 03:48 AM

Hi everyone,

I have some newbie type questions.

I have a Martin D16 GT which I bought in 2008. It is the only guitar I’ve ever owned and I’m now considering a step up to a D18. I am in Australia and I’m a lefty so I have to order the D18 from Martin as they don’t exist in store and hard to find pre-owned. Questions:

1. I’m considering a cutaway on the D18. Apart from the sacrilege in doing this to a D18, how will this impact the tone of a guitar like a D18?

I do find myself wanting a cutaway when I’m playing. Would I be compromising on the tone of the guitar in order to achieve this?

This is a very expensive venture for me so any advice would be much appreciated.

llew · #2 12-03-2020, 07:27 AM

I don't think you'd lose anything tone wise with the cutaway. Martin did recently build (now discontinued I believe?) a D-18 and HD-28 with a cutaway and electronics. Seems you can't get one without the other? Well...unless you go custom shop. A nice used version of the D-18 cutaway should be available used somewhere?
A fellow AGF'er, Gary Roberts, has both the 18 and 28 and is a fine player. Maybe he will chime in on this thread.

Groberts · #3 12-04-2020, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llew

I don't think you'd lose anything tone wise with the cutaway. Martin did recently build (now discontinued I believe?) a D-18 and HD-28 with a cutaway and electronics. Seems you can't get one without the other? Well...unless you go custom shop. A nice used version of the D-18 cutaway should be available used somewhere?
A fellow AGF'er, Gary Roberts, has both the 18 and 28 and is a fine player. Maybe he will chime in on this thread.

Hi Parasko,

I have a Martin DC-18E (Cutaway D-18 w/Baggs Anthem) and Martin HDC-28E (Cutaway HD-28 with Baggs Anthem)

Both guitars are great acoustically. I mostly play them at gigs when I am amplified and they are spectacular. I think its important to choose the right 'tool for the job'. I solo above the 14 fret on the fingerboard a lot and cutaways are simply the right tool for my needs. I've spoken with a few respected luthiers who say the area of the cutaway is the area that least affects the tone of the guitar. If there is a difference I don't know if you could attribute that to the cutaway or to variances from one guitar to the next.

Absolutely get a Martin Cutaway ...it will be exceptional!

SalFromChatham · #4 12-04-2020, 05:17 PM

If you have doubts watch and listen to Groberts videos. You won’t have doubts afterwards.

Groberts · #5 12-05-2020, 11:19 PM

Here is a video I made today. Maybe not my best tonal representation, but hopefully it is helpful.

Martin HDC-28E Cutaway
Martin DC-18E Cutaway

caperrob · #6 12-06-2020, 08:06 AM

I'm sure lots of players here can relate to this question. Have you ever gone to a guitar store and tested a guitar and it was that good, it is stuck in your mind long after you played it?

That is the impression the DC-18E had on me.

It was amazing.

The Bard Rocks · #7 12-06-2020, 08:15 AM

They are right that you should not have to give up much if anything in tone with a cutaway. Here's a simple experiment to demonstrate: with your knuckles, gently tap on different spots on your guitar. You will quickly see the upper bout is far less resonant than the rest of the body.

I don't like cutaways and won't have one. I don't need them either. And for years was convinced they just had to hurt the sound. It was only reasonable to expect this, so I thought. With time, I was forced to admit that it did not sound a bit different to me whether a guitar had one or not.

Misifus · #8 12-06-2020, 09:50 AM

This (cutaway) is one of those things that you can say “might” affect your tone. Like a number of other factors, I believe you would not be able to discern any loss at all.

parasko · #9 12-12-2020, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groberts

Here is a video I made today. Maybe not my best tonal representation, but hopefully it is helpful.

Martin HDC-28E Cutaway
Martin DC-18E Cutaway

Those Martins sound amazing!!!

Thanks to you and everyone else for the advice. Much appreciated! I’m going to place an order with Martin this week.

TDavis · #10 12-12-2020, 06:53 AM

It’s funny...but I think maybe it’s more about aesthetics than tonality, especially after hearing Gary Roberts’ videos (great playing BTW) and hearing his two cutaway Martins. I do certainly understand how a cutaway would allow a player whose style of playing leads him into the upper frets to do that more easily & comfortably.

I prefer symmetrically shaped guitar bodies, personally. But it’s weird...I am so used to seeing cutaways on most Taylor guitars, that to my eyes one without a cutaway looks odd at first glance. In the same way, I’m so used to the symmetry of most Martin guitars, that to see one with a cutaway feature looks different to me. Nothing wrong with either...I guess its a matter of familiarity.

Puddleglum · #11 12-12-2020, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llew

I don't think you'd lose anything tone wise with the cutaway. Martin did recently build (now discontinued I believe?) a D-18 and HD-28 with a cutaway and electronics. Seems you can't get one without the other?

I like cutaway guitars but do not like built-in electronics. For some reason it seems that with almost every maker, cutaway guitars and electronics go together, and I've often wondered why this is. I think Eastman builds one sans electronics in its lower-end PCH models, but that's about it as far as I can tell.