Martin d18 or d28 (same old argument i know)

[rmyAddison]

Originally Posted by Michael-Robert

To my ear, the 18 is for strumming, the 28 for playing leads. They're so close in sound, though, both are just exquisite in every way.

So, if I was Tony Rice I would play the 28, but if I was Gordon Lightfoot I would play the 18.


The 18 may be just a hair more well-rounded in terms of the so called range that an instrument can give you, but the note separation that the 28 provides is just a shade better, IMO, and that's going to be preferred by flat-picking wannabe Doc Watsons.

No offense, but everything you just said is exactly the opposite of my experience as a 45 year player and multi Martin fan and owner, and what people say in general.

In bluegrass bands with two Martin guitars the D-28 gets rhythm duty and the D-18 plays lead. 28's do not have better note separation, they have more harmonics/overtones, 18's are more fundamental and have better separation. These are pretty much givens as the differences between mahogany and rosewood, never heard the reverse argued.


As far as lower tunings, that is more a function of setup than tone woods.

[riverrummed]

I personally much prefer mahogany guitars to accompany the human voice but I do know that Joni Mitchell had one great voice in her day, and she did a lot of alternate tunings. She played a D-28 and it sounded great.

[kydave]

Originally Posted by lone eskimo

Funny how we all hear things! I always thought in bluegrass that the D-28 was used for rhythm because of the Rosewood body and the natural lush reverb that wood offers- and that the D-18 was used for lead lines due to its Mahogany body and the dry direct woody sound that wood has...

On the other hand-I have owned a D-28 for 37 years (original owner) and I have found that it can handle just about anything extremely well.. the same is probably true for the 18's- and though I've never owned one I have had a couple of nice Mahogany dreads including a 70's Guild D-40C that also does everything pretty nicely..

Hard to go wrong with those 2 Martin models- they have long been among the best benchmarks for their style...

The Duncan pickup should do well but you might want to bump up a notch when your funds allow- especially if you play out a lot..


Mike

Ditto to pretty much everything Mike said... Original owner for 42 years for me, and I have owned a D-18 (1964)...

I'd add that friends don't let friends use soundhole pickups.

[DesertTwang]

Reading through these comments and suggestions makes one realize how differently everybody hears different instruments. For every single statement that's been made in this thread, you will find another person who will vehemently oppose that statement.

What this tells you is that you have to listen for yourself. No, really. There is no way for you to decide based on what people think about how a guitar sounds to them.

Also, try the Martin SWDGT (sustainable cherry) if you have a chance. It is a very loud and powerful guitar that to my ears falls somewhere between a D-18 and D-28, at a much lower price. I shunned the D-18, the D-28 and the HD-28 in favor of the SWDGT, even though I could have afforded any of them at the time.

Do yourself a favor and try for yourself. Good luck!

[DesertTwang]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

These are pretty much givens as the differences between mahogany and rosewood, never heard the reverse argued.

Well, I think I would be the first then. At least the way I understand "note separation," I'd say it's exactly that what sets rosewood guitars apart from mahogany. A rosewood guitar sounds like a piano to me, while a mahogany seems to blend the notes into each other more. I love both.

[Glennwillow]

Hi Harry,

You can see by the varying opinions here that you are not going to get any consensus on what you should do. From my viewpoint, I'd say that it's very important that you tune the guitars down to where you are going to play them and see what they sound like. If the store owner won't let you do this, call around and find a different store. And then when you are done, return the guitars to the original tuning as a courtesy to other players after you.

I tend to think either the D-18 or the D-28 can be made to work with a low C tuning, but you need to know for yourself before investing your money.

- Glenn

[Tony Burns]

To my ears the D-28 is brighter and the D-18 is a bit mellower -Personnally Id get the 2012 or newer D-18 ( ebony bridge and fingerboard )

[OrvilleGibson]

Here's what got me choosing the 2012 (newer) Martin D18.

Open back tuners, delmar pickguard, no wings on the headstock.

Course, not sure if I just got lucky with the no wings.

And, although the D28 had a more powerful sound, it was not as multi dimensional as the D18, course that could have been the strings coming into play.

The newer D18 seemed MUCH lighter than the D28 as well, course the D28 had been on the wall and had much shop wear.

Not sure if the newer D28's are lighter.

My new D18 is really as light as a feather,

Orville

Almost forgot, and the 1 3/4 inch bone nut came into play as well I think the saddle is still Corian though, After checking, looks like it comes with a nut saddle as well -

[BoneDigger]

I can't really vouch for which is better at open tunings. But, to add just one more voice here, I have a D28 standard and a BR140A which is pretty dang close to a D18. The D28 is awesome for strumming and pretty good for picking. The D18 is awesome for picking and pretty good for strumming. When I record I usually lay down rhythm with the D28 and add lead with the BR140A.

FWIW, the D28 is an exceptional guitar. The straight bracing and tonewoods create just about the perfect mix for me. The HD28 and other variants are nice, but I'll be hanging onto my D28!

I love the raw sound of the D18 as well, and I can't imagine being without a hog dread.

Really, you have to try them out and when that one guitar calls your name, get it.

Todd