A Faithful Re-creation of a Classic Martin
For their Retro series, Martin selected a handful of prime specimens from the Martin Museum and analyzed them, looking for ways they could be improved while retaining the essence of their vintage goodness. The result is a distinctly vintage-looking D-18 with a smooth-playing high-performance neck and superb Fishman F1 Aura Plus electronics. A dreadnought that plays like butter, projects like a cannon, and records beautifully — the ultimate D-18? For many of us Martin fanciers here at Sweetwater, the D-18E Retro is just that.
To the D-18's classic Sitka spruce top and mahogany back and sides, Martin added a new, sleeker-profile neck with a Modified Low Oval profile and Performing Artist taper. Martin also tapped the talent of Larry Fishman — the legendary acoustic guitar pickup designer — to outfit the D-18E Retro with a Aura VT Enhance pickup system. So when you plug in your D-18E Retro, you get the unmistakable sonics of a golden-era D-18.
Related Videos: D-18E Retro - Natural
Everything old is new again!
A quick, casual glance at any member of the Retro series, and you'd think you were looking at an extremely well-preserved vintage Martin, not unlike some of the guitars that fill the Martin Guitar Museum: the tops are finished with aged toner, the appointments echo the classic stylings of 1930s- and 1940s-era Martins, and the body styles are among the most revered in all the guitar world. Even on the inside, these Martins exude vintage, boasting forward-shifted scalloped braces just like they used to.
But Martin wasn't content to simply reissue these legendary instruments, instead equipping the Retro series with Fishman F1 Aura for incredibly authentic onstage amplification and a reshaped neck to give players a fluid, comfortable playing experience.
Vintage tones, plugged
That's a rundown of the "retro" side of the Retro Series, so let's take a look at what Martin tweaked to meet the demands of today's player. The first time you pick up a Retro Series, you'll notice the neck. It's slimmer, more comfortable, and built for incredible playability. Martin equipped these beauties with the Modified Low Oval profile with a Performing Artist neck taper, giving you a comfy feel that is equally suited for rhythm playing or higher-fret runs. Whether you're onstage or in your living room, you'll love the way you can effortlessly cruise up and down the neck. Acoustic players will find it familiar, but electric players will be right at home on it, as well.
But the neck isn't the only thing drawing from modern inspirations. Fishman is just as much a leader in acoustic amplification as Martin is in guitar manufacturing. Martin has spec'd Fishman's Aura VT Enhance electronics system for this D-18E Retro to give it a natural and expressive voice when performing live through an amp or PA system. The Aura preamps have been favorites of Sweetwater guitarists for years. But VT Enhance raises the bar by using discreet soundhole-mounted controls for the pickup's volume and tone. You can rest easy knowing that the natural sound of your D-18E Retro will come through the speakers loud and clear.
Martin-standard dovetail neck joint
Like the originals, the Retro Series guitars come standard with the classic dovetail neck joint. Lightweight and sturdy, the dovetail joint is the go-to construction methodology for Martin guitars, as the area of direct wood-to-wood contact is increased. The thinking is that the increased contact provides better tonal transfer between the neck and body. Martin has done it like this forever, and there's no reason to fix what's not broken.
The mechanics of the standard dovetail neck joint dictate that merely fitting the neck to the body and stringing up the guitar should provide more than enough strength to hold the neck to the body. But to make sure every Retro Series Martin (or any other Martin for that matter) is built to last a lifetime, the neck joints are thoroughly glued for maximum structural integrity.
