Click to enlarge Free Shipping

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

View all 9 images »

Vintage looks, Modern Playability, Luscious Sound

The Martin D-18E Retro Acoustic/Electric Guitar seduces you with its potent allure. 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 canon, and records beautifully - the ultimate D-18? For many of us Martin fanciers here at Sweetwater, the Martin D-18E Retro is just that.



Martin D-18E Retro Acoustic/Electric Guitar at a Glance:

• Martin's Retro Series - your ticket to an ideal blend of vintage and modern
  
• Classic, "just right" Martin tone
  
• The choice of session guitarists for decades
  
• Part of modern music's history

Martin's Retro Series - your ticket to an ideal blend of vintage and modern
For the Retro Series Martin went back to basics, selecting a handful of golden-era Martins from the Martin Museum for extreme analysis. The objective? To see how these iconic, incredible-sounding instruments could be improved - if at all. 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 capture the sonic essence of the classic instruments using vintage mics, essentially "bottling" the sound, so when you plug in your D-18E Retro, you get the unmistakable sonics of a golden-era D-18.

Classic, "just right" Martin tone
The Martin D-18E Retro is a tone-meister. Ask anyone who knows their bluegrass (or just about any other genre) why the Martin D-18 is a top choice for serious performers. It's because the D-18's iconic tone sits "just right" in the mix, cutting through and holding its own without infringing on other instruments. Whether you're playing solo, or jamming with others, your D-18's rich tone is always perfect. In a full band setting, you'll always be heard - without fighting the vocals or interfering with the bass player.

The choice of session guitarists for decades
The Martin D-18E Retro's ideal tonality is just as useful in the studio as it is onstage. Just ask any recording engineer that's been in the business for a couple decades: the D-18 has an uncanny ability to set itself into any mix nicely, with a minimum of processing. Sure, that jumbo-body rosewood guitar looks great, but you'll be rolling off low frequencies and carefully adjusting compressors to prevent it from getting too boomy or indistinct in the final mix. Just grab your Martin D-18E Retro, point your favorite small-diaphragm condenser mic at the 12th fret, and you've got a gorgeous acoustic guitar sound that practically mixes itself.

Part of modern music's history
You've already heard the sweet sound of the Martin D-18 more times than you probably realize. That's because it was the choice guitar of legends such as Clarence White, Elvis Presley, and many more. Even Andy Griffith played one on The Andy Griffith Show. The Martin D-18 is a perfect example of an instrument that became iconic purely based on its tone and craftsmanship. So when you pick up your Martin D-18E Retro, you're holding more than a guitar - you've got a legend in your hands.

Martin D-18E Retro Acoustic/Electric Guitar Features:

• Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint Construction
  
• Solid Sitka spruce top; Polished Gloss finish with aging toner
  
• Style 18 rosette
  
• Standard X-scalloped, forward shifted top bracing pattern
  
• Solid Sitka spruce 5/16" top braces
  
• Solid Mahogany back and sides, polished gloss finish
  
• Select Hardwood neck; Satin finish; modified Low-Oval profile with Performing Artist taper
  
• Old Style 18 back purfling
  
• Tortoise color endpiece, binding, and heelcap
  
• Multiple black/white Boltaron top inlay
  
• Bone nut; solid/square-taper headstock; solid East Indian rosewood headplate
  
• Solid Black ebony fingerboard with 20 frets; 14 Frets Clear
  
• 25.4" scale length; 1-3/4" fingerboard width at nut, 2-1/8" at 12th fret
  
• Old Style 18 green abalone fingerboard position inlays
  
• Solid Black Ebony bridge, 1930s-style belly with drop-in saddle
  
• 16"-radius compensated white Tusq saddle, 2-3/16" bridge string spacing
  
• Black with white dot bridge/end pins
  
• Nickel open-geared tuning machines with Butterbean knobs
  
• Delmar Tortoise color pickguard
  
• Martin Studio Performance Lifespan Phosphor Bronze medium gauge strings (MSP7200)
  
• Fishman F1 Aura Plus Electronics
  
• 445 Hardshell case included

The Martin D-18E Retro gives you the best of vintage and modern!

Specification Detail Number of Strings 6 Body Style/Shape Dreadnought Left-/Right-handed Right-handed Color Natural Finish Gloss Top Wood Spruce Back & Sides Wood Mahogany Body Bracing X Scalloped Neck Wood Select hardwood Fingerboard Material Ebony Fingerboard Inlay Old Style 18 green abalone Binding Tortoise-colored Neck Shape modified Low-Oval profile with Performing Artist taper Number of Frets 20 Scale Length 25.4" Tuning Machines Nickel open-geared, with Butterbean Knobs Bridge Material Ebony Nut/Saddle Material Bone Nut Width 1.75" Body Length 20" Body Width 15-5/8" Body Depth 4-7/8" Overall Length 40-1/2" Electronics Fishman F1 Aura Plus Case Included Hardshell case Manufacturer Part Number D18E RETRO

Recommended Accessories