Anyone have any thoughts or experience on this? I thought for sure that all 18s were mahogany guitars with rosewood fingerboards. I came across one that really intrigued me because it's got ebony for the fingerboard and east indian rosewood for the back and sides. This one has hybrid scalloped bracing too.... I think I'm gonna go check it out but wondered if anyone else has heard of this...thanks!
Happy reading ... http://home.provide.net/~cfh/style18.html In short, 18's before 1917 had rosewood back and sides. These earlier models were designed for gut strings. All mahogany from 1917 on. Many "special" contemporary 18's, like my D-18GE have ebony fretboard and bridge, as does my custom OM-18.
New 2012 D18's have upgraded ebony fingerboards and bridges now along with forward shifted scalloped bracing.
Nice upgrades indeed, and the price is right at 60-70% of MAP. When I hear "Martin D18", I'm thinking Hog all the way. Down the road, I would love to have a Martin D18 to compliment my Martin 000 Rosewood/Sitka and the new 2012 Martin D18 certainly has my attention right now. It's interesting to note that the 2012 OM21's (another Martin I've had my eye on) have seen similar "upgrades" this year as well. If your gassing for a new Martin D18 at a reasonable price, don't look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpyO9_K_Qvg I warned you.
Guitar Center has had few D18's come through with rosewood don't know if they are a special run are not but they are out there. I actually played one last week it had a very nice sound a lot mellower than a D28 but to me the best D18 is still the golden era. Also was told that staring sometime this year all D18 will have the performing artist neck on them 1 3/4 nut but a thinner profile.
Martin has not made a rosewood guitar in the 18 series since the first world war. Read the link I posted earlier in the thread.
From the introduction of the D models the D-1 (not to be confused with the more recent budget line) was mahogany and the D-2 was rosewood. Since before that time the 1 has always signified mahogandy and the 2 RW. But as with Martins 000, OM and S confusion something got distorted along the way with the D-16R and the D-15 models w. sitka top.
