Martin D-18 Reissue

J

JAG

New member
Need some insight. Thanks in advance.

Am considering buying a Martin D-18 (reissue) used. Dont know how old it is but looks in very good shape. SOunds great too. Mars is listing it at $865...but are willing go as low as $675. Heres the deal. The guitar ahs no truss rod. The action is to high for my taste. My question is: Can the action on these things be lowered with out the truss rod? I know they can sand down the bridege saddle, but, is there any other way to lower the action on these? Or are D-18s typically guitars with high action?

Any comments are appreciated.

Gracias.
 
I have three Martins and I've taken them all to a luthier to have the action adjusted. Unless they're in real bad shape they can be taken down. That price sounds cheap for a
D-18.
 
Are you sure?

Have you checked through the soundhole to see if there is no allen screw adjustment? Martins do not have a truss rod access at the nut; the design is reversed and adjustment is made through the soundhole.

If there is no soundhole allen adjustment, it sounds like a pre-1985 instrument, or else something that may be almost a Martin. D-18s of the modern era used square steel tubing as a neck reinforcement until the adjustable rod was phased in over a few years in the early 80s.

Are you sure this isn't a Martin Shenandoah? The price seems low enough to come with a story.

Can you get back to the instrument and write down the serial number, and any identifying information on the label? Look for a six-digit serial number. It can help you date the instrument (within reason).

Does the neck look like it has been reset? Any evidence of disturbance at the neck / body joint? Any evidence of overspray or partial refinishing around that joint, or at the headstock? How about at the bridge? Look for glue or sanding lines where the bridge meets the belly of the guitar. Does it contact well at all points?

In terms of setup, there is no particular reason why a D-18 can't play like butter, unless there is a real problem. As Track Rat said, it is a job for a luthier. But you have me intrigued, because this guitar sounds like it ought to be adjustable, if it is original.
 
Thanks Treeline. I did what you recomemdned.

It has not truss rod. I cheched the inside of the soundhole. There are no apparent discrepacies in the neck body junction. Looks normal. SO does the bridge. The pickguard appears to be a replacement. I can see the outline of the origianl as the replacement is a bit smaller. It (the pickguard) also apperas to have been fashioned out of a larger piece because i can see that the lines are not perfect, in other words, it looks like someone shaped it by hand in certain areas of it.

The tuning heads are grovers.

Inside the sound hole, under the bridge area, on a block of wood is the following: D-18.
Under it is the serial number 274644. I looked it up in the Martin Guitar company site and it says the guitar was made in 1971. ( This is what the store indicates on the Sales Tag).

I have a friend who has a D-18 which he bought in the early 70s. It has no truss rod either.

Hmmmmmmm....Sounds like it might be the real thing? I may just buy it. Am waiting your thougths on this.

Gracias.








[Edited by JAG on 08-18-2000 at 13:22]
 
Well, the serial number is a 1971 in Mike Longworth's history of the company. According to Longworth, this guitar would have been early in the 1971 production line (271633 - 294270). Martin had been using square steel channel tubing since 1966 in its dreadnaughts, so this description checks out in that regard.

Why is the action high? Is there a warp or a twist in the neck, or does the guitar seem to need a neck reset? See if you can get this thing to a luthier for an estimate. It may be one sweet guitar, but I'd be nervous about ownership without getting that question answered first - unless, of course, you are content with the package as it is. Does it have hot car syndrome? (Leave in hot car, come back to slipping glue joints).

How would you feel about the purchase if it needed $300. worth of work, but was basically playable for now without it? To put it another way, if this had a smooth action and a $950 price tag, would you take a pass? Or grab it? Hard call.

Good luck with this one, at any rate! Check out http://www.frets.com for some better advice. There may be something Mr. Frets (AKA Frank Ford) will recognize here.

I'll be doing some R & R at Cape Cod this week - see y'all on the rebound!
 
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