Martin D18 2015 vs 1971

[DanielleOM]

It's been 20 years since I have really played my D18 or any dreadnought.

I was just looking at the specs on a new D18, and I saw a lot that I
thought would appeal to people. (3/4 nut, ebony fret board, forward
shifted bracing on the new models) Really makes me wonder if there
would be any demand at all for 1971 model. Anyone prefer the 1971 model?


Danielle

[j***@my-deja.com]

Post by DanielleOM
It's been 20 years since I have really played my D18 or any dreadnought.
I was just looking at the specs on a new D18, and I saw a lot that I
thought would appeal to people. (3/4 nut, ebony fret board, forward
shifted bracing on the new models) Really makes me wonder if there
would be any demand at all for 1971 model. Anyone prefer the 1971 model?

Way back a friend had a circa-1971 D18 that I really enjoyed playing. It was very lively. The top had a tendency to bubble up a bit under the bridge, nothing serious but it bothered my friend. After sending the guitar back to Martin a couple of times he had a bigger backing plate put in. By me, this completely killed a fun guitar, but my friend was happy. I haven't played a 2015, so I can't make comparisons.

[Tony Done]

Post by DanielleOM
It's been 20 years since I have really played my D18 or any dreadnought.
I was just looking at the specs on a new D18, and I saw a lot that I
thought would appeal to people. (3/4 nut, ebony fret board, forward
shifted bracing on the new models) Really makes me wonder if there
would be any demand at all for 1971 model. Anyone prefer the 1971 model?
Danielle

Dunno, but the new model is also scalloped braced, so my experiences
with Martins tell me I should prefer the plain-braced older one. But
really, because individual Martins vary quite a lot in tone, I would
have to try specific examples side-by-side.

FWIW, from the recordings I've heard, the CEO-7, a Gibson L-00 knockoff,
is an absolute killer, and that is scallop-braced. Maybe I like
scalloped braces on small bodies and plain braces on big ones.