Vintage Martin D-18 Guitar Comparison with Courtney Hartman

Acclaimed flatpicker Courtney Hartman performs John Hartford's "Homer the Roamer" on three vintage Martin guitars: A shadetop 1937 Martin D-18, a 1941 Martin D-18 and a 1938 Martin D-18.

The 1937 D-18 has a shaded dark top, Adirondack top and mahogany back and sides. Forward X-scalloped bracing, 1 3/4" nut, and wider string spacing at the bridge.

The 1941 D-18 has the rear-shifted, scalloped X-bracing and a "popsicle" brace in its upper bout. (In 1939, as more people were playing with flatpicks, Martin narrowed the neck and string spacing. The nut was slightly narrowed to 1 11/16ths, as on this guitar.)

Lastly, the 1938 D-18 is similar to the '37 but with a natural top and rear shifted (but still scalloped) bracing. The 1938 retains the wider neck and string spacing of the '37. It is one of the few examples of this period D-18 that was built without the infamous "popsicle" brace.

Special thanks to Seattle's Jet City Guitars for lending us the vintage D-18s used in this session.

https://www.courtneyhartman.com
http://jetcityguitars.com
https://www.fretboardjournal.com