Martin 000-18NB

000 14-fret body style, but with 12-fret neck. Beautiful solid Italian Alpine Spruce top - slight bearclaw in places. All trim tortoise - simple but pretty. 1-13/16 wide ebony fretboard is great for chording and finger-picking, even though designed by one of the world's great flatpickers, Norman Blake. Modified V makes this neck a handful, but the space is nice - like teeing off to a wide fairway. I was looking for an 1-3/4 neck, but couldn't pass up the NB. (My hands are average in size.) Short 24.9 scale makes up for the neck width (sort of). This feature seems to be patterned after the early steel string "folk" guitars. Solid mahogany sides and back create a rich warm sound. Great volume for a small guitar. Surprisingly, bass rivals the D-35 I tried in the shop. Waverly tuners are nice - I'd choose metal knobs, but I guess the ivoroid goes with the era this model replicates. There are fancier guitars, but any fancier than this one would create unreasonable expectations for my playing ability. I'm giving it a 10 because of the unique design features, not for glamour.

Rich, warm sound mentioned in "features." Volume is outstanding. Guitar responds very well to soft fingerpicking and vigorous strumming and picking.

Very comfortable and responsive. I needed a little setup help with the big strings. First fret was slightly difficult, but minor adjustments by the dealer took care of it in 10 minutes.

Ought to be as durable as any Martin - tuners great, buttons well-placed and solid. Stays tuned.

No experience except setup at local shop

Started playing in early 60s and was into folk music. Had a regular folk trio gig for a while. I grew up on a little Gibson classical. In 1963 I bought a great-sounding Harmony Sovereign H1260 for $85, because I didn't have $300 for a Martin. After playing for fun the next 20 years, for some reason I set the guitar aside for 25 years. Just now getting back, and I decided it was time to buy the Martin I've always wanted. I still have the Sovereign and have reset the neck. I still love it and could never part with it, and its huge sound is why I wanted a smaller guitar as a companion. I was afraid a Dreadnought wouldn't beat it. (Probably would, but I wasn't taking any chances)I was looking for a standard 000-18, but a 1-3/4 neck, and the devious shopowner drug out the more expensive Blake. I sat in the shop for 2 hours playing every Martin in there. Played a couple of Collings, too, including a slot-head with a 1-13/16 neck. Kept going back to the Blake time after time. It felt right and I couldn't put it down - even when I left.

The finish is spectacular. I have examined every square inch of her and she is flawless. Under the hood, the bracing pattern is definetly unique. I have compared it to my other beasts and with exception of her older sister (my 000-28NB) nothing compares structurally to it. The tuning keys are unique - the engraved ivroid waverlys are different but compliment this model nicely. Specs are available on Martin's website.

Now the most important thing - its sound. Here is where this guitar stands alone compared to any HOG that I have ever owned. It sounds like it has been played for many years. How can a brand new guitar sound like it is 50 years old? This one does and I can only imagine what it will sound like in a couple of years. It is balanced across all strings neither favoring the treble or bass. My rib cage enjoys the massage it gets when I lean into the bass strings. I "womped" it for a straight 10 minutes playing the blues and I could not detect any confusion in sound and every string stayed prominent throughout. I think that its Alpine top is a perfect combination with its mahogany back and sides. The clarity of mahogany combined with an extremely articulate Alpine top makes for an incredible sonic experience.

How does it compare to her EIR sister? The ONLY difference I can tell is in the sound. The 28NB is nothing short of spectacular. Perfectly balanced across the spectrum and tons of projection. The level of clarity is more the issue here. On one hand the Adi/EIR combo vs the Alpine/HOG combo. Here the level of maturity of the 28NB (2005) has an advantage. My 28NB is cleaner in the high registers maybe due to the Adi top. Time will tell the tale of how they will compare against each other but experience tells me that the 18NB will become the leader of the pack the moment it begins to open up. The 18NB's projection is nothing short of jaw dropping. No need for an onboard pick-up here. It will sound amazing just using a microphone. This guitar will blow you away - it did me within seconds. I can understand why some of you that have had the chance to try this model were shocked. I cannot get over this model. I thought nirvana had been found in my 000-28NB but heaven now has two angels. The 28NB must now share its rank with the 18NB. These two models are a must if you really want to cover all the bases. 12 fret short scale guitars stand alone in my world for sound and ease of play. I guess my OM-28 Marquis will suffer some neglect over the next while and who knows maybe she will sent to a new family . As the saying goes " the money is made in only the first five frets ".

Absolutely gorgeous! Flawless in all aspects.

Built to last a lifetime...its a Martin!

I have had the pleasure of dealing with Martin on twice for info only and they were great!

This bar none one of the best Martins that I have ever had ( I have owned well over 25 models ) and I will keep this one and her sister ( my 28NB ) for a very long time. I highly recommend this model ( both if you can find a 28NB ).