Martin 000-18WG

2000 limited editon 000-18WG. Mahogany back and sides, sitka top, gotoh open back tuners, tortois binding, modified V neck, 1 3/4 at the nut, 24.9 scale.
See the first review for specs.

This is why I bought this guitar..open, warm, balanced, great sounding guitar. I strum and also like small guitars, two things that are not always compatible, but this guitar is just great. No compression when strummed hard, great sound, not shrill, a strumming delight. I use Newtone Masterclass and JP strings on it and the Newtones are a bit warmer but both are wonderful. I play a lot of music from the '60's and this guitar sounds great. I think it is the scalloped bracing and modified V neck that really separate this guitar from a standard 000-18.

I bought this guitar new, but it has been on the shelf of a dealer for a couple of years. I gave it time to settle down and just has a little relief added, action is wonderfully low and easy to play. It was fine when I got it but I always like to have them tweaked.

Martin has been good in the past to work with and I expect the same now.

Sometimes it takes a few days to get a reply to emails, but they are always helpful.

I have been playing guitar for almost 40 years, and while not a great player I truly enjoy playing and a high quality guitar adds to that pleasure. I think this may be the guitar I have been searching for (I have owned more acoustic guitars than I care to own up to and this is the one that I think will be a keeper).

2000 model, all solid wood- scalloped braced spruce top, mahagony back & sides. 000 type short scale, wide fretboard. Perfect medium high fretwork. Aging toner on top, gloss finish. Old fashioned type long saddle, glued into bridge. Open back Martin tuners, good quality. Ahh the neck, one of the best acoustic guitar necks made today. Modified v-shape, you can really get into this neck. Basically a 000-18 vintage style in tribute to Woody Guthrie. Mine is #64 of a limited series. I've seen as high as #125, don't know how high they'll go.

It's a nice rich tone with excellent separation. Sounds alot closer to an OM model than a mahagony 000, and I really like that. It has crisp highs on the treble strings, smooth bass, and is totally controllable when strummed. I played one other one that sounded too edgey, and a bit harsh. This one must have gotten a "better" top, cause' it's tone and presence are awesome. I'm very happy with the tone.

Acton is so damn good, I'm really surprised. Martin is known for higher actions but this one is about medium. There was a little glue squeezed out on the edge of the fretboard along the neck joint, but a little polish got that off. One of the fretboard dots is darker abalone than the rest, but it's no big deal. The top has a ton of ripple in the grain and some bearclaw too, real sweet.I give an 8 because of the dot and the glue.

It's very light, so be careful. It almost feels like it's held together by a whisper, it actually vibrates against your tummy when playing. But Martin builds to last a lifetime and then some, so basic maintainance should do it.

No better customer service anywhere. I had a major problem with an HD-28v, because of a local (factory authorized) service guy who scratched it up on me adjusting the saddle. Martin wound up putting a whole new top on it,(a better sounding one at that!) no charge. None finer, period.

26 years in the saddle. I own all kinds of stuff, but prefer acoustics. I play old time, blues, folk and original material. I mail ordered this guitar (Elderly is very reliable) because it was hard to find in my area, (except for the one I didn't care for). I took a chance, got lucky and was sent a low numbered tone machine. Really, the tone is so good, and so loud for such a small guitar. I love Woody's music and saw a great deal in this guitar. It's very well equipped and built for the price. I spoke to a dealer in Louisiana, he told me these are sold out, so dealers that have one in stock are the only way to get one. Hurry.