1989 Martin D-18 Special (1 of 28 Made!)

Up for sale is a fantastic and rare 1989 Martin D-18 Special, one of only 28 made! Check out the included demo video.

I don’t have much experience with Martins from this era, but I was very impressed when I got this one in. It has a beautiful depth of tone and sweetness – thanks at least in part to the scalloped bracing – and it exhibits elements of a “vintage” sound given that it has had 35 years to age and settle in. Moreover, it is a highly uncommon instrument: Martin manufactured only 28 of these in 1989 as part of a “Guitar of the Month” series. They made 15 for the U.S. and 13 for international sales.

The playability on this guitar is also about as good as it gets. The neck is fairly low profile, and the nut width is 1 11/16”. A strap button has been installed. This D-18 also features rosewood binding, diamonds and squares fretboard inlay, and Grover tuners. Everything on this guitar is original except for the compensated bone saddle. It has never had or needed any real repair work!

The cherry on top is that it has been very well-preserved. Other than a couple minor pick scratches, a couple dings on the headstock, and a bit of scratching near the strap button on the heel, it looks like a new guitar.

Asking $2,950 here on Reverb (slightly lower on other forums) plus shipping. Comes in original Martin case.