Adirondack spruce and Honduran mahogany along with scalloped, forward-shifted bracing was the formula for success on the tremendously popular prewar Martin D-18s. Many recent recreations have also proved to be fantastic instruments, from the Martin D-18GE to the Huss & Dalton TD-M to the Collings D1A. Here is Jim Merrill's vintage recreation, which produces the loud, dry, woody tone that this combo is famous for. Martin style bracing gives this guitar the bass-focused tonal spectrum that flatpickers love. A small indentation on the bass side upper bout of the top, some peghead scrapes from a string winder attack, and some light pick scratches above and below the pickguard keep this guitar from challenging for the "mint" designation, but overall it's in excellent condition. Note the beautiful hint of bearclaw in the top and the figured areas of the back. Priced well over $1000 below a new C-18, this Merrill is going to make some bluegrasser very happy.
