1988 Martin D-18 32 Good, Original Hard, $995.00
The Martin Shenandoah D-18 32 is a dreadnought style acoustic guitar with a natural finish solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and the resonance which spruce plus mahogany tonewoods produce. While not the most ornate Martin, the Shenandoah model with its Martin black pick guard, multi-stripe body binding, purfling, and rosette, and 14/20 rosewood fingerboard with pearl dots is a striking instrument. The rosewood bridge has ivoroid pins, and the rosewood headstock and enclosed Martin tuners finish the picture of a quality guitar, topped off, of course, with the C. F. Martin logo which says it all.
The playability and sound verify the quality promised by the name. It plays with as much power as you will get from an acoustic dreadnought, but still with the balanced tone for which Martin is famous. With over 30 years of seasoning of the spruce top and mahogany back and sides, this sound is just reaching its full potential. And since this guitar is also equipped with a pickup and pre-amp accessed through the end-pin jack, you can pretty much blow away those feisty banjo and fiddle players any time you want to.
The D-18 32 offered here is in good repaired condition; it is not a museum piece, but has been played and enjoyed since 1988. Visually, the mahogany back and sides are fine; however, there are a few small dings and scratches in the back of the neck and in the finish on the top. Most conspicuously, there are two amateurishly repaired cracks in the top lower bout. The guy apparently neglected them long enough to allow some discoloration and then just slathered glue on them. The bad news is that they are conspicuous; the good news is that the guitar will never break in those particular spots again. There is also a third crack in the treble upper bout, which was apparently professionally repaired; and the wooden serial number/model number label which should be on the neck block is missing.
Structurally, the guitar is now near perfect: straight neck, low action (3/32” at the 12th fret low E), relatively little fret wear, flat top, solid bridge, beautiful finish on the back and sides, and above all the Martin stamp certifying that it was assembled and finished in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Again, it plays very well, sounds great, and there's some appeal in having a cool Martin to play which you aren't too concerned about somebody else picking up, or taking to a party.
The included Martin hard shell case is presumably original, and it does have the brass Martin nameplate on the front so folks will know you’re a serious player as soon as you walk in the room. There are a few dings and bruises in the vinyl, but the green plush lining is clean and soft, and the hardware works perfectly. Structurally it is solid as a rock, and of course it offers outstanding protection. It is an excellent complement for this fine guitar—and it’s probably worth more than a hundred dollars by itself.
Buyer pays a flat rate of $55 for insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. Payment by Paypal is preferred; cashier’s checks are acceptable, but checks must clear before the guitar will be shipped.
I believe that I have described this instrument fully and accurately. Please check out the pictures and ask any questions before buying, as its return will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing.
Thank you for your interest in this fine Martin guitar.
Payments by Paypal, cashier’s checks, money orders, or personal checks are acceptable, but all payments must clear my bank before the guitar will be shipped. I will CONSIDER reasonable offers, even including installment payments and trade-ins, but generally since I already attempt to price my guitars very competitively, unusual deals must be unusually sweet.
From henceforth [that's how retired English teachers talk], insurance and shipping to the lower 48 states is $55 due to constantly rising shipping costs unless a specific listing says otherwise; shipping costs elsewhere will be negotiated as necessary. I have sold guitars to Russia, Japan, Australia, and over 50 other countries, as well as almost every state in the USA. Since some of my guitars travel thousands of miles, I take care to use lots of packing materials, protect the neck inside the case, and of course de-tune the strings.
I make every effort to describe and illustrate each guitar and case with scrupulous accuracy. However, many of my instruments are well-played vintage items which are many years old, and I am not a luthier. One should assume that any guitar will require some set-up to satisfy your personal requirements, and that not every flaw or ding will be seen/recognized/described in the listing. Thus the return of an instrument will not be accepted unless it can be shown that it was egregiously misrepresented in this listing. Please read the listing carefully, check out the pictures, and ask any questions you might have before offering to buy.