CF Martin D18 Custom

The first guitar that I bought when I went to live in New York was a Martin D18 (I had previously been using a Martin 016NY that gave a really sweet sound but lacked the power I needed on a live gig). The D18 was everything I wanted; it was literally very light; I could play it for a long time without getting tired, it was very responsive in that the effort one put in was given back in full measure, and finally, it worked very well with every style – finger-picking gave a clear and articulate sound, and a full strum gave out a lot of power. That guitar was later stolen from my car in London in the late seventies so I immediately had another one shipped over from New York. After 20 years the D18 had to be put aside – it was getting dull with overuse, so I then ordered a customised D18 from Martin Guitars. I asked the British luthier Ralph Bown to make and fit a double scratch plate. This guitar plays a dream.