1970 Martin D-18 vs 1969 Martin D-18

[@beverlymichael5830]

I have a 69 D18 I bought new. Even with my other Martin’s it’s still my favorite. We have been together for a long time. Only work done on mine is maple bridge plate and new frets and pick guard. Guess I am telling my age buying it new back then. I had been looking at it for some time and finally got the $350 to buy it. Happy day to bring home.

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

Both sound great. 69 for me. Lower end tones seemed more solid. Wait, I had them backwards! I like the 70 just a bit more.

[@Myfriendwaits]

Both very nice guitars as usual. I prefer the 69. What a great time for music too.

[@Bryankimsey]

Why do you like the '69 better?

[@Myfriendwaits]

@@Bryankimsey It's louder and bolder, almost like it's amplified a little. I guess they are both newly strung.. The 70 is really nice too, but I can tell a difference since you play them back to back. It's so interesting how, what should be similar guitars, can be a little different. I think your 37 is the real kicker though..

[@Gr8Layks]

I wish you were my neighbor, Bryan!

[@fredflintstone2715]

Great comparison. I sometimes question my ability to differentiate subtle difference in sound, but I concluded that the 70 was a bit crisper than the 69 before I got to the point where you said the same. Maybe I was just lucky?? Anyway, great sounding guitars.

[@Bryankimsey]

Isn't that cool? People hear things differently and a lot of the point of these things is to give us a frame of reference.

[@theoldmann6608]

I liked the 69 better. As I heard the recording the bass was clearer and crisper. Very nice sound on both, but I prefer the 69 in this comparison.

[@redlinemando]

@ TheOld Mann I'm with you on the 69, but I'm more of a rosewood guy so I'm typically gonna lean that way. I thought the 69 had much more of a punchy response over the mic. It's funny how different an instrument can sound from behind it while you're playing it & then, completely change when you're in front of it. It makes you rethink what you're hearing at times. When I played Charlie Waller's old D-28, it sounded like most of the sound was being swallowed up inside the guitar, but once you leaned your head out over the sides, it was like an explosion of prewar D-28 tone coming out of the sound hole. It was really weird cause you couldn't really feel the vibration of the guitar compared to the wall of sound that was coming out of it. I've owned a few instruments that were like that. It makes them hard for me to play because a big percentage of what I play is based on feel. If I can't feel an instrument, I have a much harder time playing & connecting with it.

[@cap217cap217]

Man, for both to be so close yet sound so different is interesting. The 1970 sounds really warm and more vintage. Before you did the swap, did it sound closer to the 1969 (not sure how you would know)?

[@Bryankimsey]

I wasn't able to tell because I got it with the neck off and I needed to reset the neck to the new bridgeplate since it'll belly different, plus I needed the bridge in the correct location. However, my experience is that the '69 is a _really_ good sounding Big RW Plate guitar. The '70 sounds great, though! And there's a feel that goes beyond just sound.... it _responds_ really nice.

[@redlinemando]

@Bryan Kimsey I know you like the 70 better, but over headphones, I thought the 69 had a much more punchy & louder response over the mic, so that's my pick. Both had good highs, but the 70 seemed a bit nasal whereas the 69 seemed more balanced with it's low-mids. It's funny how different an instrument can sound from behind it while you're playing it & then, completely change when you're in front of it. In my experience, it's also funny how the vibrations of an instrument can sometimes lie to you about what they're projecting out of them.

[@Bryankimsey]

That's totally fair. As a player, the 70 is lots better. Also... I might be hearing potential because remember, I JUST put the plate in. I've been playing the guitar for several more days and it feels more responsive to me. It produces what I expect to hear and the other doesn't quite.

[@redlinemando]

@@Bryankimsey I 100% get what you're saying. It will be interesting to see how both compare after giving it a couple months to settle in. Instruments can be so weird sometimes. I just traded off a really good banjo because it wasn't consistent to my ears. It sounded bad to me while playing it, yet it produced some of the best tracks I've ever recorded. It always sounded great out away from it as well. Ppl would brag on it & when I was away from it, I could hear the same things they were hearing, but I hated playing because all that sound & tone was going out away from me. I have to be able to hear as well as feel an instrument's response or I have trouble playing it. I guess I'm weird in that regard. lol

[@wujeson3921]

Which one is for sale ?

[@Bryankimsey]

Neither of these.