Pre-War Martins Showdown: Who Wins The 1937 vs 1940 Test?

We have TWO very very special Pre-War Martin D-18s! We go in on all of the spec changes, their repair histories, & of course we have a bling test to see if you can tell the difference between a 1937 & 1940 D-18.
We also want to give a special thanks to our viewer, Rocky, for letting us film with his guitar!
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00:00 - Intro & Welcome
01:24 - What Are We Comparing?
03:08 - The Specs & Differences
10:43 - The Repairs Done
13:31 - The Blind Test
14:50 - Our Conclusions
19:16 - The Reveal
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Watch a full performance of "Soldier's Joy" here: • "Soldier's Joy" | Play...
We use the Ear Trumpet Labs "Edwina" Model Microphones! Thank you Ear Trumpet Labs!
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Thank you for watching!
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#martinguitars #theacousticshoppe #martinacousticguitar #vintagemartind18 #bluegrassguitarreview #martinguitar #cfmartin #1937martind18 #vintagemartincomparison #prewarmartinguitar

[@RSNflatpickn]

Wow what a great job on the video guys your hole team is amazing and we all have to thank you for taking the time to do this stuff its really something to hear such amazing instruments plays together and they are both great guitars and irreplaceable! You can't change what age does for them if I had to buy either one I would be happy other than the payment thanks for the great content

[@sambow4u]

Before ,, I Speak,,, Just Know I was born , grew up, and still live in the Historic Appalachian Mountains for 60 yrs. I'm a couple hrs from Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans , and grew up ,, Semi Poor , So I'm very well versed in Saw mills , Wood Tools, Building your self , And I've been Playing stringed Instruments since I was about 10 yrs. Old ! It was a Way of Life , not Necessarily a Choice, There was nothing else to do ! ! But here's " My Take" on " Then and Now" ! Then,,, in the 30's and 40's , there was no such thing as " Precise" , Lumber was Cut at the Saw mills, air dried till it Looked or felt Dry , covered with Used Tin roofing until needed. A pocket knife sharpened pencil was used to Trace around and a wore out " wooden folding Rule" used to measure, A mans Hands were used for " Precise Feel" ! Joinery was done by " Guess ta mation" ! A scrap piece of wood with a pencil mark was Close ! There was No such thing as "" Calipers, Micrometers, Laser quality control, Thickness Gauge's or even Decent Glue ! Hide Glue Came from scrapes from the Tannery and Pine Rosen ! Wood finishes were everything from " Used Motor oil and diesel fuel , Pine sap, mineral spirits , Linseed oil , Gasoline to thin it down . Shellac and Varnish is a fancy name for Tree sap , dried and alcohol added ! ,,,, But My Take ,,, in the Worlds Technology today , with CNC machines that can finish cut a piece within 0.0001 , over and over and over , Cut angles that was impossible to repeat in the 30's and 40's . Lumber humidifiers, Dryers , Baking , Boiling , Heating and Temp controls that was Impossible just 30 yrs ago ! The quality in the 30's & 40's were at best we could do ,,,, Close ! But in Todays world The 3 or 4 employee business , in a man's garage ,can repeatedly turn out a Instrument that far exceeds C.F. Martin's wildest dream ! Martin's are nice ! And yes their early models are Collectors , But in Todays world of " Projection, Sustain, Durability and Precise Note Tunability ,,, They fall far short of what's available for a Better price ! But that's just one Man's opinion !

[@gui-texzan7477]

Absolutely 💯 accurate. The best summary I've read on the topic. Well done.

[@stlrfan09]

As someone with 14 fret Martins from the ‘30s and early 40s up until the wartime (‘42-‘44), I can attest to how different each of them can be. Both eras are really wonderful, and it’s truly how the player activates them that counts the most. This was a very cool demo, and I enjoyed it very much. Overall, I preferred the ‘40 D-18 for its balance, roundness, and warmth. This seems to be my assessment when comparing the 30s to the early 40s. There’s tremendous versatility to the 40s Martins. Stylistically, they can cover a lot of ground. The ebony rod ‘42-‘44 Martins are simply magical for their 3D, airy tone. Lots of interesting, swirling overtones in those guitars.

[@jcavender00]

I own a 1941 D-18 and it is such an amazing guitar. It really does fill the room when you strum it!

[@martinleach9849]

Best video ive seen on KZbin so far .Always enjoy watching you guys play and the sibling banter is a bonus. Love prewar martins but in the uk these are very rare to see .Im really interested in the d18 authentic series aged models. Would probably go for a 1939 authentic as i would struggle with the 37 size neck .Thankyou for sharing again. Martin from Cambridge uk .❤

[@ronniecraft3895]

Great , both of them, love the show as always,❗️❤️🕊

[@kylekromer8047]

Great video as always - I preferred the 1940 guitar, at least over the headphones. Seemed a little more focused, cleaner. Both great though.

[@vernonyates8408]

FWIW....bracing shifted rearward on 14 fret 000's and D's in mid-1938, smaller guitars shifted earlier, the change to the narrower neck/bridge spacing and tortoise binding came in 1939, black binding in the 1930's was black celluloid, and the tuners on that '37 are postwar Grover tuners. Martin used to shave fretboards not to correct relief, but to lower the action in general because methods for resetings necks had not been developed at the time.

[@johnwashburn3793]

I love the sound of a D-18! I liked different parts of each. Perhaps overall I prefer the '37.

[@stereoandy77]

The binding and purfling has always been primarily for the protection of the soundbox.

[@StanHall007]

Great comparison video! I think you two nailed it, there is certainly something `special’ about a 37. My buddy Chuck Egner has a stellar 37 that I got to play on a song on our CD. It’s a monstrous dry woody sound. To duplicate that, the one element that cannot be accurately substituted in the pre-war sound, is time. I had a 54 for a while, great guitar, but it’s no 37! Keep’m coming guys.

[@luvbgrass]

Both really great guitars. I did A/B them correctly, I was pretty confident in that. I won't even say which I prefer because its just what my ears like. Good video, keep em' coming. 😊😊

[@texhaines9957]

John, you need to SMILE more when doing the sound demo. Don't crush either one...the one that doesn't win, send it to someone special. I did guess them correctly. I'd have to try the neck shape before I could decide...loving the Eastman The Acoustic Shoppe sent. Thanks, John and Jeremy.

[@ryanbloom1738]

Pretty much the nicest guitars I've ever heard.

[@johnhiscutt1853]

Both sounded amazing!

[@budddyknippers2005]

I will tell you I can hear a 37 any day maybe because a friend in oklahoma I played hers so much I still believe they are the best.

[@LukeCerny]

Well done! This is the right way to do a comparison video. Great sound, I could clearly hear the difference. I slightly preferred the rich mids of the 37, but the book and balance of the 40 was also out of this world. Nice rendition of soldiers joy btw, I’m stealing some of those licks!

[@thelonglife5772]

Nobody owns those pickup trucks … except the Bank. I would love to own one of those guitars . Beautiful

[@ermancroney3805]

It seemed to me that the 37 was a bit muffled in sound where the 40 was a little sharper & whole. Great guitars! I'd enjoy owning either one. Thanks for the demo. I enjoyed the tune you played together too!!!

[@AcousticShoppe]

Thanks so much!

[@jamesdepalma6341]

I like the "B" D18 being the 1940 the most myself.

[@dalesearcy5734]

My guess was just that, a guess. I liked the A guitar just a bit more than the B guitar. Now if you were to do this again with the same two guitars, I would not want to bet on which one I liked best. They were that close to each other to me.

[@madamkirk]

Killer tones Truly great

[@tedhart7708]

Boy! That '37 sounded like someone flipped an "expand" switch when it played. Very rich, full, resonance!

[@enazleishere870]

The only thing that could have made your video better would be to add a third guitar, my 1943 D-18. The subtle differences between the three would be awesome to here side by side. Someday I will bring it to you, maybe soon, who knows?

[@mitzioden4926]

I liked both guitars, but prefer the 1937. It's a bit more full in sound.

[@rickycarter7154]

Two great sounding guitars. At one point I owned a 1940 D-18. Like yours, it was a well focused tone machine. For my kind of playing,(hybrid sloppy Travis stuff) I think the '37 is a little better. I guess it depends on what you're doing with it.

[@kenwalker2868]

I liked the sound of the 1940 guitar better. Both were great.

[@tomehCanada]

It is unfortunate that the other 33% of the guitar tone is missing after the video codec compress and has it's way with the sound. Have you tried keeping the sound mix at -14db LUFS before going into the video codec?

[@gregalderson128]

Nevermind, I guess the video wasn't over. I was wrong! They both sounded great though!

[@twinpearsondesign]

Frickin' pickin'! Oh, my!

[@wujeson3921]

what's the microphone used within video?

[@woodreed52]

great video John----what strings and gauge do you use on your '40 D-18? i asssme mediums ?..or do you do a custom? coated or no? phosp B ? or reg 80/20 bronze?

[@AcousticShoppe]

John prefers the GHS Americana Mediums for tone, but for longevity it would be the D'Addario XS Mediums!

[@LordAahzz]

They both sound great, but I ended up preferring the 40.

[@AcousticShoppe]

That's fair!

[@Dave-rk2nl]

the 37 is always going to sound a little better because it does not have a popsicle brace...the 40 does....not by much but a little bit more lively top...thats it

[@jeffbeliew6568]

Guitar A has a little better defined presence in the mids to my ears.

[@joekagerer]

The best guitar is the one that's played. I love my 1992 Yamaha 450SA. It cost me $250 used 25 years ago.... I'd love to see a comparison between your 1940 and a modern torrified take on it. Maybe you've done that video. For the most part. I can't hear a difference on most guitar comparisons even with my high end amplifier and audiophile speakers... Chalk that up to noise induced hearing loss... But I still like to watch. Thanks for the great entertainment and education.

[@AcousticShoppe]

That's so so true! We also have done a video like that, we compared John's D-18 VS a new Preston Thompson DMA! Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3fCeah5i9N2f8k

[@gregalderson128]

I didn't hear John reveal what guitar A was or B? I guessed that A was the 37 and B the 40? Was i right?

[@AcousticShoppe]

19:16 - Is the timestamp for the revel!

[@JeremyHorn]

Honestly I like the 1940 better.

[@mikesmith7107]

Very subjective in thought; double blind studies have shown that there is NO DIFFERENCE between these 'older' guitars and modern made guitars of the same design! Science is science; opinions are like assholes; everyone has one!

[@vernonyates8408]

You've played or owned how many prewar guitars?

[@mikesmith7107]

7 @@vernonyates8408

[@vernonyates8408]

@@mikesmith7107 And you could hear no difference between those and new guitars? If not, then there's very little reason to pay the higher price of the prewar guitars. My experience has been that there are dramatic differences in tone and feel.

[@mikesmith7107]

@@vernonyates8408 you say that because you allow hysteria to influence your ear and thoughts. If you hadn’t known you were chimeing in on a prewar, you’d be stating a difference of opinion.

[@vernonyates8408]

You have a nice day.@@mikesmith7107