This 000-18 sounds better to me, not as bright and more woody, than my old HD28. It's flawless and has that beautiful tone for blues the HD28 didn't have. The difference in tone between rosewood and mahogany is unreal. Down home back porch blues I'm on my way. The wait is now over.

I own four guitars (Taylor 414ce, Cordoba C12, Martin Jr-10, and now the 000-18). I discovered this gem of a guitar after stumbling across a Martin 000 Jr-10 in a local shop. I am almost exclusively a fingerstyle guitarist, and I was floored by the playability and clarity of the shorter-scale Jr-10 (which has sapele back and sides, which is similar to mahogany). I bought it on the spot. However, I also do studio recording, so I wanted something similar, but fuller sounding with more bass. I have smaller hands, so I was looking for an acoustic with a shorter scale length, slim neck, fingerstyle-focused, and that had a recording clarity. I narrowed it down to the 000-18 and the 000-28. Not knowing which would be best, I ordered them both and A-B tested them. I very much wanted to like the 000-28, which is a beautiful guitar (rosewood back and sides) that I've wanted ever since Eric Clapton's unplugged album was released (jeez I'm old). But for fingerstyle clarity, there is just something about the 000-18 that puts it in a class of its own. I've since learned that many artists prefer mahogany back and sides for recording and rosewood for live performance. This explains why I have never been fully satisfied with my recordings using my Taylor (rosewood) and have had to extensively EQ the mix later. While rosewood creates a beautifully complex, rich, and ringing tone (especially when strumming), the "metallic" overtones always seem to swim through the notes when playing fingerstyle and muddy the clarity. Well, the 000-18's mahogany back and sides marvelously eliminates this problem. I don't think I will need to EQ my recordings at all anymore. It's perfectly balanced, articulate, and each note stands on its own, unadulterated by extensive overtones and unaltered by adjacent or prior notes. It also has a very "warm" and mellow sound, yet the mids and trebles still pop out appropriately when you need them. Further, with the shorter scale length and tapered neck, the playability is unmatched for my hands. If I was forced to choose one guitar for the rest of my life, this is the one I would choose. I can't put it down!

I am enamored with this guitar. It sounds amazing, has stunning looks, feels comfortable, and is wonderful to play. It has a balanced, rich sound that's surprisingly loud for the body size. You have to hear the 000-18 in person, the mahogany and spruce combo is so nice. I was seeking a nicer instrument with a smaller body than a dreadnought, and after try more than two dozen guitars, this immediately felt right. My stature and hands are on the smaller side, so the 000 body and the 24.9" scale feel absolutely perfect, like it was crafted for me. I also didn't expect it to be so light or, weirdly, to smell so amazing! I'm serious! I'm not sure I'd change anything about this guitar, it's a work of art and so hard to put down. Love the hard shell case it came with. Be aware that it does come with a strap button on the bottom, but not on the top, so you'll need to either install one custom or pick up a headstock strap tie (Martin has an affordable option).

I bought my 000-18 guitar from the Bloomington, MN Guitar Center. I went there to initially try out a few different guitars, including a:Taylor 314, Martin 000-15, and a Martin 000-18. I was in the market for a new acoustic guitar and knew I wanted the 000 size (Martin) , or grand auditorium (Taylor). I already have a Fender Dreadnought, and wanted tthe smaller size. My 14yr old son is starting to play guitar now, and I plan on giving him my Fender, assuming he sticks with it. Not only was the Martin 000-18 my favorite, but it was just shipped and unboxed in from of me. I did really like the 100% hog 000-15, but the Sitka spruce top on the 000-18 added so much brighter tone in the mid and high end. The only downside was the additional cost vs the 000-15, but it does have some other features that make it a higher end guitar, like the nitrocellulose finish. I love the size of this guitar. It feels so effing great! The tone is amazing, and I would buy it again in a heartbeat!!! Between my new Martin 000-18 and my vintage cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul, I am beyond happy! 4 star is not for the guitar. It is for the lack of a free 2 year warranty, which I point out more in the service/delivery section

I bought this guitar form the guitar center in Bloomington, MN, and it was brand new out of the box. They just got it off of the truck. I was the very first person to play this instrument. I was looking for a Martin 000-18, or a Taylor 314. The Martin was the one I went with. Soooo happy with this guitar. Love the size, and all the features it has. Going from a Dreadnought, I'm so glad I went with the size down. It's plays, sounds and feels every bit as great as I could have hoped for. If you have the $2k budget in mind, spend the 800 and get this guitar. You will be glad you did!

I played this guitar previous to buying it and felt it was a great fit but didn't want to buy a floor model so I ordered it from GuitarCenter. The guitar I received exceeded my already high expectations and cam out of the box ready to play. The quality of the instrument is exactly what you would expect from Martin; a beautiful hand crafted guitar with a quality finish and great attention to detail. What actually surprised me was the set up. This guitar came to me set up perfectly with the action set low but without any string buzz regardless of where I played. I have been playing it both fingerstyle and flatpicking and the warmth, resonance and sustain are excellent. Great projection from a guitar of this size. It's the perfect fit for me.