The Standard Series that Martin produces are in my opinion the best sounding guitars they've ever made. I'd take a Standard D-18 over the VTS version any day, all day.
Good information and good comparison. I own the 1939 authentic aged model in sunburst because I am a strummer. I tried both this authentic vs. the standard for hours on end before making my decision. If you are not so much of a strummer, the standard model will please you and you will like it. It's a must have guitar. If you are a strummer, there is no doubt that the 1937 and 1939 authentic are much louder than the standard model. They are way more expensive. You would pay a lot more for the aging, the authentic replication, and the hide-a-glue construction. But one thing I must say, is that I feel I have a D-18 that sounds just like an original 1939 D-18 but that is unbelievably clean, with no issues associated with old guitars form way back then.
I have a Martin hd-28 and a d-35. I wanted the d-18 to have a mahogany model. I tried the standard d-18 and came home with a Gibson j-45. It had the sound and playability I really liked. The action on the d-18 was high and the sound was nothing like I expected. I bought a d-18 in 1971 which was a great guitar but the one I played was brand new and needed extra money for a setup. The two Martin's I have are great guitars but the new standard d-18 was disappointing for me.
um... thanks for the video but a couple things were off: starting backward (1) your mic is not aligned in the same place for each guitar so the sound comparison is very noticeably thrown off. I own the authentic and have owned the standard in the past and can def verify that the authentic is not authentically (heh) represented here due to your mic placement (2) you spoke well to the hide glue but also need to emphasize that a big pro to using it is that itcrystallizes like glass - which in turn results in a much more resonant sound (you kind of alluded to this but never actually said it outright) (3) both guitars have a spruce top but the authentic has an Adirondack spruce top vs the standard's sitka spruce, Adirondack has a tighter grain and takes longer to open up than sitka, resulting in more sound reflection / a louder guitar when newer (although many vintage guitar enthusiasts seem to be in agreement that though Adirondack requires patience for the "opening up", they produce (generally) more coveted sounds over the long haul [20, 30, 40 years] vs. sitka) not trying to sound like a "know it all"! but had to make some callouts! Especially with the mic! :) Ironically you kind of made the authentic sound more like the standard, since in real life the authentic if very noticeably more pronounced and defined than the standard. that said, cheers mate :)
Great video. Modern D 18 is very well built, not sure about the nut width though having got used to narrow necks/string spacing. Whatever happened to the Jason Isbell special, Martin make these specials and they disappear almost before they have reached the market?
Good comparison between the two. Both sound really good. The Authentic had a bit better note articulation and seems to project more. For strumming, the Standard definitely held its own and sounded great.
I prefer the looks of the standard series, I actually like the sound of the other one more, it sounds a bit more warm to me, which I actually really like. It seems really nice. But I can’t get over the look of the age to toner on the standard!
Hi! Thank you for watching our videos, glad you enjoy them! - They both got the strings and setups from factory. So it's safe to assume that's how Martin intends for them to feel and sound.
You would think this guy would have done some homework on the actual differences in build between these two..I didn't hear him mention even that the D18 A had Adirondack spruce top. The VTS process does not age the wood...Where did he get that impression from? Why does he strum all the way up to the neck extension edge of the sound hole? Sounds aweful there. None of his playing really resulted in showing the tonal characteristics of each or tonal differences between the two.
couldn't agree more Bill! (hence the comment I left a couple weeks ago too) Though, I'll say that the VTS process (aka torrefaction) does in fact "age" wood. While it does not perfectly mimic natural aging, it does a solid job of simulating certain aspects of aging :) cheers!
Good comparison. If you use a heavier pick, you would get a more rounded sound, and you wouldn't have to hit it that hard. Probably should do some flatpicking, and cross picking. Now that's where you can really hear the difference.
I own the 37 authentic. Honestly, it's a total piece of shit. The neck is obscenely large. Like unreal. And the tone is flat and boring. Completely regret purchasing it and love my 00-14F, so it's not a Martin thing. It's not Adi/Hog. It's just this model. It's terrible. If it wasn't past the exchange window I would have returned it long ago. It truly is a poor value, and I say this with over 30 years playing acoustic. I got a better tone out of the 000-16. Absolutely avoid this guitar.
I actually prefer the standard in this demo.
The Standard Series that Martin produces are in my opinion the best sounding guitars they've ever made. I'd take a Standard D-18 over the VTS version any day, all day.
The EQ of the sound is dramaticly different !
Thanks for this comparaison 👍
Good information and good comparison. I own the 1939 authentic aged model in sunburst because I am a strummer. I tried both this authentic vs. the standard for hours on end before making my decision. If you are not so much of a strummer, the standard model will please you and you will like it. It's a must have guitar. If you are a strummer, there is no doubt that the 1937 and 1939 authentic are much louder than the standard model. They are way more expensive. You would pay a lot more for the aging, the authentic replication, and the hide-a-glue construction. But one thing I must say, is that I feel I have a D-18 that sounds just like an original 1939 D-18 but that is unbelievably clean, with no issues associated with old guitars form way back then.
I have a Martin hd-28 and a d-35. I wanted the d-18 to have a mahogany model. I tried the standard d-18 and came home with a Gibson j-45. It had the sound and playability I really liked. The action on the d-18 was high and the sound was nothing like I expected. I bought a d-18 in 1971 which was a great guitar but the one I played was brand new and needed extra money for a setup. The two Martin's I have are great guitars but the new standard d-18 was disappointing for me.
The standard is the one I own and prefer. Plus I saved a whole lot of $$$
um... thanks for the video but a couple things were off: starting backward (1) your mic is not aligned in the same place for each guitar so the sound comparison is very noticeably thrown off. I own the authentic and have owned the standard in the past and can def verify that the authentic is not authentically (heh) represented here due to your mic placement (2) you spoke well to the hide glue but also need to emphasize that a big pro to using it is that itcrystallizes like glass - which in turn results in a much more resonant sound (you kind of alluded to this but never actually said it outright) (3) both guitars have a spruce top but the authentic has an Adirondack spruce top vs the standard's sitka spruce, Adirondack has a tighter grain and takes longer to open up than sitka, resulting in more sound reflection / a louder guitar when newer (although many vintage guitar enthusiasts seem to be in agreement that though Adirondack requires patience for the "opening up", they produce (generally) more coveted sounds over the long haul [20, 30, 40 years] vs. sitka)
not trying to sound like a "know it all"! but had to make some callouts! Especially with the mic! :) Ironically you kind of made the authentic sound more like the standard, since in real life the authentic if very noticeably more pronounced and defined than the standard.
that said, cheers mate :)
Great video. Modern D 18 is very well built, not sure about the nut width though having got used to narrow necks/string spacing. Whatever happened to the Jason Isbell special, Martin make these specials and they disappear almost before they have reached the market?
Good comparison between the two. Both sound really good. The Authentic had a bit better note articulation and seems to project more. For strumming, the Standard definitely held its own and sounded great.
I actually think the standard sounded better but it’s hard to tell I guess if you’re not hearing it in person.
love martin guitars. but paying 4k more for the "1937?" don't think so...
I prefer the looks of the standard series, I actually like the sound of the other one more, it sounds a bit more warm to me, which I actually really like. It seems really nice.
But I can’t get over the look of the age to toner on the standard!
Really like your videos 😊👍🏻 but both guitars sound if there were very light strings on them or the saddle is too low?
Hi! Thank you for watching our videos, glad you enjoy them! - They both got the strings and setups from factory. So it's safe to assume that's how Martin intends for them to feel and sound.
You would think this guy would have done some homework on the actual differences in build between these two..I didn't hear him mention even that the D18 A had Adirondack spruce top. The VTS process does not age the wood...Where did he get that impression from? Why does he strum all the way up to the neck extension edge of the sound hole? Sounds aweful there. None of his playing really resulted in showing the tonal characteristics of each or tonal differences between the two.
couldn't agree more Bill! (hence the comment I left a couple weeks ago too) Though, I'll say that the VTS process (aka torrefaction) does in fact "age" wood. While it does not perfectly mimic natural aging, it does a solid job of simulating certain aspects of aging :) cheers!
Pixies!!!!!! Wahoooooooo
That was a surprise and a treat to hear, especially ‘out of the blue’ like that.
Good comparison. If you use a heavier pick, you would get a more rounded sound, and you wouldn't have to hit it that hard. Probably should do some flatpicking, and cross picking. Now that's where you can really hear the difference.
Whats the intro song. Its in my head but i can't remember it.
Kinda sounds like the chords for Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves
I own the 37 authentic. Honestly, it's a total piece of shit. The neck is obscenely large. Like unreal. And the tone is flat and boring. Completely regret purchasing it and love my 00-14F, so it's not a Martin thing. It's not Adi/Hog. It's just this model. It's terrible. If it wasn't past the exchange window I would have returned it long ago. It truly is a poor value, and I say this with over 30 years playing acoustic. I got a better tone out of the 000-16. Absolutely avoid this guitar.