A detailed guide to Martin D-18 history, specifications, year-by-year construction changes, bracing, authentication, variants, collectibility, and vintage values.
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A detailed collector’s guide to Martin 0, 00, and 000 guitars, including body sizes, 12-fret and 14-fret construction, woods, trim, bracing, tuners, authentication, and the eras collectors value most.
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A 1959 cherry Gibson ES-355 is on my bench in Mesa, the same model Seymour Stein bought Johnny Marr. Christie's sells Marr's collection in London on 17 September 2026. Here's which guitar is which, and what a regular one brings without his name on it.
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A 1950 Martin 5-18, serial 115817, is on my bench in Mesa: Size 5, Style 18, the baby Martin. Guitar World and Guitar Player both put Dolly Parton on a 5-18 Terz, and Martin listed her among Size 5 players in July 2026.
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The Super 400 is Gibson's 18 inch carved archtop, named for its $400 list in 1934. The Super 400 CES followed in 1951. Here is how to date one from the cutaway, pickups, label, and our Kalamazoo shipping totals, plus 2026 dealer value as ranges. Shown on a 1938 Super 400, a 1957 CES, a 1964 Florentine CES, a 1969 acoustic, a Custom Shop thinline, and a 1990s black Super 400.
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On this 1965 Candy Apple Red Strat the silver under the red and the checking off the neck plate do the work a serial can't. A 1966 Lake Placid Blue Jazzmaster shows the same gap on an offset.
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Lay a straightedge down the fretboard and see where it lands on the bridge. If it sits flush on top of the bridge, the neck angle is fine. If it dips into the front face of the bridge, the guitar is due for a neck reset. Here is the whole test, what causes the problem, what the repair costs, and what it means for the value of a vintage Martin, Gibson, or Guild.
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The stack knob years, the bound-dot window, and the 1970s bridge pickup move. Every dating change on the vintage Fender Jazz Bass from the 1960 launch to 1975, and why the headstock logo will not tell you whether yours is pre-CBS.
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The Hummingbird was Gibson's first square shoulder dreadnought and the prettiest guitar in the 1960 catalog. Here is the full story: what the first ones were, every spec change that matters through the 1970s, how to date yours from the label and the hardware, and what a vintage one is honestly worth in 2026. Shown on five real Hummingbirds that came through the shop, from a 1961 to a 1979.
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