Built in Tuebingen, Germany by the team of Willi Henkes and Rudolf Blazer (who have now sadly retired) this D-18 is quite likely the most accurate feeling and sounding recreation of a 1930s wide neck Martin D-18 available anywhere presently. Blazer & Henkes have a well-earned reputation for building some of the finest vintage-recreations the world has ever seen, but as they were based in Germany and their production was always low, very few of their guitars ever show up in our corner of the world here in Southern Ontario. We’re quite excited to offer this exquisite guitar here at Folkway.

This Blazer & Henkes D-18 is styled after Martin’s D-18, as it was built between 1935 and late 1938. It features advanced scalloped X bracing that was carefully blueprinted from Martin’s 1930s dreadnoughts, complete with tucked braces and 1930s sized bridge plate. The neck has a rounded-over feel with the slightest hint of a softened V in the carve. The nut measures 1-3/4” and the strings spread to a spacing of 2-5/16” at the saddle. The mahogany back and sides are bound with short tortoiseshell celluloid with black/white/black/white purflings to the top, and a vintage style 18 rosette to match. The hand bevelled tortoiseshell celluloid pickguard is glued to the top under the finish, and the belly bridge is a beautifully carved mid 1930s reproduction. The guitar’s top and braces are moon-logged Alpine spruce from the Arlberg region of Austria, the back, sides, and neck are of Honduran mahogany. Ebony was used for the board and bridge, the headstock inlay is hand-engraved pearl, and the fretboard dots are cut from Sea Snail as are those on Martin guitars from the 1930s.

This D-18 has a particularly lovely voice, with plenty of power and headroom, just enough overtone development to keep things interesting but still stay out of the way of a fast flatpick, a strong, open, and boomy bass register, and excellent dynamics. It’s an excellent D-18, with a tone that’s quite in line with our expectations of a pre-WWII Martin.

The guitar remains in excellent condition and is without repairs or modifications. Playwear is minimal, with light fretwear evident under the plain strings on in the first few frets and and just about no pickwear to the finish. There is one hard-to-find top dent that’s shallow and minor, but nothing else to report on. The guitar has been set-up in our shop with our standard action. The neck has a non-adjustable Carbon reinforcement bar and is quite stiff as such. The relief is just right with medium or light guage strings.

With original Harptone hardshell case.