Custom Shop Build Overview

This Martin Custom Shop D-18 Ambertone is a refined take on one of Martin’s most iconic dreadnought platforms, upgraded with premium tonewoods and elegant custom appointments.

At the heart of this build is a hand-selected Italian Alpine spruce top, prized for its responsiveness, headroom, and complex overtone content. Paired with select mahogany back and sides, this guitar delivers the dry, woody character of a traditional D-18 with added clarity and nuance.

The Ambertone finish gives the guitar a vintage-inspired aesthetic, while the East Indian rosewood binding adds a subtle but elevated visual contrast rarely seen on standard Style 18 builds.

Tone & Performance

This Custom Shop D-18 offers a highly responsive and dynamic voice, equally suited for studio work and live performance.

Clear, articulate fundamentals with rich overtone complexity
Strong projection and headroom from the Alpine spruce top
Warm, dry mahogany character with excellent balance
Versatile voice for fingerstyle, strumming, and flatpicking

The result is a dreadnought that feels open, expressive, and inspiring across a wide range of playing styles.

Custom Shop Craftsmanship

Handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, this instrument features Martin’s traditional dovetail neck joint and solid tonewood construction for maximum resonance and long-term stability.

The forward-shifted scalloped X-bracing enhances top movement, increasing responsiveness, volume, and tonal depth.

The addition of East Indian rosewood binding elevates the visual presentation, giving this guitar a Custom Shop look that stands apart from standard production models.