Custom Shop Build Overview

This Martin Custom Shop OM-18 Italian Alpine Ambertone is a refined, responsive acoustic built for players who value clarity, balance, and dynamic control.

Featuring a hand-selected Italian Alpine spruce top, this OM delivers exceptional responsiveness, fast attack, and a clear, articulate voice. Italian Alpine spruce is known for its refined overtone structure, offering a slightly more nuanced and complex response compared to traditional Sitka.

Paired with mahogany back and sides, the result is a warm, focused tonal foundation with added clarity and definition—perfect for players who want separation without sacrificing musicality.

The Ambertone finish adds a vintage-inspired visual character, giving this Custom Shop build a standout aesthetic to match its tonal performance.

Tone & Performance

The OM body size combined with Italian Alpine spruce creates a highly responsive and balanced playing experience.

Fast attack and clarity from the Italian Alpine spruce top
Warm, focused midrange from mahogany back and sides
Excellent note separation and articulation
Balanced response ideal for fingerstyle, light strumming, and flatpicking

The result is a guitar that feels precise, expressive, and controlled across the entire dynamic range.

Custom Shop Craftsmanship

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

The scalloped X-bracing allows the top to move freely, enhancing responsiveness, sustain, and tonal complexity.

Premium appointments including an ebony fingerboard, bone nut and saddle, and Grover tuners ensure smooth playability and reliable performance.