D-18 Alternatives: Who Makes the Best D-18? Six Mahogany Dreadnoughts, Played Blind

Martin built the first dreadnought, and the mahogany D-18 has been the flatpicker's benchmark for close to a hundred years. So we lined up five D-18 alternatives from Guild, Gallagher, Eastman, Atkin and Bourgeois, put a current Martin D-18 in the middle as the control, and played all six blind. The Martin is still the sound everyone measures against. John's two favorites came from other builders anyway, and his reason has to do with what a guitar's low end does in a jam.

The video is a few years old, and some of these guitars have changed or sold out since. So this D-18 alternatives rundown uses today's prices and what's on our shelves now.

The Martin D-18: the benchmark all D-18 alternatives chase

Start with the Martin, because every other guitar here lives in its shadow. The current Martin D-18 has forward-shifted, Golden Era scalloped X-bracing, a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, black binding, nickel open-gear tuners and a 1 3/4" bone nut. The neck is Martin's GE Modified Low Oval with a high-performance taper, slimmer than the D-18 necks of years past.

The Sitka top isn't how the original was built (the prewar guitars were Adirondack). But the forward-shifted bracing and the open-gear tuners are Martin leaning back toward what most Martin fans call the quintessential era of the D-18. If you want the full Martin story, our Martin D-18 vs D-28 comparison covers the rosewood side of the family.

Jump to the lineup at 3:00, the blind playing at 9:05, our verdicts at 11:02, and John's final pick at 18:28.

Five D-18 alternatives, and what each builder changed

Every guitar here is a mahogany dreadnought. What separates them is the top, the bracing, the finish and the neck. Here's the lineup as it stands in our shop today. Specs and prices come from our listings, not the video, and the Guild isn't in the table because we don't have one in stock to check against.

The Country Boy's 1 23/32" nut sits between the common 1 11/16" and 1 3/4" widths. It's an odd number, and we joked about it the whole time.

How the D-18 alternatives sounded in the blind test

Guild D-40 Traditional

The Guild is built in California, with a Sitka top, mahogany back and sides, a full nitro finish and Adirondack bracing. It's dark and rich, very close to the modern D-18, with a little more sparkle on top and less low end than the Martin.

If that guitar didn't say Guild on it, I think you'd see a lot more bluegrass performers playing that particular model.

It's one of the guitars that made us want to carry Guild. We don't have a D-40 Traditional in stock today, so ask us about ordering one.

Bourgeois Touchstone Country Boy

Dana Bourgeois hand-voices the tops, and the guitars are assembled by Eastman's team in China. That split is what brings a Bourgeois-voiced mahogany dreadnought down to Touchstone pricing. The last ones we sold were $2,519. It's classic Bourgeois: a very tight, articulate low end, lots of high end, and a voice that projects right at you. It's still a dreadnought, but Dana voices it for a more even, balanced tone all the way around.

The dreadnought version is sold out right now. Our Touchstone Country Boy review goes deeper, and the Bourgeois collection shows what's in the shop.

Atkin Essential D

Alistair Atkin builds in England, and the Essential D is his take on the 18-style dreadnought, with a baked top and a very thin, aged nitro finish. The mahogany on these looks lighter than a Martin's because Martin stains its mahogany. The Atkin is closer to the wood's natural color.

To me, this is a Martin D-18 that's just more pre-war than the new version of it is.

Tons of low end, tons of volume, and sparkly but rounded highs. It was probably the loudest guitar in the room, and every Atkin we get in sounds like a well-played, opened-up guitar. The Atkin Essential D #4534 in the shop now has the heavy aged finish. Our Larry Sparks tribute post shows how far Atkin can push the aging.

Gallagher Doc Watson

The Doc Watson model carries the white binding and herringbone from Doc's own guitar, a zigzag back strip, and a bound peghead and fretboard. Played blind, it sounds close to the standard D-18 with less low end, more push in the low mids, and a little less in the highs. That midrange tightness helps it project and cut through a band, and it's the sound Gallagher has settled on as its own.

The Gallagher Doc Watson #4519 we have now is a Stage Ready guitar: it went to a festival and came back with four small, shallow dents on the back, nothing structural. For what Gallagher showed us at this year's summit, see our new Gallagher guitars post.

Eastman E10D

The Eastman was the most affordable guitar in the lineup and the only one with an Adirondack top, and you can hear it: the notes jump out of the guitar, with more power in the lows. Most Eastmans now lean toward the Bourgeois sound more than the Martin sound. It's one of our top sellers because it hangs with the big names in this lineup for a lot less money. Today's version is the Eastman E10D-TC, with a thermo-cured Adirondack top, hand-carved scalloped bracing and a 1 3/4" bone nut, at $1,799. If your budget stops lower, our best mahogany dreadnoughts under $1,600 roundup starts there.

Why the Martin's low end isn't always a win

We both like the D-18 a lot. But it's a little heavy on the low end and a little short on sparkle up top. That's the Martin sound. It's also why the best D-18 alternatives stopped trying to out-Martin the D-18 and put their own spin on it instead.

When I play in a group setting like a jam session, that guitar gets buried in the mix compared to all the other instruments.

That's John. Years of miking guitars live and in the studio changed what he listens for. Low frequencies don't cut, and lead guitar is already hard to hear in a jam. A guitar that sounds great on the couch can fall short in a pro setting. One with more balance and punch shows up in the mix.

Jeremy sees it the other way. He's a mandolin player, and he likes a darker guitar out of the box, maybe to offset a thicker pick and a mandolin player's attack.

Our picks among the D-18 alternatives

John likes all of them. Make him pick the ultimate D-18 and he names two. Jeremy has his own:

• For the classic D-18 sound, John picks the Atkin. Nothing here does vintage better.
• For more clarity and a modern voice, John picks the Bourgeois Country Boy.
• Jeremy can't decide between the Guild D-40 Traditional and the Martin D-18. He likes their warmer, deeper tone.
• For a player who wants an Adirondack-top mahogany dread under $2,000, it's the Eastman.

Here's how the D-18 and the D-18 alternatives in stock line up by price today, lowest first:

1. Eastman E10D-TC, $1,799
2. Martin D-18, $2,599.99 satin or $2,999.99 gloss
3. Gallagher Doc Watson, $4,299.99 (Stage Ready)
4. Atkin Essential D, $5,459

If you play rhythm alone or sing over it, the D-18 or the Guild gives you the big, warm bottom. If you take breaks in a jam, the Country Boy, the Gallagher or the Eastman will get heard. If you want the old-guitar feel on day one, it's the Atkin.

Buying one of these D-18 alternatives from us

Every guitar we ship gets our 23-Point Professional Inspection before it goes in the box, so the action you play on day one is the one we checked.

Every guitar here is over $1,000, so each one is covered by our Dread-Not Guarantee: trade-in credit of up to 90% within one year, pre-tax and less round-trip shipping, plus a 30-day in-home trial. That trade-in credit matters in a shootout like this one. Start with the Eastman, and if you want the Atkin within the year, up to 90% of what you paid comes back as credit toward it.

As the #1 worldwide dealer for Eastman, we have the E10D-TC in natural and sunburst as we write this.

Related reading

• Mahogany vs rosewood: which guitar wood is better?
• Boucher vs Collings: the best bluegrass dreadnought
• Dreadnought vs OM: choosing your guitar shape

Play the D-18 and its rivals side by side

The fastest way to judge D-18 alternatives is the way we did: same room, eyes closed. Browse every dreadnought guitar we have, see the full Martin lineup, or browse every guitar in stock. If the guitar you want isn't listed, the Guild D-40 Traditional or a Country Boy dreadnought included, ask us and we'll track one down.