Two acoustic guitars side by side

As per the company website, “1955 wasn’t just a milestone for the Martin family—it was also the year the folk boom began to sweep across the country. As artists embraced acoustic sounds and heartfelt storytelling, Martin guitars became essential companions, carrying the songs that shaped a generation. It’s fitting that these two guitars, each inspired by iconic 1955 models, mark Chris Martin IV’s own story in the year that changed everything for folk music—and for Martin Guitar. “

View of the D-18 1955 CFM IV 70th acoustic guitar top

Reclaimed Spruce

For the first time, Martin Guitar is offering commercial instruments with soundboards from repurposed wood. Various smaller guitar makers have been doing this for some years now. But it fits in perfectly with Chris Martin’s lifelong concern for the global environment. Fittingly enough, they are offer 70 guitars in each edition.

“This is the first time we’ve used this sustainably sourced spruce, and it’s more than just repurposing materials. It’s about celebrating the strength of nature and the craftsmanship that brings it to life. When you pick up one of these guitars, you’re not just playing music—you’re giving a voice to wood that’s weathered the elements, stood through history, and found its way into your hands.”

Chris Martin holding the 000-18 1955 CFM IV 70th acoustic guitar

Printed Tops Mimic Martins of Old

The new 000-18 featured a photo-realistic printing of top of an actual 1955 000-18 —serial number 145102. The new D-18 “draws inspiration from a standout piece of history—a 1955 D-18 from the Skip Maggiora collection. That guitar, serial number 144636, was part of a legendary trove of 150 vintage instruments Skip assembled over a lifetime in the music business.

Martin introduced printed “distressed” tops on some Standard series models, with less-expensive satin finishes. But here it is used on a limited edition with more than the tops looking like a vintage Martin.

Vintage Vibes

The short-scale Auditorium size 000 has period correct non-scalloped braces. The new D-18 limited edition has non-scalloped, rear-shifted braces, with should provide ample bass, but with greater definition across all registers.

 Chris Martin holding the D-18 1955 CFM IV 70th acoustic guitar

Both instruments have an FSC-certified rosewood fingerboard (Style 18 having rosewood boards and bridges from the late 1940s until the return to ebony in the 20-teens,) and the GE Modified Low Oval neck shaping that was recently added to the Standard Series. But in each case there is a 1-11/16″ width at the nut, rather than the modern 1-3/4″, along with appropriate 2-1/8″ string spacing.

The mother of pearl dot fingerboard markers, brownish tortoise bindings and pickguards, rounded headstocks with vintage-esque Kluson® Waffleback® tuners help make these guitars look very much like 1955 Martins.

the label inside the D-18

Happy Birthday, Mr. Martin

Chris Martin never intended to join the family business, but stepped in during a vulnerable time in the history of the acoustic guitar, and the family-owned business founded by his great, great, great, great grandfather. He charted and then navigated the company through dangerous waters when the popularity of the acoustic guitar was at its all-time low, and then through his own Golden Era when Martin and Eric Clapton joined together to revitalize its their popularity. C. F. Martin IV ultimately achieved glorious success by embracing innovation and modernization, while nurturing and perpetuating his ancestral legacy and the vintage Martin mystique.

These two limited editions stand alongside the new Standard Series designs, and CEO Thomas Ripsam’s recent CEO-11 model as wonderful examples of Martin combining modern technologies, sustainable and in this case reclaimed tonewoods, with construction features that make these guitars more like vintage Martins than anything created during Chris’s years at the head of the company, save only those meticulous Authentic Series reproductions.

Wishing you many happy returns, that is one man’s word on…

Martin D-18 and 000-18 CFM 70th Birthday Guitars