Pre-War Guitars Dreadnought Mahogany Vintage Neck Level 1 Distress Acoustic Guitar – New

We’ve had reproductions of pre-WWII Martin D-18 models before, in fact one could argue that most mahogany Dreadnoughts with style 18 trim sold in the last couple of decades are more or less copies of the iconic late-’30s/early-’40s D-18. But the Pre-War Guitar Co. in North Carolina takes the concept much further and as a result this model looks, sounds, and feels a lot like a D-18 made 80 years ago.

The materials list is essentially the same as an 80-year-old D-18, with Adirondack top, mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck, etc. but with two critical differences: one is this guitar has a modern adjustable truss rod in the neck, and the other is that the Adirondack spruce top and bracing has been torrefied, a critical part of achieving that “old guitar” sound. The finish is very thin nitrocellulose lacquer, and the builders use hot animal hide glue throughout. This example has what Pre-War Guitar Co. describes as their “Level One” distressing to the finish, so the lacquer has light checking and a hand-rubbed, low-gloss sheen throughout.

Pre-War Guitar Co. is two guys, Wes Lambe and Ben Maschal. and a big part of what impressed us is that both of them have spent a lot of years repairing and setting up guitars. The overall feel of this Model D is a testament to their having spent a lot of time with old guitars.