One of my group plays a 1964 D 18 that is the sweetest instrument I have ever played. Mind you, I am not a guitar player but it doesn't take too much time to jsut feel and hear quality. A grand instrument. I wish I had a string bass with that type action. I once heard an 83 year old guy playing bass in a local jazz club. He had played with Ella Fitzgerald for 40 years and she had advanced him the money to buy a good instrument in 1954. He told me he paid $2000 for it and she took fifty dollars a month from his salary until it was paid off. He let me play the bass and it was just like that Martin. Sometimes the appreciation of a fine instrument is as good as owning one. Well, not quite.