I bought my D18 new in 1956 in Los Angeles for $99. I had some minor repairs done at Hoffman's Guitars in Minneapolis in about 1980 and learned that it had a lifetime warranty for the original owner. I wrote Martin a letter, since I had no warranty papers or anything, and they paid for the repair. Then just last November the (slot-through) bridge broke. I called Martin the next day. A real person answered the phone right away and connected me with their service rep. When I explained the situation, that I had no warranty papers but had written a letter to them back about 1980, he said "no problem, just have it repaired by the certified Martin luthier and we'll pay for it." Dave Doucet in Bellingham did a beautiful job, and it looks just like the original. So how many companies give that kind of service to their customers?

Cheers, S. in Seattle