The Martin OM-18E acoustic-electric guitar shares the same understated appointments and state-of-the-art Fishman Aura VT Enhance electronics as its Style 18 big siblings, but that’s where the family resemblance ends. While a dreadnought is great for flat-picking, the smaller and exceedingly comfortable OM-18E is built for finger-picking and layering. Studio guitarists have long used Martin Orchestra Model guitars to add depth and dimension to a track, and the OM-18E delivers rich tone with clarity and note separation that holds its own in a dense arrangement. The Martin OM-18E is beautifully crafted true to Martin tradition, featuring a solid Sitka spruce top, with mahogany sides and back. Like an old friend, Martin’s sleek, Modified Low Oval neck with High Performance Taper welcomes you with silky playability up and down the precision-Plek’d fretboard. If you treasure Martin guitars the way we do at City Music, your collection isn’t complete without the OM-18E.
The groundbreaking Martin Orchestra Model
Prior to the Orchestra Model, Martin guitars all had the same 12-fret neck-join design as the instruments Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. was handcrafting the 1830s. They were similar in shape, tone, and volume to today’s classical guitars, although most of them were converted from gut to steel strings by the close of the 1920s. Interestingly, Martin’s Orchestra Model guitars came about thanks, in part, to the banjo. In the interest of keeping up with the trends (and being heard), banjo pickers — the primary rhythm keepers in bands of the era — became interested in steel-stringed guitars, which were more resonant (and at least as loud) as their banjos. Banjo players were also used to long necks, so Martin responded with the first 14-fret flattop designed expressly for steel strings. Debuting in 1930 and offered in Styles 18, 28, and 45, Martin’s 000-sized Orchestra Model was the prototype for the modern steel-string acoustic guitar. Today’s OM-18E is the embodiment of that enduring legacy.
Fishman Aura VT Enhance electronics
Fishman is just as much a leader in acoustic amplification as Martin is in guitar manufacturing. Martin has spec’d Fishman’s Aura VT Enhance electronics system for this OM-18E to give it a natural and expressive voice when performing live through an amp or PA system. The Aura preamps have been favorites of City Music guitarists for years. But VT Enhance raises the bar by using discreet soundhole-mounted controls for the pickup’s volume and tone. The system is completely unobtrusive, and there are no control holes cut into the side of the guitar. You can rest easy knowing that the natural sound of your OM-18E will come through the speakers loud and clear.
Fishman’s breakthrough acoustic imaging technology makes you sound like you’re playing into a great mic in a room with impeccable acoustics. Aura VT Enhance is designed to capture the guitar top’s longitudinal energy, while rejecting transverse energy that reveals itself in the form of string squeaks, handling noise, and feedback. The OM-18E’s onboard Aura VT Enhance system gives you studio-quality sound you can take to the stage.
Model:
OMC-18E
Construction:
Dovetail Neck Joint
Body Size:
000-14 Fret Cutaway
Top Material:
Sitka Spruce
Back Material:
Genuine Mahogany
Side Material:
Genuine Mahogany
Neck Material:
Select Hardwood
Neck Shape:
Modified Low Oval
Neck Taper:
High Performance Taper
Fingerboard Material:
Ebony
Scale Length:
25.4"
Neck Joins Body At:
14th Fret
Number of Frets Total:
20
Back and Side Finish:
Gloss
Back and Sides Color:
Dark Mahogany
Finish Top:
Gloss
Top Color:
Aging Toner
Finish Neck:
Satin
Neck Color:
Dark Mahogany
Case: Ply
Hardshell
Electronics:
Fishman Aura VT Enhance
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