Gibson J45 VS Martin D18 (direct comparison)

When spending this kind of money on an acoustic guitar, you won't find quality issues or "bad" features. But you will see models that are more focused on particular styles and niches of music, which often boils comparisons like this one down to a matter of preference.

The D18 certainly has flexibility, but not as much as the J45.

The focus for the D18 is on bluegrass and classic country music. 

Relative to the J45, the D18 has a narrower window of application.

If you're in the market for a guitar that can specialize in those areas, the D18 is absolutely a good fit. In fact, it's considered by many to be one of Martin's flagship acoustics, embodying most of what that brand represents.

But we think the Gibson J45 will be a better option for a larger number of people.

If you don't want to take our word for it, read on for all the details.

Gibson J45 VS Martin D18 Comparison Table

We'll start with a simple comparison chart that shows the most relevant specs and lets you compare live pricing. You can add more guitars to the comparison bar (which shows up at the bottom of the page) using the search option below this table.

Price Guide for D18 and J45

This section lists the price points for the D18 and J45 and updates live from multiple vendors. Note that the alert and history do not include Amazon pricing, but are following the other vendors in the list.

Gibson J45 Pricing

Amazon Only Options

Multiple Vendors (most popular)

Price Alert (excludes Amazon)

Price History (excludes Amazon)

Martin D18 Pricing

Amazon Only

Multiple Popular Vendors

Price Alert (excludes Amazon)

Price History (excludes Amazon)

Demos for Both Acoustic Guitars

The Gibson J45 sounds very country western and bluesy, especially compared to the D18 which has a twangy quality. That twang puts it more firmly in the country category, while you could make an argument for the J45 in wider array of musical genres.

But again, both guitars are incredibly good. To say the D18 couldn't hang in other styles isn't right either.

As a reminder: This is a direct comparison between the two, not a judgement on either guitar overall.

Demos are courtesy of Guitar Center and Bonedo.

The Martin D18 first:

And then Bonedo's demo of the Gibson J45:

Detailed Spec Comparison

For two guitars that are so close in price, there are a fair amount of differences in the spec sheet, though tonewood is the same for top, back, and sides.

Even the bracing system is similar.

But more nuanced features like color, finish, radius, nut width, scale length, and electronics all differ. One of the biggest differences is the presence of an LR Baggs pickup system in the J45.

There are no electronics in the D18.

Which one is better for bluegrass?

The Martin D18 is a clear winner if bluegrass is your style of choice. It's also a better option for country with an almost twang-like quality. Fingerpicking styles sound especially good.

Which is more flexible? 

The Gibson J45 definitely has the more balanced tone and greater flexibility between the two. We like it for darker styles like dark country, modern country, country western, blues, and rock. 

It's warmth and brooding sound make it a little friendlier to a guitar pick and strumming patterns, though the D18 can handle this as well.

Which one is cheaper?

Make sure to check the pricing tables above for updated numbers, but when we published this page the price difference between these two guitars was a negligible $50, where the D18 was the lower of the two.

Again, this shows us that we're not dealing with quality issues and that either guitar could handle a wide range of styles.

In the higher guitar tax brackets, price differences don't matter as much.

Differences in electronics

The Gibson J45 has an LR Baggs VTC pickup installed under the saddle that allows you to plug it in for recording or live performance. The D18 does not include any electronics, though is known to respond incredibly well to condenser mic recordings and said to "mix itself" in a lot of cases.

But if an onboard pickup is a priority for you, the J45 is the better choice.

Furthermore, the LR Baggs system adds to our "the J45 is more flexible" argument.

Which one is better for the studio?

Either guitar can be a good fit for the studio, given the quality of their natural tone and how friendly they are to condenser mics. The J45 is more convenient with the pickup installed as you could just plug it directly in, but some find the mic'd acoustic sound preferable in the studio and won't use the pickup even if it's available.

Which one is better for performing?

The Gibson J45 is easily a better option for performing because of the pickup. This is because plugging an acoustic guitar into a PA system is vastly more convenient than trying to set it up with a microphone. 

You'll end up needing to stay really still in one place, so that the microphone doesn't lose the guitar's sound.

It can be done, but in our opinion the J45 is a much better performance guitar.

Conclusion

The better option for you will come down to your situation. Are you recording, performing, or both? Are you looking for a brighter acoustic or more darkness and balance?

How important is the twang and bluegrass tones we get in the D18?

Or maybe you just like the aesthetics of the J45 better.

These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself, and remember: It's a issue of style and preference, not quality.

If you have questions that we haven't addressed here, leave them in the comments section below and we'll help out as much as we can.

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