NAMM 2026: Two-time Grammy winner and bluegrass magician Molly Tuttle has finally gotten a Martin signature guitar, and it’s proven worth the wait, with two models arriving at once.
The Martin D-18 and D-X2E sprinkles fresh elegance on her treasured 1943 D-18 model, and a more affordable X Series acoustic guitar to the fore, realizing a lifelong dream for the artist.
Tuttle’s D-18 stays fairly faithful to her 83-year-old companion, with a rear-shifted scalloped bracing, 1940s neck profile, and a personalised touch in the form of moon phase fingerboard inlays.
“I feel like the moon represents creativity, inspiration, and your subconscious,” Tuttle explains of that aesthetic flourish. “Sometimes when I realize it's a new moon, I think that's a good time to plant the seeds of new ideas.”
Other features include a vintage sunburst top, stylizing a body boasting a spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and faux brown tortoise binding. Other finishing touches include a Silver Martin script logo atop the headstock and oval tuner buttons.
Its mahogany neck, meanwhile, offers a standard taper and an ebony fingerboard with 20 frets, joining the body at the 14th fret.
The guitar, which Martin enthusiastically describes as coming “wrapped in timeless tone and vintage style,” is priced at $4,199.99, with both right- and left-handed models available.
For players seeking a more affordable entry point, the D-X2E presents a compelling alternative, bringing the coveted 1940s neck profile to a far more palatable $999.99 price point.
It's the first X-Series model to have such a neck, with a “select hardwood” construction helping keep the price down. Elsewhere, it’s fairly generously specced with a satin-finished spruce top and figured mahogany HPL back and sides, scalloped X-bracing, and more lunar inlays for its ebony fingerboard. Playability, moreover, is at its heart.
“It's this beautiful kind of V-shaped neck that I find extremely comfortable to play,” Tuttle beams. “You could pick this up and go down and play a gig with it that very day.”
For a musician who once told Guitarist that she “coveted” Martin Guitars, the Martin collaboration is her biggest ambition manifest.
“I've always dreamed of playing Martin guitars ever since I started playing the guitar,” Tuttle says. “To see my name on this Martin guitar and to have had a hand in designing it, it was just a huge moment for me.
“These are such beautiful instruments, I'm excited to see what songs they hold; there are no limits to what I can create and perform on these guitars. They have the classic sound that I'm looking for, and Martin Guitars always bring the best out of my playing and ideas.”
Both of Molly Tuttle's signature guitars are available now.
Head over to Martin for the full lowdown.
