MARTIN MAHOGANY DREADNOUGHT KIT

Think of the word ‘kit’ and what springs to mind? For me, it’s boyhood memories of making model aircraft, with all the parts neatly cut out and presented on plastic frames ready to be messily glued together. When the word ‘kit’ is applied to a guitar, however, things get somewhat more complicated – as gear reviews editor Dave Burrluck discovered a few issues back when he tackled a cheap Boston T-style guitar kit and found himself cutting the headstock to shape from an oblong blank and other shenanigans that strayed a bit further into real guitar-making than you might expect.

Taking Dave’s effort as my cue, I decided to tackle a more ambitious build: an official Martin Mahogany Dreadnought Kit, costing $475, which gives you the makings of a guitar similar to the company’s hallowed D-18 model. Over the years, I’ve become more and more interested in acoustic guitar design and how various construction elements combine to produce beautiful, shimmering timbre. And while I’ve modded electrics with pleasure, I always assumed that building an acoustic would be a tough nut to crack. Maybe a kit would be the ideal halfway house? I knew that Martin supplied a wide range of parts to amateur guitar