I was pretty thrilled when I got my first American Martin. It was the D-15M, though mostly because the DC-15Me was no longer in production by the time I could afford it. I've always loved the feel of a satin finish in my hands. The wood feels fantastic and it sounds better.

When I got my hands on the D-18 a few years later, I was honestly underwhelmed. It's hard to explain. Like... it was okay, right? It sounded like a guitar, but it didn't have the resonance of the 15. I had saved up looking forward to the extra projection and boom everyone says that spruce top is supposed to give you, but it seemed deadened somehow. Maybe I got a dud, maybe the gloss finish does something different to the sound? That's my theory.

With that in mind, have any of you played the new satin 18 or 28? If so, how do they compare to the gloss versions or the 15?