Martin D28

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Monkey Allen

Monkey Allen

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Anyone got a D28? What year?

I know they have been around for years and years...anyone know whether the build quality is considered as good as ever?

Why is it considered one of the best acoustic guitars?

I have one from 2009. I love it.
 
I have a 2008 HD28. Martin has been associated with quality guitars for decades. In the 70s, there was a little quality slippage, but since Taylor competition came on the scene, Martin has restored premium quality in their instruments.

Solid wood guitars improve in sound with age and playing time (a lot), and the Martins are no exception. IMHO, modern Martins are built as good as their revered pre-war guitars, but they are "young" so their sound has not developed to the same level. This is why the pre-war Martins are so highly valued.

It is a sign of quality that Martin stands by their products with a lifetime warranty. Last year my 1976 D-35 had a top crack and needed a neck reset, and Martin covered both of these under warranty.

Hang on to your 28 - play lots of chords on it everyday and it will one day be a gem.
 
I have an HD-28v. I guess its from the early 2000's. I love her and wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. Some of the best sounds I've ever heard have come out of that guitar. Only problem I've experienced is a rattling tuning gear (Actually to be more specific I think its the washer where the peg meets the headstock.)
 
mine is a 1971, the last possible year for Brazilian and Adirondack together. my luthier friend believes mine is not Brazil, to me, its a non-issue, because the sheer age and history of use has vibrated this thing for a long long time so the tone is terrific, regardless of the origin of the wood.

they are the quintessential dreadnaught, very specific, instantly recognizable tone, a joy to handle and play. now after playing a Taylor 612c the Martin neck may feel a bit like a 2x4 in your lefthand, but other than that, i have never experienced a drawback to the D28, and as far as a recording instrument, it is the go-to for authentic acoustic guitar sounds.

play it alot, dont let it dry out, and it will grow sweeter and sweeter as it matures.
 
I heard that the D-28 is one of the most recorded acoustic guitars in the world. I'm not sure where I read that...couple of places maybe.
 
I have a 1972 D28 that my uncle bought new - so, definitely not Brazilian. The market price jumps by a couple of $K when you go back to the Brazilian wood, of course. I've played a 1969 in a store, and didn't notice a difference, but it was only for a few minutes. The Brazilian wood looks cooler - I'll give it that.

I think mine sounds fantastic. Mic placement is key, because it's got a lot of bass, but with proper placement, it's pretty easy to record.

I had it set up recently (finally, after intentionally not doing it for decades), and now it plays really well, too. I felt like an idiot for refusing to get it set up all that time and suffering because of it.

The fullness of the sound and the responsiveness and subtleties (e.g., being able to get a "swell" of sound when I do a light palm mute with a forceful strum) never cease to rivet my attention.
 
another thought, hopefully more OT than my last post - the luthier who did my setup mentioned that there was a trade-off between sound quality and durability that you have to deal with, and that with the D28 (and with many other guitars), Martin had managed the balance very well, and that's why everyone likes them.

Implicitly, he was saying that you could build a better sounding guitar if you didn't mind it falling apart in a year or two, and you could build a longer lasting guitar if you didn't mind it sounding like crap :D
 
Monkey Allen said:
I heard that the D-28 is one of the most recorded acoustic guitars in the world. I'm not sure where I read that...couple of places maybe.
Click to expand...

Does anyone else read Don Delillo? First thought as I read this was the "Most Photographed Barn in America" from White Noise. :laughings:
 
I have a 1967 D-28 that looks every one of its years. I've owned it since 1969. It's beautiful, like a leather attache that's been carried to work every day for 40 years. Still sounds pretty sweet, too, although I heard a new HD-28 that definitely gave it a run.
 
I've played acoustic since the 60's, but didn't have the ear to tell the difference between the Conn's, Yamahas, Fenders, etc., and the Martins until the 80's. When I could finally hear the difference, and had the chops to make it worthwhile, I purchased an HD 28 in '85. It sounded great when new, but sounds much better now. A fellow church choir member heard mine five years ago, and now he owns one. My nephew borrowed mine to do some studio work three years ago, and now he owns one. Martin invented the dreadnought and they have it down to a science. Over the years I've played some nice guitars owned by others: Goodall, Santa Cruz, Larivee, Taylor, etc. but none sounded as good as my HD 28. IMO, any dreadnought Martin (D 18, D 28, D 35, etc) that's cared for, will appreciate in tone and value. Well, actually the OM series will too, but I'm partial to dreads.
 
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