BluesKing777 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 After watching some reviews by Tony and Todd, I played a Martin CEO7 at the music shop. I really liked it, but while there I tried all of the ones they had to compare, the other week. I generally like the smaller body guitars like the Blues King, LGs and the CEO7, but I really like the OMs. Except the guy handed me a used HD28V........all I can say is that the thing is haunting me a bit. So I have researched the D28 family online and even though I prefer wider bridge spacing and nut for fingerpicking, I am thinking I need a D28 Standard to round off the little collection. Or the HD28V. Or the HD28. I watched Neil Young in the video "Heart Of Gold" the othe night and Hank's D28 might have done the deal for me! So I was hoping to get some Gibson player's perspectives on the D28 family, because I have read the UMGF and as nice as they are, they do tend to think there is no such thing as a bad or dud Martin! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 The only guitar I regret selling was my HD-28, sold to help fund a D-18 Authentic. There's nothing like thyat drop D rumble. Maybe an AJ would have it, but I dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I guess you could look at it as if there are two "iconic" American guitars it would be the Gibson J-45 and Martin D-28. I do not have enough playing time with Martins to know a good one from a can of tuna but the Martin freaks I know will pick up this or that guitar and when it is a good one they will utter the words - "now this sounds like a Martin." And they do not say that about every one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 In my small collection of guitars, I have two Martins, an HD28V and a D18V. My group of Gibsons is 3 times as large. I like my Gibsons for their sound and looks. But there is something unique about the Martins. If you want a big, boomy sound, you can't duplicate a Martin Dred, even with an AJ, which comes close, but no cigar. Plus, since I learned on a 1 11/16" neck, the Martins are easier for me to play than a Gibson. If I were in your place, and you are choosing between a D28, HD28, and HD28V, there would be no doubt....HD28V without hesitation. I think that guitar is one of the finest production models that Martin makes, regardless of price. The other two are great guitars but I don't think they begin to compare, sound-wise, to the HD28V. There really is no wrong choice, if you like the D28 or HD28 better, go for it. But it sounds like you've already been swayed by the HD28V. That's my story and I'm sticking to it..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79cb750f Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Have a recent D35 Martin Fanboy here. I'm no help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I have a few Martins that I really like and a ton of GIbsons. I think Gibson has a better selection of styles, sizes, sounds and looks. I've played a few D28's and feel & sound wise I thought my D28EP was better than a standard D28 & HD28. My D28EP fell short when compared to the new authentic series they have. I really like the '31 model with the slotted head and 12-fretter. I also have a D41 Special that I like more than the D28. I believe it's the sound difference with the forward shifted bracing versus the standard X scalloped on my D28EP. I do not like the modified V neck profile Something that seems strange to me is I absolutely do not care for Gibson long scale or narrow nuts. I've had them and got rid of them. The Martins do not seem to affect me same way. I recently had a custom Martin made with the 1.75 nut and short scale and the low profile neck lie a D28, sort of a Martson guitar. I'm really liking that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'm far from an expert, but I was always a Gibson guy - a succession of J-45's, a J-50, etc. My last one (until recently) was a beautiful Heritage Custom. In the early 70's I worked in a music store, and Martin had just introduced the HD-28. I really wanted not to like them, but I couldn't help myself. I got to play 4 or 5 and pick the one I liked best. I've never been a collector and have always needed to sell one guitar to finance another, so the Heritage went down the road. I always vowed I'd buy it back one day, but I finally lost track of it. Just want to say that the Martin has been a wonderful guitar for 35 years, and I've never been sorry - there really is nothing like a Martin dred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Some very interesting comments here, thanks! Did I mention that I only fingerpick? I'll try to talk ME out of it if no one else is.....where do I put it? Unless I move something on, it may have to sleep in the car, where I may be also be sleeping when I bring another guitar home with that sheepish look on my face, a bit of hand rubbing and a pathetic excuse! I don't really want new and don't want to break in an Adi top, and I don't want to spend much more than the HD28v max - I know the D28 Authentics are all the rage, but I don't want to spend that much on my 'Dread Experiment'. The plain D28 is a bit scarce around my way for some reason - perhaps everyone hangs on to them as a baseline model. The HD28v was about 10 years old, I think...so broken in nicely. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelnel Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I have had three Martins, an SPD-16R, an HD16 Adirondack, and an HD28. I like my Eastman E20D better than any of them. I think it sounds better, plays easy and is more attractively finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 BK-- about those 28s. keep in mind the std modles has straight braces, so a bit more bark than ring. The HDstds fall under the good not grest category--like Om21s, they are brighter, I think. As you discovered, HD28vs rumble like a freight train; like your OM, its got a low end that wont quit, which great in some contexts, but not exactly a win-win for fingerstyle. If one were to pop up Down Under, the D18ge is a helluva guitar--adi top for power, hog for clairty and wider string spacing than the std Ds=a killer for Doc Watson Deep River style country blues. Well worth departing from a lesser used model to acquire. Similar to my J35, but with that long scale articulate Martin thing going on. R btw, here is Skip James with a D28, his main squeeze in the. blues revival. Perfectly good blues and fingertyle guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram99 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 I'll try to talk ME out of it if no one else is..... Okay I'll try....I have a much neglected good old standard D-28 . I find it to be over bearing, too boomy and way too glassy/brassy for my taste. When strummed it is over-saturated pretty much across the Lows, mids and highs...just sounds like a wall of sound...like loud music played through a small speaker. This is not a bad one, I have compared it to others and find that it is my taste that has changed and this is how square shouldered rosewood dreads sound to me now.....I am not really dogging the arguably classic Martin sound as much as I used to......it does sound pretty nice on single note stuff, but the sustain of the rosewood back and sides just overpowers, and you completely loose the clarity of each note when playing chords.....the is the opposite of how I would describe my J45....I bought my J-45TV in 2009 and never looked back. I also far prefer the tone to both of my LG-2...so even though I play everyday I think the D-28 gets maybe a couple of hours of play a year. I would sell it but my wife bought it for me, and I can't figure out how to pull that one off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Okay I'll try....I have a much neglected good old standard D-28 . I would sell it but my wife bought it for me, and I can't figure out how to pull that one off. If you figure this out, let me know. I've been trying for 20+ years to make my wife's unplayed piano vanish... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry K Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 D-28s are good for some things like bluegrass. IMO they are not as good an all round, Swiss Army knife of a guitar as a D-18. And J-45's are even better all round than D-18s! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 BK-- about those 28s. keep in mind the std modles has straight braces, so a bit more bark than ring. The HDstds fall under the good not grest category--like Om21s, they are brighter, I think. As you discovered, HD28vs rumble like a freight train; like your OM, its got a low end that wont quit, which great in some contexts, but not exactly a win-win for fingerstyle. If one were to pop up Down Under, the D18ge is a helluva guitar--adi top for power, hog for clairty and wider string spacing than the std Ds=a killer for Doc Watson Deep River style country blues. Well worth departing from a lesser used model to acquire. Similar to my J35, but with that long scale articulate Martin thing going on. R btw, here is Skip James with a D28, his main squeeze in the. blues revival. Perfectly good blues and fingertyle guitar. Ha, Mr Rambler, that Skip D28 sounded not one single thing like Neil's Hank D28! Like it still! I managed to record a test track of the stuff I envisage playing on said D28, not blues at all. I discovered I can get a 'sort of' sound I was wanting from my 59 Gibson LG3 with new Elixir strings and my G7 Newport Capo on the 3rd fret, as mentioned in the G7 Capo thread..... I may have captured a touch of what I mean with the strums where it gets a nice woody blur thing... https://soundcloud.com/bluesking777/test44 I have a J45, Jerry! I was perusing my little harem of geetars and I don't have one single piece with Rosewood B/S......never owned one and only played the ones in the shop. I have a few perfect fingerpicking blues guitars, so I am venturing off the dotted line a bit...... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 BK-- about those 28s. keep in mind the std modles has straight braces, so a bit more bark than ring. The HDstds fall under the good not grest category--like Om21s, they are brighter, I think. As you discovered, HD28vs rumble like a freight train; like your OM, its got a low end that wont quit, which great in some contexts, but not exactly a win-win for fingerstyle. If I may, I'd suggest that you evaluate each model - and each guitar - on its own merits. Perceived tendencies are one thing; actual performance quite another. Play the thing and decide; just 'cause a certain model ought to do certain things doesn't mean that it will. Or won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Ha, Mr Rambler, that Skip D28 sounded not one single thing like Neil's Hank D28! Like it still! I managed to record a test track of the stuff I envisage playing on said D28, not blues at all. I discovered I can get a 'sort of' sound I was wanting from my 59 Gibson LG3 with new Elixir strings and my G7 Newport Capo on the 3rd fret, as mentioned in the G7 Capo thread..... I may have captured a touch of what I mean with the strums where it gets a nice woody blur thing... I was perusing my little harem of geetars and I don't have one single piece with Rosewood B/S......never owned one and only played the ones in the shop. I have a few perfect fingerpicking blues guitars, so I am venturing off the dotted line a bit...... BluesKing777. The sound sample doesn't sound like a style that is particularly evocative of a D-28 to me. Sounds more suited to a smaller body. If you wanted rosewood B&S sides for this, I might think of something like a OOO-28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 If I may, I'd suggest that you evaluate each model - and each guitar - on its own merits. Perceived tendencies are one thing; actual performance quite another. Play the thing and decide; just 'cause a certain model ought to do certain things doesn't mean that it will. Or won't. Just my words - The 3 steps - 28, HD-28 and HD-28V are pretty significant, but like G's the models differ from ex to ex. (I still have 2 HD-28V's). You should count the D-35 in as well - at least give it a try when you run across one. The main difference between 28 and HD-28 is of course the scalloped bracing. The V takes that one step further by being forward shifted. Mmmmm, , , could probably appear too rumbly, who knows. And then keep an ear on the bass strings after they fade to normal. Have to say my V is almost too rubber-like and rounded - simply not enough steel/brass compared to the Gibsons. In fact this have become a bit of a problem as I like semi-old and old strings. . . Look forward to follow the hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livemusic Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I own a lot of guitars, more Gibsons than anything, but several Martins. My 2010 D28 is a great guitar, it's my favorite of my Martins. Each time I play it, I say Geez, this is a really great guitar! With that Martin sound. Which I also like. My guitar is also beautiful, a 1931 (I think that is the year) sunburst. Gorgeous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebob Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 My HD-28 is now 14 years old and has opened up very nice. It's a cannon of a guitar. The 28-series line compliments Gibson very well -- in other words, they are different from Gibsons, with maybe the exception of the AJ. Scooped mids, heavy bass and trebles. They are a very good compliment to a Gibby J45 or J200 as they have a completely different sound. I almost traded my HD-28 awhile back to fund my J-200 purchase, but knew I would regret it and kept it -- glad I did. The one thing about my HD-28 -- it can be overly bassy when stummed hard. As I've aged, my tastes have gravitated toward the balance of mahogany over rosewood. The D-18V is a slightly better guitar for me for this very reason -- tonal balance. That said -- you can't go wrong with a 28-series Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Ha ha ha... This is what happens here on the forum, because now I need a d28, a hd28, a hd28v and now also a 000-28 and a d18v! The d28 local that I have Not played yet is 1000 bucks cheaper than the hd28v that I played. I really would like both scalloped and non-scalloped, so here we go again.... Small stuff I know, but I don't like the look of the rotomatics, but the ones on my J45 standard work very well. I do tend to like standard guitars and I like the straight bracing sound on my LG3. Oh, the shop is closed until Wednesday........ BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Ha, Mr Rambler, that Skip D28 sounded not one single thing like Neil's Hank D28! Like it still!. Skip's 28 is one of the later std issues with the straight bracing and a more, uh, direct sound. The Neil/Hank job is one of the coveted 30s Herringbone Brz rw jobs. The HD28v, D40s and marquis series are the ones you need for that sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 .... The main difference between 28 and HD-28 is of course the scalloped bracing. The V takes that one step further by being forward shifted. Mmmmm, , , could probably appear too rumbly, who knows. ...... I'm not really into Martins but this explains what I hear. My D28EP is scalloped and I like it better than standards. I played a '60 D21 last week that really sound great (but needed a neck reset) and the owner said he thought the rosewood bridge toned it down a little which was gave it the great sound plus the Brazilian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Personally i find the D-28 the worlds most over rated guitar. To my ears its too single dimensional with a dark and boomy tone. The only ones ive cared for were 50,s brazilian models which were much more balanced and sparkly in tone. I find the 40 series Martin dreads much more appealing for their high end shimmer, while Ive come to conclusion my recently purchased J -40 is the best Martin ive come across as it has the high end shimmer, great note seperation and balance from the jumbo body shape. A grand fingerpicker, which is the main purpose for the purchase. If you want to play some top shelf D-28s drop into Twangy central which has a couple 50s specimens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Personally i find the D-28 the worlds most over rated guitar. To my ears its too single dimensional with a dark and boomy tone. The only ones ive cared for were 50,s brazilian models which were much more balanced and sparkly in tone. I find the 40 series Martin dreads much more appealing for their high end shimmer, while Ive come to conclusion my recently purchased J -40 is the best Martin ive come across as it has the high end shimmer, great note seperation and balance from the jumbo body shape. A grand fingerpicker, which is the main purpose for the purchase. If you want to play some top shelf D-28s drop into Twangy central which has a couple 50s specimens. Thanks EA, but I don't want to spend as much as that - just want the basic second hand d28, or V that someone has finished breaking in, just for me! And I do prefer small guitars, but want one of these to experiment and also for music history purposes.... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hojo199 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I have to have a D28 and always have. A Les Paul, a Strat and a D28. That's the basis. Of course, that was years ago when I played for a living and could not afford a collection. Now, good luck prying my J45 out of my hands.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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