J-200 Koa Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 I have been looking at a Martin 000-28EC recently. Beautiful guitar, smaller body, nice 1-3/4" nut and shorter scale. Almost the opposite of my Gibson Super Jumbos: large body, long scale and booming sound. The sound part is what I'm concerned with. The Martin is new...maybe 6 months old....and hopefully has not opened up yet. I realize it will never sound like a Super Jumbo but should I expect more from this smaller body with a little more time or am I too accustomed to the SJ-200 tone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 For my second acoustic (the first is a J-100) I chose an OM, precisely because of the contrast it offered with the super jumbo. It's a nice alternative voice IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Wilson Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've played a few. Clapton says it's the best acoustic he's ever heard. I'll just have to disagree with him. The Blues King, Epiphone EL00, and The Gibson Robert Johnson signature all sound better. My next Gibson will actually be either the Robert Johnson model or a J200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august_reader Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I have both of those guitars, the 000-28EC and the SJ-200. Also a D35 and a 0-18. The Clapton guitar sure sounded good when I played it at the vendor's booth at Winfield, but I really dont care for it now. It sounds too anemic. The other Martins are great guitars and the SJ-200 I cant put down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayla Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 My next Gibson will actually be either the Robert Johnson model... Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I'm not a Martin 000-28 fan. I too find them a bit cold and thin sounding, I MUCH prefer the OM models or the 000-18. For some reason, to my ears the Hog back and sides work much better on small bodies than RW. I had an OM18V vintage series (or whatever Martin's nomenclature for their True Vintage equivalent is) and it was a stunning guitar-full, warm, feathery but with rounded, bell-like trebles. I loved everything about that guitar, apart from that big ol' V-neck...it was like trying to play an ocean liner! In the end I just couldn't adapt to it, and ended up selling it to finance my Hummingbird. The feeling of going back to a Gibson neck after playing the QE2 for a few months was like sinking into the comfiest, most broken-in pair of favourite old shoes you could imagine. Bliss! Gibson necks just fall into my hand like I was born clutching one :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I have to say that the only Martin I have ever really enjoyed playing was a 000-28EC. Probably because it has a 1.75" nut width like my Taylors and very similar to my Gibby. In answer to your question about the sound part, all I can say is that my first good guitar was my 1993 Taylor 612C which is a small Grand Concert size. Slightly bigger than a parlor size guitar but a full 25.5" scale, Sitka/Maple wood guitar. I can tell you after owning the same guitar for the last 15+ years, it certainly has opened up and I have a very full sounding small box. I have had dreadnaught players look at it, play it and say they have never heard such a sweet sounding "little" guitar. (Then they usually go over to my guitar cases, grab my Gibson AJ and not let anyone else use it the rest of the night... In reality, it does sound fuller than many of the newer guitars I have tried including several Dread models. That said, if the sound and tone is not to your liking now, I wouldn't want to wait and "Hope" it opens up. There are so many great small body guitars out there right now that I am sure you can find one that suits your tonal taste. My preference would likely be to find an older small body Gibby like the previously mentioned Robert Johnson or a nice Nick Lucas (Sure that's going to happen some day... ). I am also going to say, try out a few Taylors in the GC size. Any of the X12 series (312,412,512,612,712,812,912) are all the same size but just different wood/appointments. I love the 612 due to the Maple tone but some might prefer the sound of a rosewood 712. As a Taylor/Gibson lover, I think the two are meant to be together in the same "Stable". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclemac Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I love Martins. BUT A 000-28EC should sound loud, open, and robust. If it doesn't, something's wrong. The Martin folks always say about Gibson's: "You've got to look them over." Good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMELEYE Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I've compared Martin's EC with their OM 28V and much prefer the OM for its clarity, depth and overall volume. That said I've recently re fallen in love with my Bourgeois Vintage OM (adi/rw). Ce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Wilson Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I'm not much of a Martin guy. I played a Koa one time I kinda liked, but have played a few since that were not as good. The only one I've ever played that was really nice was a D-45. And I've always been a Johnny Cash fan, go figure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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