brannon67 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Like alot of you, I love Gibson acoustics, but I feel the need to get a Martin for sometning different. Im looking at a HD28 model. What do you guys think of the HD28 model? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Like alot of you, I love Gibson acoustics, but I feel the need to get a Martin for sometning different. Im looking at a HD28 model. What do you guys think of the HD28 model? The HD28 is a great guitar; if you're looking for the D28 sound, check out the HD28V. To me, even a better guitar, both in looks and sound. The only hang-up could be if you didn't like the V neck, which I find to be very comfortable. Definitely worth the extra money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I really like Martin mahogany models but have a strong dislike for their rosewood counterparts. Personally I find the HD-28 far too dark and unbalanced, together with poor note seperation and bass focus is deal breaker for me. If I was to buy a rosewood Martin I would look towards Collings instead, as to my ears they take the best of Martin and provide balance, note seperation and responsiveness, together with the Martin inspired power. I would get a Collings D2H personally if I wanted a HD-28 'territory' tone. But I do understand the desire to have a 'change up' from Gibson, and thats where my Furch comes in which sounds a lot like a OM18-v but with more balance. My 2cents worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejtl Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I was heavily considering an HD28 when I recently purchased my Advanced Jumbo. I just couldn't fall in love with one, and I played several. I agree with the above statement about the balance. The low mids seemed off. I did like the openness though. I was about to pull the trigger on the J-45 over the HD28 when I tried the AJ and it had all the balance of the HD28 with better centering of tone overall. If I were you, I'd try an AJ vs. the HD28 and see what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brannon67 Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Cool, thanks for the advice. Well, I will always love Gibson, but I want at least one good Martin to play sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Martin makes a really fine guitar. The only guitar I have ever considered trading one of my favorite Gibsons for was a 1950s Martin D-18. One of the best Martins I have ever played. In the end I chickened out but still wonder if I should have made the move. When it comes to a big box guitar, like EuroAussie I tend to prefer a mahogany body over rosewood. And I love chunky soft V necks. The Martin that I am interested in checking out is the 00-28VS - 12 fret slothead with a 1 3/4" nut. Sounds downright yummy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danner Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Best of both worlds, a beautify Gibson workhorse thumper and big Martin strummer. It's like blondes and brunettes, get both :D By the way, the signature Martin sounds seems to be trending to the 5/16" scalloped and forward shifted bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 The Martin that I am interested in checking out is the 00-28VS - 12 fret slothead with a 1 3/4" nut. Sounds downright yummy. I have it's little brother, the 0-28VS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratch47 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I have it's little brother, the 0-28VS. Man that is sweet, Parlourman. Does that have the advanced prewar bracing? I've owned a couple Martins and thought they were nice. A D-35 I once owned was a real sweetheart but not up to par with my J-45r. If I were to buy another Martin dred, it would be a D-18V; a more preferable choice, an 000-18 since I'm into Mahogany as my tonewood-of-choice. Smaller bodies feel much more comfy these days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 ...... Well, I will always love Gibson, but I want at least one good Martin to play sometimes. HD28 is a very nice guitar. I'm looking forward to seeing which Martin you pick out. Good luck in the hunt. . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParlourMan Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Man that is sweet, Parlourman. Does that have the advanced prewar bracing? I believe so.... but I've never checked with a mirror or anything. Sounds great, but definitely more of a picker than a strummer. I've owned a couple Martins and thought they were nice. A D-35 I once owned was a real sweetheart but not up to par with my J-45r. If I were to buy another Martin dred, it would be a D-18V; a more preferable choice, an 000-18 since I'm into Mahogany as my tonewood-of-choice. Smaller bodies feel much more comfy these days... They do make some lovely guitars. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Someone posted a link to a "new" model D-18 with 1 3/4" nut.....I think D-18 is the "Flagship" of the Martin line, and like others, I find it a much nicer sound than the D-28...good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markini Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I prefer mahogany guitars too. I owned three Martins a GC custom built to there specs, A HD -28 (herringbone) and an Eric Clapton signature small body. All of them had good tone, but I could never get used to that 'V' neck. They also did not lend themselves to sing alongs like my Birds. Eventually over time I got rid of all of them. Something about rosewood guitars sound kind of Janglely (just invented that word). But all three guitars had very good projection. Story: Was in a GC in the acoustic room, there were three men in there passing around guitars. I said you want to hear a good guitar? They said yes, I played a HD 28 for them which sounded pretty darn good, then I took a Bird off the wall and played it, all three said the Hummer was better sounding to them, not a valid poll I know, but I ended up buying the Hummingbird, even though I had no intention of buying a guitar when I went in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogsPart2 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Love em both. At this time, I am Martinless, however I have owned an HD28 as well as HD28V in the past. Both excellent, the HD28V as stellar. Now, I prefer the shorter scale of by Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I have it's little brother, the 0-28VS. Oh yeah, that might work just as well. I be envious - very, very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 While I don't own any Martins, a good number of vintage Martins do come through my home and, as is obvious, Martin makes a great guitar. Here's my comparison of a 1925 00-18 with my 1931 Gibson L-2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMlXoPoKKgg Those are both mahogany guitars. Here's a comparison of two rosewood guitars: my 1920 Maurer 551 with a 1929 000-28: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Ee6vN9nIE The Martin rosewood dreads are bass heavy by design and that serves well when playing that classic G run in bluegrass. In other contexts, Martin rosewood 00s and 000s can be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Every D-18GE I've ever played sounded astounding. I prefer mahogany guitars, too, but if you're going to go with rosewood, I think something like a D-28 or D-28V is a surer bet. That said, I once owned a Larrivee D-60 that sounded really fine. Fortunately, there are a lot of great guitars out there. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day and only so much money.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 While I don't own any Martins, a good number of vintage Martins do come through my home and, as is obvious, Martin makes a great guitar. Here's my comparison of a 1925 00-18 with my 1931 Gibson L-2: Those are both mahogany guitars. Here's a comparison of two rosewood guitars: my 1920 Maurer 551 with a 1929 000-28: The Martin rosewood dreads are bass heavy by design and that serves well when playing that classic G run in bluegrass. In other contexts, Martin rosewood 00s and 000s can be perfect. JT, I watched these before, but had to do it again. To my ear, the L-2 is a clear favorite between the small mahogany guitars. Not so simple with the rosewood guitars--the Maurer really has a unique voice--but it's hard to beat that 000-28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogsPart2 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Do not overlook Guild. I have a 2008 D55 that is as good if not better than any of the D28s (HD28, HD28V and D28 Clarence White) I have owned. Gratuitous pic of my Guild with the Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 JT, I watched these before, but had to do it again. To my ear, the L-2 is a clear favorite between the small mahogany guitars. Not so simple with the rosewood guitars--the Maurer really has a unique voice--but it's hard to beat that 000-28. Nick, you've got good ears (which is to say that your ears agree with my ears). I don't think anyone has ever made a finer mahogany fingerstyle guitar than the 1931 L-2. Regarding Larsons, I wish that every picker could play one. By my estimate, the Larson brothers made fewer total instruments -- guitars, mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos -- than Martin made prewar D-18s. Of those approximately 1,500 instruments, only 500 to 750 survive today (my guess). These are sublime instruments that, to my ears, split the difference between Martins and Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 The general sense I have about Martin's is that they tend to be very articulate. Each note a little gem. But they don't always sing pretty together (chords). A gang of solo singers vs a choir. The effect varies, depending on build: less evident on RW (sustain covers it up), quite evident on the hogs. And the smaller the box, the more pronounced the separation. (Funny, I keep looking for ways to justify having a Martin in the fold, but very time I talk about 'em...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarrr Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Rambler, you comments are right on, the solo vs choir thing is a good way of saying it. I've owned two D28s, two HD28s, and currently have a 2002 HD28V. The hybrid braced HD28 has a almost baritone deep tone at times and can get muddy when played hard. The forward braced HD28v is the best of both worlds, the v neck can be an issue. They are like the classic Gibsons, when you find a good one its special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sternfan Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I've found that I love Gibson dreads and Martin small bodies (Gibson small bodies do nothing for me). Here's my favorite Martin: It's basically a 000 28, except with an Italian Spruce top (Clapton Bellezza Nera). Great guitar with exceptional playability and sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Absolutely stunning-looking Negro-Nera.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I love Gibson dreads and Martin small bodies (Gibson smalls do nothing for me). My favorite Martin=00028: That's cool, SF, except I wouldnt call a grand concert a small body. About concert-size Gibsons, it's true they dont have a lot of resonance. What they do have a funky bite that works for old time music, but that's not everyone's cup of tea. R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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