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  #1  
Old 03-31-2006, 04:53 PM
leeplaysblues leeplaysblues is offline
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Default Martin - differences between Hxx and HDxx in same series

A little GAS starting ......
Hope this isn't a dumb question ....
I was looking at the Martin range and noticed the 18 series up comes designated D or HD.

Can someone explain the differences, do they play or sound different, is the HD worth the extra $$$?
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Old 03-31-2006, 05:00 PM
Freeman Freeman is offline
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This question was just asked re: D28/HD28. Short answer is the the H designated the herringbone trim, but there are differences in the braces. Kimsey's site has some nice pics

Martin bracing

The Martin site will fill in some of the other differences, including price cause I'm not allowed to say, and your ears will tell you if it is worth the difference.

However, I'm not up to date on all the Martin models but I don't remember an HD-18. 28 for sure but I don't know about mahogany. Within the 18 line the GE is a pretty special guitar, and the Authentic has a lot of people gassing...

But, again, only your ears can tell....
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Old 03-31-2006, 05:06 PM
tbv58 tbv58 is offline
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The H stands for Herringbone. I'm not sure on the 18 series but in the 28 series there is a significant difference in tone. The HD28 much louder and better bass IMO.

I believe the difference in sound is due to the different bracing techniques. The Martin website does a good job at summarizing the differences among models.
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Old 03-31-2006, 05:15 PM
Fstpicker Fstpicker is offline
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As said above, the "H" designation refers to the Herringbone trim around the body. These came out several years ago as an attempt to return to the pre-war scalloped bracing and the Herringbone-trimmed Dreadnaughts that Martin used to make before WWII. However, the "H" models also have the scalloped bracing that the regular D-28's and D-35's don't have. I've only heard of one HD-18 out there and it was a special model (Jimmy Buffet?) made a few years ago. Otherwise, only the 28 and the 35 have the "H" designation in their model line. The D-35 and the HD-35 both have 1/4" top bracing whereas the D-28 and the HD-28 have the slightly thicker 5/16" top bracing.

Hope this helps you some.

Jeff
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Old 03-31-2006, 06:14 PM
CitizenAudio CitizenAudio is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leeplaysblues
A little GAS starting ......
Hope this isn't a dumb question ....
I was looking at the Martin range and noticed the 18 series up comes designated D or HD.

Can someone explain the differences, do they play or sound different, is the HD worth the extra $$$?
some people prefer the regular d-28s and d-35s over the herribone models. generally though people can hear the difference to justify the extra cost. the scalloped bracing creates a bit more bass and a very different tone.
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Old 03-31-2006, 09:21 PM
MattM MattM is offline
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The scalloped bracing (like on the D-41) on the HD models is shaved down, so that the top can vibrate more freely, giving more bass "thump" - kind of a more broken in sound. Some people think the regular bracing pattern sounds better once it is well played and broken in (it's a big debate).
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