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  #31  
Old 01-26-2011, 03:57 PM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
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As a Gibson guy I have to say I love the (H)D-35. Great guitar.
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  #32  
Old 01-26-2011, 03:58 PM
drbluegrass drbluegrass is offline
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I pretty much agree with everything that's been said above. However, I've owned 2 D-35s (a late 60's and an early 70's) over the years and really liked them both. As you can see from my sig I'm a hard core Collings guy now, but Martin still makes some great guitars. And there are times I think the D-35 gets a bad rap. It does produce more bass but perhaps not to the extent that is sometimes characterized. Being a bluegrass flatpicker I have a slight preference for hog dreads, followed closely by rose dreads. But don't just dismiss a D-35 without playing one. I suspicion that there have been a number of D-35s with great tone summarily overlooked because someone told a prospective buyer they were too "bass-ey". Play one and decide for yourself.


Tom
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  #33  
Old 07-25-2014, 06:56 AM
zalzan zalzan is offline
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Default Finally got a D-35

Spent about three months in several stores trying all the rosewood Martins in there from custom guitar center ones to the HD-35. It came down to a D-35 that had been hanging high in a corner for a year with dead strings, and a newer D-28 with new strings. The D-35 was louder and had more tonal variation when played in different positions from bridge to fretboard. This really jumped out at me. The fact that a guitar with dead strings had such great projection and sustain won me over, and I believed it would be more amazing with new strings, so I bought it, threw on Medium elixirs (phosphor), and I had found my new orchestra.

The one response I have to the "muddy" critique is this: consider pianos. If you have an upright bar piano and a steinway grand, what would happen if you played both with just as much force? I can answer because I have done this. The upright will sound awesome, while The Steinway will sound like muddy garbage unless you really work the pedals. Bottom line: if you expect the instrument to adapt to your playing style, you are looking at it all wrong. With a great guitar you have to be willing to adjust, and in my case, I am glad to be able to use less effort to get a full sound. I also have to shift a bit toward the bridge if I want less bass. C'est La Vie.

On youtube I see alot of amateurs with really good guitars, which is fine, but too often they are "beating" the strings, not strumming, and this will make any good guitar sound muddy. The best videos on youtube btw are from the Acoustic Letter and also from that guy Jarvis in Singapore..I think it's the Guitar Spa of Singapore. When these professionals play/demo guitars, you don't EVER hear anything muddy sounding. Jarvis especially you can see adapting to the guitars he plays to let them speak with their own voice instead of the force of his strum.

Bottom line: any guitar will sound muddy if you play it harder than is necessary.

Last edited by zalzan; 07-25-2014 at 07:04 AM.
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  #34  
Old 07-25-2014, 09:12 AM
oxygenman oxygenman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
People who play mostly by themselves tend to like the D-35's more than those who play mostly in groups. The lighter top bracing of the D-35 makes for a fatter tone, which is great when playing solo, but in a group setting they typically do not "cut" or project over the other instruments as well as a D-28.

In turn, because of its rosewood back and sides, the harmonically richer tone of a D-28 doesn't "cut" as well as the mahogany D-18.

You'll see plenty both D-28's and D-18's in use in bluegrass bands, but D-35's are a lot less common. It's not because of some odd, inexplicable snobbery or (as I've seen suggested) "bluegrass tradition," but because D-35's typically can't be heard as well over the clatter of a fullbore bluegrass band as those other two models.


Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller
I posed this question myself a couple of years ago and got a similar answer from Wade, and my ear has learned to believe what he says here.
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  #35  
Old 07-25-2014, 12:06 PM
scottishrogue scottishrogue is offline
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Cool D-35 vs D-28??

I haven't played a D-28 since I bought my D-35. I has a Piezo passive pickup and it's everything I need it to be, with Martin "Silk & Steel" strings! I think the 3-piece back adds to the tone.

If I need something brighter, I'll play my Martin 0000-28H, which also has a passive pickup. Still plenty of base, but well balanced across the tonal spectrum.

Glen
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  #36  
Old 07-25-2014, 12:32 PM
kydave kydave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
People who play mostly by themselves tend to like the D-35's more than those who play mostly in groups. The lighter top bracing of the D-35 makes for a fatter tone, which is great when playing solo, but in a group setting they typically do not "cut" or project over the other instruments as well as a D-28.

In turn, because of its rosewood back and sides, the harmonically richer tone of a D-28 doesn't "cut" as well as the mahogany D-18.

You'll see plenty both D-28's and D-18's in use in bluegrass bands, but D-35's are a lot less common. It's not because of some odd, inexplicable snobbery or (as I've seen suggested) "bluegrass tradition," but because D-35's typically can't be heard as well over the clatter of a fullbore bluegrass band as those other two models.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller
We'll have to agree to disagree on a couple of points in this one.

Many solo artists over the years have preferred the traditional, proven sound of the D-28 over the johnny-come-lately marketing department driven raison d'etre D-35. Plenty rich to accompany the voice...

As well, a good D-28 has all the cut a D-18 has, PLUS some additional, but balanced fullness. LOTS of D-28's used as a lead guitar. Back in the day, the D-18 was more sought after due to simple economics. If a guy could afford the extra, he got a D-28; if not, the D-18.

IMO, but not my opinion alone, the use of 1/4" bracing is just a bad choice for a dreadnought.

The D-35 was introduced to use up smaller pieces of the dwindling supply of Brazilian. The changes were introduced to make it less obvious that that was the main reason.

IMO, and that of more than a few people I've encountered over many decades of playing Martins...

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  #37  
Old 07-26-2014, 04:54 AM
Mr Bojangles Mr Bojangles is offline
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I have a D-28 (a couple), a D-35, and a D-18 (2011). I play bluegrass, and play folk and country solo. The D-28 is by far my favorite. But I do enjoy the others, too. The D-35 has the best bass response, the D-18 has a certain crispness and sweet tone, and the D-28's seem to have that combination of qualities that I am looking for, like good bass and treble, volume, punch, note separation, and tone. I would surely hate to have to part with any of them, but I do find that the D-28's get the majority of playing time.
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