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  #1  
Old 08-08-2010, 03:19 PM
hdsteele hdsteele is offline
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Default Martin 00028VS?

Anyone have thoughts or comments on the tone and playability of a Martin 00028VS? I've never had the pportunity to play one before. Sitka over EIR, Standard X scalloped spruce bracing, 25.4 scale, 12 fret. Thanks in advance!

Last edited by hdsteele; 08-08-2010 at 03:42 PM.
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Old 08-08-2010, 04:37 PM
J Patrick J Patrick is offline
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...i have owned one...it had all the qualities one should expect in a 000 12 fret..great string to string balance....thick trebles....surprising volume and bass response and the ability to be very touch sensitive while maintaining a good deal of headroom...very full and rich sounding with a lot of versatility....kinda like a bigger sounding OM....
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Old 08-08-2010, 05:53 PM
Frederico Frederico is offline
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I don't own nor play one yet. But I'm looking forward to it. I've ordered one after hearing the user reviews and audio clips online. I have confidence that it'd be a nice guitar. I'll report back when it arrives, expected to be next month
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Old 08-08-2010, 06:05 PM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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I have owned a Martin 000-28VS since Dec, 2006. I looked all over the USA to find one I could play somewhere, but only found one in stock. I ordered the guitar, thinking I'd return it if it didn't sound great, but I never returned it.

I did take it to the technician I have used for 30+ years to have him dial in the action a little better (ie, lower the action), and from that point on, I have really appreciated this guitar.

It has a fairly warm sound, but played higher on the fretboard it also has plenty of brightness in the treble. But the bass coloration of the sound because of the longer body, larger top and location of the bridge all make for a very warm sounding guitar. It's great for blues, jazz, fingerstyle playing of all types, and it also sounds very good in DADGAD, with none of that metallic sound you can get in DADGAD. The 12-fret design can be a little limiting depending on what you are playing and how far up the fretboard you have to go. Once you put a capo on, the 12-fret guitar can be extremely limiting. The nut width is 1 13/16", kind of wide and the neck is a modified V, kind of thick, so some people are going to have trouble with this. I have to go through a little adjustment whenever I play this guitar, but for me, it's not a big deal.

I played a dreadnought 12-fret Martin recently, an HD-28VS, and it sounded very, very similar to my 000-28VS. The dreadnought has maybe a bigger sound, probably a little more bass, but the similarity of tone is quite uncanny. I decided I didn't need to invest in the HD-28VS when I already have the 000-28VS. They are just too similar.

I was playing Al Petteway's "Smoky Mountain Morning" on this guitar in DADGAD yesterday morning and it really sounded great. Here's a link to Joost playing this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6QQNZ9zcc0 There is a part in the song where Al wrote in a frailing, old-time banjo kind of playing that you'd think would work best on a big guitar, but on the 000-28VS, it had huge punch, as if this really were a larger guitar.

I use a thumb pick and bare fingers, but this video sounds like what I am used to hearing except there is a lot of extraneous string noise... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuCJD...eature=related This video is not bad, either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUq3F...eature=related

Regards, Glenn

Last edited by Glennwillow; 08-09-2010 at 01:47 PM. Reason: Added clarifications
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  #5  
Old 08-08-2010, 06:53 PM
ewalling ewalling is offline
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How does the 1 13/16" nut width feel?

P.S. Sorry Glenn, I see you've already answered that.
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  #6  
Old 08-08-2010, 10:41 PM
mesa mesa is offline
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I played one few years ago and really liked it.... hoping to pick one up sometime this year.

Here's a clip from Maury's

http://i.b5z.net/i/u/1530927/f/Martin_000-28VS.wmv
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  #7  
Old 08-09-2010, 07:19 AM
lw216316 lw216316 is offline
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Quote:
The nut width is 1 13/16", kind of wide and the neck is a modified V, kind of thick, so some people are going to have trouble with this. I have to go through a little adjustment whenever I play this guitar, but for me, it's not a big deal.
My advice is ...
if you can't find a 000-28vs to test,
then at least find something with a 1 13/16 wide nut-
it may be too wide to please you...

and especially -
at least find something that has a mod-v neck profile to test
some people really like mod-v, some people really don't

If you tend to play 'classical' style (not necessarily classical music)
with your thumb in the middle of the back of the neck
then you might not like the mod-v.

Play some barre chords on a mod-v and see how it feels to you.
...Try to play for 10 minutes if you can-
to see if the mod-v will begin to give you trouble.

If you tend to play using 'thumb wrap' instead of barre chords
then you will probably be very happy with a mod-v -

I play 'classical' style and use a lot of barre chords and my
thumb is usually in the middle of the back of the neck.
The mod-v profile will cause me pain after just a few mintues of playing.

I once tried a true V - very sharp V point-
I could not get through one song it hurt so bad.

I have a small hand with short fingers- so thumb wrap does not work
for me- anyway I learned to play using classical style and that's all I've ever known.

It is possible to custom order a 000-28vs with a low-profile neck.


- Larry
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  #8  
Old 08-09-2010, 11:09 AM
Mountain Fever Mountain Fever is offline
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As stated, the nut width could be an issue...especially when coupled with a Mod V profile.

A couple of options that are really close in looks and sound might be the HD-28VS which is just about the same guitar with 1-3/4" nut (Same Mod V) and the body depth will be 4-7/8" vs. 4-1/8". The HD-28VS is a very nice sounding guitar, just slightly louder on the lower end. Another choice might be the Larrivee 000-60, which is the same nut width at 1-13/16"...but the neck profile is more of a low profile or rounded which makes it play easier to me. At 4.5" thick, it is kind of falls in-between the two Martin choices.

I am mostly a Martin guy these days, but I can tell you the neck profile on my Larrivee is far more comfortable than the Mod V is which appears on countless Martins.
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  #9  
Old 08-09-2010, 12:03 PM
lw216316 lw216316 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mountain Fever View Post
As stated, the nut width could be an issue...especially when coupled with a Mod V profile.

. Another choice might be the Larrivee 000-60, which is the same nut width at 1-13/16"...but the neck profile is more of a low profile or rounded which makes it play easier to me. At 4.5" thick, it is kind of falls in-between the two Martin choices.

I am mostly a Martin guy these days, but I can tell you the neck profile on my Larrivee is far more comfortable than the Mod V is which appears on countless Martins.
I own the Larrivee 000-60 and much prefer it to the Martin 000-28vs.
It is NOT a Martin in TONE -
so you would want to try it - or something similar in tone -
I had a Larrivee SD-50 - and it is very similar ( the SD-60 is similar) to the 000-60 in tone.

- Larry
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Larrivee 000-60 12 fret slot head
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