resolved

[awesomepser]

resolved. . . . . . . . . . .

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by awesomepser

...Can anyone compare the 00042 to the 00028vs in playability and tone ? THanksssssss

Hi awesomepser...

Sure. You can…and should! This about you playing a guitar with your style and preferred action, and your ears and hands...not ours.

Any opinion we give is based on us playing with our style and touch, our ears etc. Yours are the ones which count, right?

If you are spending that much money, you need to get it right.

[la palma C]

My personal preference would be the 28, but the VS is a much different guitar than the standard Martin 000. I hope you are aware of the differences going into this purchase.

But for me, all that abalone "bling" will never be worth the upcharge. I hate bling.

[Landru]

The 42 is much more than bling, but the bling is rather light and some say the 42 top bling gives a superior isolation to the top, producing superior tone.

[rmyAddison]

Very different guitars. The 28vs is darker and woodier with a wider nut and beefier Mod V neck. The 000-42 is brighter with more harmonics/overtones, and yes 40 series Martins are not just bling, they have a different sound than the 28's, coming from somone who has owned many 28 and 40 series Martins over many years.

Better is personal preference, both are great guitars, but they sound nothing alike.

[ferganzo]

Completely differnt animals:

14-fret, 24.9" scale, 1 3/4 nut, 2 1/4" at 12th fret
vs

12-fret, 25.4" scale, 1 13/16 nut, 2 5/16" at 12th fret.

Very different sounding.

I play my 000-42 a lot. A real lot. Everything about it is pleasing and comfortable.

But, when I grab the 000-42VS Koa, that deep voice just intoxicates me. It does some things real well (again, the tone just makes fingerpicking sound great) and some things not as well (the wider string space makes some types of strumming not quite as pleasing). The slightly wider nut takes a little getting used to (from a quick movement perspective) if your not familiar.

I'd suggest giving an OM a try, as well.

Ps. I don't get the I hate bling crowd. While there can be too much bling, a -42 series guitar is tasteful.

[la palma C]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

and yes 40 series Martins are not just bling, they have a different sound than the 28's, coming from somone who has owned many 28 and 40 series Martins over many years.

Good points guys. I have mischaracterized the 40 series as just an inlay upgrade overthe 28 series guitars. Due to my distaste for the styling, I failed to point out the tonal differences.

However, I think we all agree that these are vastly different guitars, in terms of tone, playability, and appearance.

@ Awesomepser: Didn't you post a topic a couple weeks ago asking what guitar to buy with $4000 or so? I think maybe your approach to guitar buying is a bit hasty. Most players spend years playing and developing preferences in build specs, and then go out seeking higher end guitars that possess those characteristics they prefer before spending that much money. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't spend some time playing different guitars and decide what nut width, scale length, neck profile, tone woods, etc, etc, etc best meet your needs.

[rmyAddison]

Followup, the price for the 000-42 is a little high too, it should be $3400 unless it is perfect with zero player wear.

I agree with checking out OM's too, to me Martin's most versatile model.

[Mountain Fever]

I had a chance to play the 000-28VS the other night at GC. I have not played the 000-42 so this is more about what the 000-28VS was like.

I found the sound very balanced with a noticeable range of notes. In other words...the lower register was moderately deep and the higher register was moderately bright. There was a 'harmony' or sorts with the guitar not leaning towards being overly bright or overly dark.

The one thing that leaps out a bit if you have hands that are somewhat beat up by time and sports is that covering a 1-13/16" nut width is real work. Having said that, if you are predominately a fingerpicker it might be the perfect fit. For me, even though I have Mod V shapes and a 1-13/16" for my 000-18, the new comfortable seems to be 1-3/4" with a low profile.

I would be hard-pressed to think that you would be disappointed with either model if it is a good 'fit' for you.

[Glennwillow]

I don't know what to recommend, and I agree that playing these guitars is worth the effort considering the cost. I also agree with the comments that have been offered here by obviously knowledgeable owners and players. My own experience and opinions, as an owner of a Martin 000-28VS and someone who has played several 000-42 guitars, are in agreement.

The 000-28VS is a very warm sounding guitar and without a capo, lacks some of the upper-end sparkle typical of the 000-42 guitars I have played. But when I put a capo on the 000-28VS, 2nd fret and higher, there is a wonderful high-end sparkle in my 000-28VS. I think once the capo is on and some of the lower-end resonances are eliminated from the overall response, the higher frequencies start to show up.

The short scale of the 000-42 could be a plus or a minus depending on your playing style and song choices. The 000-28VS, as already mentioned, has a long scale. It also has that 1 13/16" nut width and mod-V neck, already mentioned. The neck on the 000-42 is a little easier to handle if a person has medium to small size hands.

I once played a custom version of the 000-28VS at a recent AGF gathering and I liked it even better than my 000-28VS. It had a 1 3/4" nut width and standard Martin C-shaped neck. I found it much easier to play and would have gladly traded my 000-28VS for this custom version. Still, I like my 000-28VS and have mostly gotten used to the neck and fretboard width.

Regarding bling, it's all personal, of course, but I like the bling of the Martin 42 series guitars. I'm OK with the herringbone binding on the 000-28VS, too.

They are both very, very nice guitars but as has been stated, they are quite different in both playability and in terms of tonal response.

- Glenn

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

Originally Posted by awesomepser

I am planning to get one of them, a mint 00042 for $3600 or a mint 00028vs for $2300.
Can anyone compare the 00042 to the 00028vs in playability and tone ? THanksssssss

I have owned both these models as well as the 000-28EC Eric Clapton model (BTW, there is zero tonal difference between the 000-42 and the 000-28EC) and the biggest difference is the scale, long for the OM-28V and short for the 000-42. The longer scale will offer more projection while the shorter scale will sound a bit warmer and will be easier to play. There are other subtle, very subtle differences but those are the main ones.
　
If you like the tone of the 000-42 and don't need the bling than you can just get a used Clapton model for the same $2300 but I tell you what, that abalone on the 42-series sure looks great and I swear it helps the tone.

[ukejon]

Those are pretty great prices for both of those guitars!