Martin 1937 Authentic D28 vs. other boutique brands

[fretfile100]

I recognize that Martin. Exquisite instrument!

[bluesman1148]

Originally Posted by brencat

Never played a Madi Authentic Aged, but have played the non-aged Madi versions and a few of the new EIR Custom shop versions. Also used to own an OM-28 Authentic years ago.

Personally, I don't like Madi. It's too dry sounding to my ears. I much prefer EIR which is a lot more reverby, sustainy, and vibrant. During a visit to TME back in November, I got to play a bunch of the new EIR Custom D-28As -- they had Aged and non-Aged, along with a real non-aged Madi D-28A. My favorites were the new EIR D-28A Aged ones which were wonderful! The non-aged Madi D-28A was kind of "meh" sounding, and the non-aged EIR D-28A custom was sonically dead. All 4 guitars also had very different neck profiles, suggesting there is a lot of individual hand finishing that goes into each neck.


Incorrect. There absolutely is a non-adjustable T-Bar neck reinforcement in the Madagascar D-28A and D-28A Aged. Personally I prefer having an adjustable truss rod, and I think Martin was wise to include this feature on their new EIR Custom D-28As. I've owned guitars with and without, and frankly not having the ability to make micro-adjustments here and there is all downside and no upside -- particularly if you want to use lighter gauge strings on your dreads like I do and need to add relief. You can't do that on the Madi ones.




I own 3 Merrills (soon to be only 2). They combine the tonal features of the very best vintage Martin guitars with the ease of playability of your typical Santa Cruz. Their necks are medium-thick sized soft-v profiles with rolled fingerboard edges, and have adjustable truss rods. Unfortunately, there are less than 750 Merrills in the wild and they are expensive to commission (starting price mid to high 7k). But if you can find one used, in good condition and without a lot of issues, they can be among the very best guitars available that are built in the Martin tradition. The 2 I'm keeping will never be for sale.

You may be correct...my guitar tech told me it was ebony but the magnet test indicates otherwise. There’s definitely steel in the neck.

As for adjustable truss rods, the type of rosewood, to each their own. I own several high end acoustic guitars most of which are EIR and love them all. That said Martin absolutely nailed this series with the Madagascar, but it’s not for everyone or every style. I have no concern over the lack of adjustable truss rods. I bought this guitar because of its incredible tone and its homage to the prewar golden era style guitars. I could have gone with other makers but I was blown away by the Authentic Aged.

[Peter Z]

I think, brencat wanted to make clear that there is no ‘adjustable’ truss rod in the Authentic. I’d also miss that.

[Tempotantrum]

The 31' Authentic D28 uses an Ebony reinforcement, the 37' d28A & d28AA use a Tbar (the D18AA I have also has a Tbar - I believe all of the other authentic dreads do as well other than the 31') Regarding the lack of truss rod - I was a bit concerned at first and did extensive research on this topic. Turns out many feel it contributes positively to tone and is actually more stable over time. If you research the construction of Tbar vs. Truss rod, this argument seems plausible. I like it, but also love my truss rod built guitars. In the end - I think the amazing D28AA tone is the result of many features purposely incorporated to produce an open, resonant and vintage Martin tone.

[vaibhav.mittal]

Originally Posted by Tempotantrum

The 31' Authentic D28 uses an Ebony reinforcement, the 37' d28A & d28AA use a Tbar (the D18AA I have also has a Tbar - I believe all of the other authentic dreads do as well other than the 31') Regarding the lack of truss rod - I was a bit concerned at first and did extensive research on this topic. Turns out many feel it contributes positively to tone and is actually more stable over time. If you research the construction of Tbar vs. Truss rod, this argument seems plausible. I like it, but also love my truss rod built guitars. In the end - I think the amazing D28AA tone is the result of many features purposely incorporated to produce an open, resonant and vintage Martin tone.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts,

I do feel that there is lack of confidence among buyers in T-Bar construction, maybe more owners of Authentic Series can chime in with their experiences or recommendations.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by vaibhav.mittal

Thanks for sharing your thoughts,

I do feel that there is lack of confidence among buyers in T-Bar construction, maybe more owners of Authentic Series can chime in with their experiences or recommendations.

I've had mine for 5 years. Not an issue for me at this time. That said, I live in a pretty stable weather environment near the California coast.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by vaibhav.mittal

Thanks for sharing your thoughts,

I do feel that there is lack of confidence among buyers in T-Bar construction, maybe more owners of Authentic Series can chime in with their experiences or recommendations.

I just bought one of those Custom D-28A Aged made of EIR from a forum member here. Incredible guitar, and it has an adjustable truss rod. Would not have bought it otherwise as I run Light-Medium strings on my dreads.

If you want to hear it, check out the “Blind Test” thread here on Page 1

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by brencat

I just bought one of those Custom D-28A Aged made of EIR from a forum member here. Incredible guitar, and it has an adjustable truss rod. Would not have bought it otherwise as I run Light-Medium strings on my dreads.

One way around that is more than one saddle. Which is think is basically a really easy and relatively cheap fix given the amount that a D-28 Authentic costs. I understand if folks prefer an adjustable truss rod, but to get the tone I get out of mine? I'll take the minor hassle of ordering a second saddle.

[brencat]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

One way around that is more than one saddle. Which is think is basically a really easy and relatively cheap fix given the amount that a D-28 Authentic costs. I understand if folks prefer an adjustable truss rod, but to get the tone I get out of mine? I'll take the minor hassle of ordering a second saddle.

You do know that Authentic saddles are glued in right? Not so easy to just pop out a saddle and drop a different one in. In addition, the saddle slots are shallower than the drop-in long saddle slots of an HD-28v or 00-18v. That's why the saddle needs to be glued in to ensure it's solid.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by vaibhav.mittal

Thanks for sharing your thoughts,

I do feel that there is lack of confidence among buyers in T-Bar construction, maybe more owners of Authentic Series can chime in with their experiences or recommendations.

If there is such a lack of confidence why has the Authentic series been such a huge success? Before I bought my Authentic (see sig) I did a lot of research on the T-bar construction. Didn’t find any indication of reported problems even though the Authentics series has been around for almost ten years. In fact, some folks prefer the T-bar for stability. I completely understand why some folks prefer an adjustable truss rod. But if you shy away from an Authentic simply because of the T-Bar you may very well miss out on a superb instrument.

[highvibrational]

I've been down this road before and probably will again. I love Martins in general and their Authentic series have blown me away. Though I have played many other boutique brands: Collings, Bourgeois, Huss and Dalton, Goodall... It is only the Goodall that made me pause and reflect. I would recommend playing Eastmans, Larrivees and anything you can get your hands on. It's all research.

Your own ears, eyes and hands will be the best judge of what is right for you. When in doubt, wait and answers will be revealed. It's so easy to get into a guitar frenzy, especially on this forum.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by brencat

You do know that Authentic saddles are glued in right? Not so easy to just pop out a saddle and drop a different one in. In addition, the saddle slots are shallower than the drop-in long saddle slots of an HD-28v or 00-18v. That's why the saddle needs to be glued in to ensure it's solid.

Ah yes! Thank you for the correction. I have pretty stable yearly temp/humidity and run mediums so it's not been an issue for me, but I've had other dreads where I ran different saddles for different string weights.

[guitarman68]

Originally Posted by vaibhav.mittal

Wow I’m new to Merrill brand
What makes them so special?

Brencat already nailed it, here is what I can offer:
I own 3 Merrills: OM18, OM28 C28. The OM 18 being the most impressing guitar I ever owned or heard for its responsive and vintage vibe sound. When listening with eyes closed you would not believe it's an OM-sized guitar when strummed or flat picked, but it reacts to the lightest touch and sounds awesome in open tunings. This makes it a package I have never found in any guitar I tried. Any player who records in my studio left it deeply impressed.

Brencat offers his OM18 for sale at a great price, so why hesitate ?

My Merrill OM28 and C28 sound incredible close to Martin Authentics. I had the chance to audition or even own Merrills and Auths (OM28 and D28) at the same time. It was pretty tough to decide which one to sell and which one to keep, but finally I opted for the Merrills. My OM28 Amazon Rosewood a tad snappier sounding compared to the Martin, not better but a little different.

[bluesman1148]

This is all very subjective. Play a lot of instruments and see what feels and sounds best to your ears. For me I love Collings and Martin and what these series do for my particular ears. I own a D28 1937 Aged Authentic and a sweet Collings OM2HT-Adi, along with some other great guitars but these two have my number.

I believe these Authentics are some of the best guitars Martin has built since the “golden era”, but that’s my opinion and it’s only worth .02.

I’m sure Merrill is great and if ever I see one I’ll surely try it. But I’m not selling my current stock for anything.

[vaibhav.mittal]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

If there is such a lack of confidence why has the Authentic series been such a huge success? Before I bought my Authentic (see sig) I did a lot of research on the T-bar construction. Didn’t find any indication of reported problems even though the Authentics series has been around for almost ten years. In fact, some folks prefer the T-bar for stability. I completely understand why some folks prefer an adjustable truss rod. But if you shy away from an Authentic simply because of the T-Bar you may very well miss out on a superb instrument.

Yes I suspect most players want the ease and peace of mind of adjusting a truss Rod. Let’s see how the experience of T bar pans out for me.