My First Acoustic: The Martin 000-28EC - Page 3

PappyVanWinkle · #31 01-13-2021, 01:38 PM

Beautiful guitar! I'm happy with a pair of guitars: a rosewood OM and a hog dread. I can cover most ground I want to this way. Enjoy it!

Terry_D · #32 01-13-2021, 02:31 PM

I don't know why I don't see more talk about these strings but I've been using Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze on everything including my brand new 000-28ec. I have found no strings that bring out of any guitar what these do and they have a good life span also. I believe it's what Mike Dawes is using now. You know how D'Addario claims their phosphor bronzes to be both bright and warm? These actually achieve that. Best strings I have ever used, to my ears.

About additional Martins. I immediately fell in love with the modified V neck of the 000-28ec and wanted another one with that neck shape. So I'm waiting for a new CEO-7 to arrive tomorrow from Sweetwater. I'll let you know my impressions but seeing as you seem to like smaller body guitars this could be a good option and would give you the same neck shape as the EC that you already have. It would give you a different body shape and wood combination to add variety to your growing collection. At least that's what I'm striving for.

Peacemaker · #33 01-13-2021, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

I’d stick with the Light gauge strings. That guitar doesn’t need mediums, most don’t IMO, they would dull the highs and diminish the tone.

I once recorded at a studio where the studio owner had an EC that was stellar. We used it on most of the acoustic tracks. They’re great guitars.

Hi Goodallboy, thanks for your reply. I remember that post of yours about using an EC for recording when I was doing my research before buying my 28EC.

Today I'm putting on a set of Martin Marquis M1100 80/20s that I have. Very curious to see the difference between them and the MEC12s

Peacemaker · #34 01-13-2021, 09:53 PM

ok, put on the 80/20 Marquis and yes! The magic is back! The guitar sounds so much more lively and "present". Volume is noticeably louder too. I'm not sure why the Clapton strings sounded so flat and dull, maybe optimized for miced/plugged guitars? Maybe got a bad set? But I also remember reading somewhere that the Clapton strings are basically repackaged low cost strings. Not sure whether that's true though.

Peacemaker · #35 01-16-2021, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadio917

Having just recommended GHS 12 PBs for the EC tonight I restrung it with Newtone Master Class Double-wounds 11 just to try them out. Wow! Think i may have new favorite strings for the EC. Just a tad lighter than the 12s but sound really great.

Interesting! Can you tell us a little bit more as to the differences and what you particularly liked compared to 12s?

Quote:

Originally Posted by PappyVanWinkle

Beautiful guitar! I'm happy with a pair of guitars: a rosewood OM and a hog dread. I can cover most ground I want to this way. Enjoy it!

Yes, this combo maybe makes more sense as opposed to an OM and a 000.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry_D

I don't know why I don't see more talk about these strings but I've been using Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze on everything including my brand new 000-28ec. I have found no strings that bring out of any guitar what these do and they have a good life span also. I believe it's what Mike Dawes is using now. You know how D'Addario claims their phosphor bronzes to be both bright and warm? These actually achieve that. Best strings I have ever used, to my ears.

About additional Martins. I immediately fell in love with the modified V neck of the 000-28ec and wanted another one with that neck shape. So I'm waiting for a new CEO-7 to arrive tomorrow from Sweetwater. I'll let you know my impressions but seeing as you seem to like smaller body guitars this could be a good option and would give you the same neck shape as the EC that you already have. It would give you a different body shape and wood combination to add variety to your growing collection. At least that's what I'm striving for.

I'll definitely try them out, thanks for letting me know. Did the CEO-7 arrive? How do you like it so far?

Peacemaker · #36 06-04-2021, 05:24 PM

Been a while and it's almost a year since I got my EC. A few remarks now that the honeymoon phase is over and based on my experience with it. I hope potential buyers of the EC model find it useful:

1. The most important factor is definitely the V neck. Make sure you try it not for 5-10min, but as long as you possibly can playing it non-stop and especially if you plan playing full/barre chords all along the neck with it. If you have small hands better forget about it. I have rather large hands and sometimes if I am playing barre chords for too long I have to revert to Hendrix style chording with the thumb over the neck to avoid thumb fatigue.

2. I can understand why people say it's generally a mellow/dark sounding guitar, so if you want an acoustic that is super "trebley" with lots of presence maybe you should consider another model. Right now I have Elixir Nanowebs 80/20s which are the brightest strings that elixir offers and they sound great offsetting the inherent mellowness of the guitar. It sounds great, to my ears at least. I am in the process of trying different strings and I'll try all the strings you recommended.

3. The bass freqs are great at least in my EC. I would describe the bass as tight and clear. Any D type acoustic I tried all those years had a rather flabby bass, but then again I never tried a high-end Martin so maybe that isn't the case with all D type acoustics. I don't know, maybe high-end D type acoustics don't have this "problem".

4. As for the mids, they also sound great. Again I would describe them as tight and focused. They also have a natural overdrive depending on your playing dynamics, it's hard to explain but they sound great.

Overall, I am super happy with my EC and it's a keeper. But I am curious to try another one and see how it compares to mine, as so many people say they can vary a lot.

I also decided that my next Martin will be an OM42. Preferably an early 90s or early 2000s one that was regularly used. I am not looking for a case-queen, so I don't mind a few scratches, nicks, dings etc. as long as it doesn't have any serious structural issue. If you have one and you're thinking about selling it send me a p.m.

chasingchet · #37 06-04-2021, 07:01 PM

fantastic stuff...yes it takes a while..ya gotta live with the instrument. I am a huge Martin guy owned so many! My good friend owns the Clapton so I play it alot..the neck can be an issue for some 100%. but its a great guitar..I also love the 0m42 ...amazing and a totally different animal!!

EZYPIKINS · #38 06-04-2021, 07:07 PM

Try a set of Rotosound Super Bronze....You'll love 'em.

Peacemaker · #39 06-04-2021, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chasingchet

fantastic stuff...yes it takes a while..ya gotta live with the instrument. I am a huge Martin guy owned so many! My good friend owns the Clapton so I play it alot..the neck can be an issue for some 100%. but its a great guitar..I also love the 0m42 ...amazing and a totally different animal!!

The neck is great if you mainly play open chords, fingerstyle (obviously) and arpeggios. That spacing between strings makes all the difference.

@EZYPIKINS: Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely try them.

blacknblues · #40 06-05-2021, 10:45 AM

The neck on the EC was, for me, the most attractive feature. I played it for a good 2 hrs at the store comparing it to the standard 000-28 as well as some other OM models and kept coming back to the EC. I love the hand-carve full feel of it.

Peacemaker · #41 06-05-2021, 10:58 AM

@blacknblues: The V neck is great don't get me wrong, I just think it can potentially be a problem for those with relatively small hands that want to play barre chords and especially for long periods of non-stop playing. Good for you for trying it for a full 2hours, that's the way a guitar neck should be assessed imo.