Thoughts on my first Martin (000-28)

[Social Exodus]

I'm a Taylor guy. I've said that for a few years now but things just changed a bit. Now, I still love my Taylor 814ce and 458e 12 String well enough, and the GS-Mini is great for travel.

I had tried Martins over the years, and never found one that I couldn't live without - until last Thursday when I went into Music VIlla in Bozeman MT and picked up my new 000-28. I have been hunting for a smaller scale guitar since I have developed some really painful left thumb arthritis which has all but sidelined my playing for a while. I have tried quite a few different Taylor 12 series models including the 612, 712, 812 and that same day a 912 Builder's Edition. All of them left me with a "meh" feeling, so I wandered over to the Martin area and picked up this 000-28 and that was that. Thunderstruck.

It fits me like a glove, and sounds divine. Even my wife who was patiently waiting said "Well that one sounds great! Not as pretty as that Taylor you just played, but way better sounding". That in itself is an amazing testimony if you knew my wife lol. I played the thing for an hour, playing fingerstyle and using a bunch of alternate tunings. With a capo. Different picks. None of it sounded bad, and I'm no virtuoso by any stretch. Been playing it ever since, and smiling ear to ear because not a speck of pain in my thumb to go along with all that.

So if I have a point, it is really this; You may think you know what you like, and that may be forever true. But it is possible to get turned around in a hurry should that one magical guitar end up in your hands on any given day.

[madhat]

Great guitar!

enjoy

madhat.

[Rev Roy]

Yep...you got a great guitar. Congrats! I’ve been a dread guy for years. But I expanded the herd with a Martin Custom 18-Style OM a couple months ago. I’m still blown away by the volume, solid bass and sweet, crisp musicality that Martin gets from these smaller guitars. Enjoy yours!

[dbuck]

Looks like it maybe took a while, but you’re finally seeing the light! Just kidding, the 000-28 is a great guitar, play it in good health!

[Mak2525]

The 00028's are really nice sounding instruments - love the short scale! The new guitars that Martin is building lately are as good or better than they have ever been. I got to play one of the new Modern Deluxe OM"s next to a Collings OM, and surprisingly, the winner that day was the OM28MD. This was even before considering the substantial price difference for the Collings, which really made it an underdog victory. Enjoy your new 00028. I was a Taylor only guy many years ago when this was the Taylor Guitar Forum - now I don't own any Taylors! Be careful, this could be the start of a new musical direction for you! Congrats on your new guitar - play it in good health!

[Tico]

I'm sure the 000-28 is a fantastic first Martin, and last Martin.

[mawmow]

Congrat !

I am a Taylor guy, Mahogany guy, and my Martin OOO-18 is a great guitar !

[Birchtop]

Congratulations on your new 000-28, what a fantastic guitar!

Happy NGD to you!

[DukeX]

Congrats on a fine guitar. It's good to have some of that great Martin flavor in the stable!

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by Mak2525

The 00028's are really nice sounding instruments - love the short scale! The new guitars that Martin is building lately are as good or better than they have ever been. I got to play one of the new Modern Deluxe OM"s next to a Collings OM, and surprisingly, the winner that day was the OM28MD. This was even before considering the substantial price difference for the Collings, which really made it an underdog victory. Enjoy your new 00028. I was a Taylor only guy many years ago when this was the Taylor Guitar Forum - now I don't own any Taylors! Be careful, this could be the start of a new musical direction for you! Congrats on your new guitar - play it in good health!

I tried a D28MD when they first came out and wasn't super impressed compared to an HD28 and that was all I'd ever tried until this past weekend. I picked up a 000-28MD and was blown away with how loud and present it was. It was louder and had better bass than a custom OM28 adirondack GE I once owned.

[Mak2525]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I tried a D28MD when they first came out and wasn't super impressed compared to an HD28 and that was all I'd ever tried until this past weekend. I picked up a 000-28MD and was blown away with how loud and present it was. It was louder and had better bass than a custom OM28 adirondack GE I once owned.

I have not played any of the Modern Deluxe Dreads, but it sounds like you experienced what I did with the new OM / OOO 28 MD's. It certainly made me sit up and take notice. I would buy one in heartbeat!

[Social Exodus]

Hmm, what does that mean exactly? Do they make the same model numbers, except Modern Deluxe them somehow -- similar to Taylor's Builder's Editions?

[rmoretti49]

Sometimes you can be very happy with your guitars, but then discover one, as you did, one with a quite different tonal palette. That happened to me when I recently bought my first Martin. It isn't better than my other preferred guitars, but it is different in a way that makes it a "necessary" addition.

[Mak2525]

Originally Posted by Social Exodus

Hmm, what does that mean exactly? Do they make the same model numbers, except Modern Deluxe them somehow -- similar to Taylor's Builder's Editions?

They are the same model number just followed by Modern Deluxe. There are only 4 models that have been given this treatment (OM28, 00028, D18, & D28. Basically, they are just a new tech take on the vintage shape. They look pretty much identical to a standard 000 or OM28 - which are great guitars in their own right! They use the same woods, etc. The difference is in some added modern materials such as a titanium truss rod, a carbon fiber bridge plate, protein glue, VTS top and brace ageing, liquid medal bridge pins, some aesthetic upgrades like wood binding and Gold Waverly tuners, plus a different neck profile. Here's the link from Martin:

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars...modern-deluxe/


The standard version is the true Martin sound that has been since the dawn of acoustic music. The MD sound is just a more modern take - another flavor if you will. Not necessarily better or worse, just different, which is what makes checking out guitars such a fun thing to do. I am a big fan of the original Martin tone, but the sound of the 2 MD's I have played were just more of everything (volume, projection, and note articulation). Guess it's just the combination of the new high tech materials combined with the aged top that makes it so lively.

[Coler]

Happy for you. I share your enthusiasm for these guitars. I never say never, but I believe mine is a permanent addition. What I love is the tone, obviously, but in equal measure its projection and power. I play mine regularly in trad/folk sessions and it fits behind the mix (which can incorporate fiddles, uileann pipes, concertina, accordions, banjos, mandolins etc) beautifully for chordal accompaniment to trad.

It also cuts in when necessary for a bit of lead, fantastic for fingerstyle, and so nice to play with the short scale for that kind of thing.

I stopped bringing my dread to sessions because I didn't need it. The 000-28 is incredibly versatile.