Is the Martin D-28 AUTHENTIC 1937 Overrated?

PgaJohn · #1 02-25-2021, 06:19 PM

I travel a lot for work and love walking into old guitar shops to see what they have, this week I was lucky enough to get my hands on a D-28 AUTHENTIC VTS 1937, and a D-28 from 1957 with Brazilian rosewood. I really thought these Instruments would blow me away but I was kinda disappointed. I really like how Martin aged and made the VTS model look like it was a vintage instrument, but itÂ’s tone really came out sounding dull and unimpressive. To my shock the Brazilian sounded even worse, compared to the VTS it was lower and almost dead sounding. Could this have been bad strings? Or am I missing something that should be appreciated with deeper ( dare I say duller) sounding guitars? To my ear the SS-D35-13 I own sounds better then both, I just donÂ’t know what IÂ’m missing.

jimdidier · #2 02-25-2021, 06:27 PM

Is it possible your set expectations of these guitars were not met ? That said they may well be great guitars just not in your wheelhouse.....

aeisen93 · #3 02-25-2021, 06:28 PM

I've played several high end Martins that I didn't like, including a D28 Modern Deluxe and a D18 Modern Deluxe.... I played an M36 today that was amazing though. I guess some high end Martins are good and others aren't. At least from my experiences...

Scotso · #4 02-25-2021, 06:30 PM

you like what you like...why sweat it

Mr. Jelly · #5 02-25-2021, 06:59 PM

I'm a hog guy so I can't appreciate any RW guitars. At any price. If I'm playing it anyway.

Dwight · #6 02-25-2021, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PgaJohn

To my ear the SS-D35-13 I own sounds better then both, I just donÂ’t know what IÂ’m missing.

You've got a nice guitar, the two Martins you tried could have been over humidified, had bad strings or both. Or maybe they just don't sound as good.

Glennwillow · #7 02-25-2021, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PgaJohn

I travel a lot for work and love walking into old guitar shops to see what they have, this week I was lucky enough to get my hands on a D-28 AUTHENTIC VTS 1937, and a D-28 from 1957 with Brazilian rosewood. I really thought these Instruments would blow me away but I was kinda disappointed. I really like how Martin aged and made the VTS model look like it was a vintage instrument, but itÂ’s tone really came out sounding dull and unimpressive. To my shock the Brazilian sounded even worse, compared to the VTS it was lower and almost dead sounding. Could this have been bad strings? Or am I missing something that should be appreciated with deeper ( dare I say duller) sounding guitars? To my ear the SS-D35-13 I own sounds better then both, I just donÂ’t know what IÂ’m missing.

Hi John,

Welcome to the AGF!

To your question: Is the Martin D-28 AUTHENTIC 1937 Overrated?

I suppose it depends on who's doing the rating. Most of us make up our own minds what we like. To me, the D-28 Authentic 1937 is a great sounding guitar, but not everybody likes it. Some people dislike the neck shape. Some people want it to sound more like a D-35. It doesn't. But it does sound like a good D-28. It's also not uncommon for guitars sitting in a shop to have old strings on them, especially during this pandemic.

The D-35 has always been brighter than the D-28 and its variants and I think in many cases it's more responsive. If that's what you're used to and that's what you like (I like my D-35 from 1967), then the D-28 may sound dull.

As others have noted, we don't all like the same thing. We each have our own ears, expectations, and playing style. There is not one agreed-upon holy grail out there.

I like my Olson SJ but there are plenty of people who don't like the sound of an Olson SJ at all.

- Glenn

zoopeda · #8 02-25-2021, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aeisen93

I've played several high end Martins that I didn't like, including a D28 Modern Deluxe and a D18 Modern Deluxe.... I played an M36 today that was amazing though. I guess some high end Martins are good and others aren't. At least from my experiences...

I agree, the modern deluxe is just a different sound. Some people love em though.

I’ve played most of the Authentics (for reference) and have never played one that was close to being a “dud,” although some better than others. If you strongly dislike the D28 Authentic with decent strings and nothing broken about it, then your ears probably prefer modern construction or another brand. Not for everyone, but the Authentics are very strong guitars almost across the board. To each their own!

UncleJesse · #9 02-25-2021, 07:30 PM

The D28 Authentic Aged just didn't care for being played softly. It wanted to be played hard and that's the way the good tone came out of it. I might suspect bad strings or overhumidification.

PgaJohn · #10 02-25-2021, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

The D28 Authentic Aged just didn't care for being played softly. It wanted to be played hard and that's the way the good tone came out of it. I might suspect bad strings or overhumidification.

You might be on to something, older strings and me not really digging into it might have played a part into the tone I was getting. Just another observation I had was the guitar felt heavier then others I’ve played. Maybe thicker wood used for its construction? Idk

zoopeda · #11 02-25-2021, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PgaJohn

You might be on to something, older strings and me not really digging into it might have played a part into the tone I was getting. Just another observation I had was the guitar felt heavier then others I’ve played. Maybe thicker wood used for its construction? Idk

Madagascar rosewood is dense, heavy.

brencat · #12 02-25-2021, 08:22 PM

Martin is a production builder. Even in their Custom Shop where the Authentics are built, they do not tap tune/hand voice the guitars and never have. They built to a set spec every time. Consequently with this approach, you end up with the bell curve of life of outcomes...most guitars are good, some are dogs, and some are exceptional. The trick is to find and buy the exceptional ones. But more than likely, the averages say you’re going to run into mostly “good” ones.

JCM615 · #13 02-25-2021, 08:32 PM

I like my Olson SJ but there are plenty of people who don't like the sound of an Olson SJ at all.

- Glenn[/QUOTE]

And by "plenty" you mean maybe.....4? In the US?

Fatfinger McGee · #14 02-25-2021, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCM615

Quote:

I like my Olson SJ but there are plenty of people who don't like the sound of an Olson SJ at all.

- Glenn

And by "plenty" you mean maybe.....4? In the US?

Seriously. 'I normally love guitars but I just hate the sound of that Olson' said no-one ever.

OP, I think the consensus among Martin fans is the Authentic series are mostly pretty great guitars, and that older braz D28s are pretty great too. I've sure liked the ones I played. Hard to say what the deal was with those two. They're both going to sound much different than a D35 though, and if that's what you're used to strumming on, I can see how they'd sound flat by comparison.

TennesseeWalker · #15 02-25-2021, 09:39 PM

To the OP

I feel for you - having been told sometime back how great the authentics were, I played several of them locally and each time was left wanting to be playing something else. Each sounded like a dud. Picked up a 35 tho and was pleasantly surprised.

Now, I’ve only played maybe 10 Martins in my life but that first experience made a lasting impression from a dread standpoint. Some people like em, me, guess after owning pretty much every makers offerings, at least for the time being,
have ended up with what I think dreads should sound like.