Martin OM28. Why is Modern Deluxe so much more expensive than Reimagined?

[David Rance]

As the happy owner of the Reimagined version of this guitar which I bought in the UK in 2018 , I'm struggling to understand the $3899 vs. $5199 price differential (Martin website prices as of today). As has frequently been mentioned, we rarely get discounts in the UK so we usually pay top wack at the larger outlets and top wack plus from the smaller ones. A Reimagined now will cost me about £2900 in the UK and a Modern Deluxe abouut £1000 more.

I can see all the little tweaks to the MD and some of the material costs of things like the "better" bridge pins, the lighter titanium truss rod (did it need to be lighter?) And the "gold" appointments (did Rev. Gary Davis have those on his guitars?) will be greater. And the headstock inlay will be more expensive too, I guess.

I don't think I'm ever likely to need a better sounding/playing acoustic than the OM28 Reimagined but I haven't actually played the MD version. Do those that have think it's better - or even different?

Not being negative. Top marks to Martin for giving us both.

[Matts67]

I wasn't able to compare the two side by side, but the OM28 MD was one of the best sounding OMs I've played. You're paying for the VTS Sitka top, VTS Adirondack Golden Era bracing, animal protein glue construction, titanium truss rod, gold Waverly tuners, torrefied Adirondack / carbon fiber bridge plate, liquid metal bridge pins, gold EVO frets, maple binding, the headstock inlay and veneer you mentioned. The Vintage Deluxe neck profile with 2 1/4" bridge spacing alone is a deciding factor for me, as I strongly prefer this over the MLO/PA neck with 2 5/32" spacing. IMO the increase in cost is definitely worth it.

[TDavis]

Originally Posted by Matts67

I wasn't able to compare the two side by side, but the OM28 MD was one of the best sounding OMs I've played. You're paying for the VTS Sitka top, VTS Adirondack Golden Era bracing, animal protein glue construction, titanium truss rod, gold Waverly tuners, torrefied Adirondack / carbon fiber bridge plate, liquid metal bridge pins, gold EVO frets, maple binding, the headstock inlay and veneer you mentioned. The Vintage Deluxe neck profile with 2 1/4" bridge spacing alone is a deciding factor for me, as I strongly prefer this over the MLO/PA neck with 2 5/32" spacing. IMO the increase in cost is definitely worth it.

Agreed. Good bang for the extra buck. I love the OM28 Standard, having had a really good one from MFG up until recently...but I must agree that the Modern Deluxe is noticeably louder and more balanced due to the upgrades it has. I'm not much on gold fret wires and tuning machines, I like the rest.

[leepish14]

I’ve recently played them both side by side. A few thoughts.

1. I decided to move on from my HD-28 because of shoulder and hand issues. I wanted a slightly smaller guitar.
2. I decided to move on from my 2016 Taylor 914 CE. It also was a little bit of a strain on my hands. Also, it always sounded a bit light and tinny compared to the HD-28.
3. I played the OM-28 Deluxe first. Impressions: Great neck, beautiful look, wonderfully light with the titanium truss rod. However, it really sounded bright compared to my HD-28, which made sense. Also, it also sounded almost Taylorish in its bright mids and highs.
4. I then played the OM-28 Reimagined. Wow! It sounded like a Martin. As I played it, I could hear remnants of the deep bass that I knew I was giving up by selling my HD-28. But the lesser bass was that same full, woody Martin low E that I love.
5. The OM-28 MD is louder, brighter, yet still Martin sounding.
6. For more than $1000, in my opinion, compared with the OM-28 reimagined,which gives you the classic Martin sound you expect, the Modern Deluxe adds a sound designed for the younger 21st century Taylor-oriented crowd. Not bad. Really good. Just not for me.
7. Did I mention how much I love the reimagined neck?
8. Also, I like the more classic appointments (even the aged toner top) on the standard OM-28.
10. If you are looking for the classic Martin tone from yesteryear, and want to spend less... go standard reimagined.
11. I bought the standard reimagined OM-28 in June. I had the money to buy the MD, but didn’t. I couldn’t be happier.
9. Just my ears and my opinion.

[Mak2525]

Originally Posted by Ozarkpicker

Agreed. Good bang for the extra buck. I love the OM28 Standard, having had a really good one from MFG up until recently...but I must agree that the Modern Deluxe is noticeably louder and more balanced due to the upgrades it has. I'm not much on gold fret wires and tuning machines, I like the rest.

Agree 100% - I have had the pleasure of playing two OM28MD's and also a 00028MD. The standard series are great guitars in their own right, but the three examples I have sampled of the Modern Deluxe models were just stellar! They seem to have just a bit more of everything, with a really well balanced sound and good projection, while maintaining the Martin sound.

I'm with you on the gold frets and the gold waverlys - definitely have to swap out for nickle tuners if I ever get one!

[baw3]

I guess the question is do you really think all the differences between the Modern and the reimagined are going to make a big difference in the sound. And will it really be worth the extra money. I have a feeling if you did a blind fold test between the 2 guitars you would probably be surprised with the results. I'm not going to get in to the bridge pins stuff. Every one has their opinion.

[brencat]

Rarely is the price of a product based on cost of materials. Rather it’s based on what the seller thinks the market will bear. In the case of the MD series, Martin needed a product that slotted between the standard and Authentic lines, after phasing out what was previously called the ‘Vintage’ line. The MD fit the bill nicely.

Matt nicely summed up the differences between the guitars, and I too believe the MD is great value when you factor in the upgrades and Martin’s large factory setup and economies of scale that are able to take advantage of building such a guitar. But the MDs are much brighter sounding guitars, not the traditional darker, bass biased Martin voicing. Also the vintage inspired neck is fairly shallow, except on the OM-28MD which has 2 1/4” string spacing, and the wider taper requires the neck to be fuller to accommodate.

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by leepish14

I’ve recently played them both side by side. A few thoughts.

1. I decided to move on from my HD-28 because of shoulder and hand issues. I wanted a slightly smaller guitar.
2. I decided to move on from my 2016 Taylor 914 CE. It also was a little bit of a strain on my hands. Also, it always sounded a bit light and tinny compared to the HD-28.
3. I played the OM-28 Deluxe first. Impressions: Great neck, beautiful look, wonderfully light with the titanium truss rod. However, it really sounded bright compared to my HD-28, which made sense. Also, it also sounded almost Taylorish in its bright mids and highs.
4. I then played the OM-28 Reimagined. Wow! It sounded like a Martin. As I played it, I could hear remnants of the deep bass that I knew I was giving up by selling my HD-28. But the lesser bass was that same full, woody Martin low E that I love.
5. The OM-28 MD is louder, brighter, yet still Martin sounding.
6. For more than $1000, in my opinion, compared with the OM-28 reimagined,which gives you the classic Martin sound you expect, the Modern Deluxe adds a sound designed for the younger 21st century Taylor-oriented crowd. Not bad. Really good. Just not for me.
7. Did I mention how much I love the reimagined neck?
8. Also, I like the more classic appointments (even the aged toner top) on the standard OM-28.
10. If you are looking for the classic Martin tone from yesteryear, and want to spend less... go standard reimagined.
11. I bought the standard reimagined OM-28 in June. I had the money to buy the MD, but didn’t. I couldn’t be happier.
9. Just my ears and my opinion.

Good post, good to hear from someone with the side-by-side experience.

[Song]

Martin put a lot of thought and love into the design of these guitars and I'm very happy and proud to own one.

[Peter Z]

That is a beautiful back, Song!!! Better than mine, I mean better than the one of my MD!

Now that this thread is not only connected to OMs anymore I dare to chime in. In January this year I destroyed the strings on a standard D-18 and a D-18 MD in my music store. It was a hard decision.
I also played a lot of other Martins and Taylor to get my head free. I even found an OM-21 that i bought before I made my decision. And went home with the OM-21 and the .....
D-18 MD!

What I liked:
- the neck
- the torrified top (I believe this is more resistent to humidity problems)
- the more clean, crisp sound (I think, mostly because of the torrified top)
- I admit, the looks, especially the tonerless pale top, also the pearl logo looks nice
- the fascinating light weight

But the standard is no slouch either. Martin builds GREAT guitars these days.

And no, it doesn’t sound like a Taylor. A true Martin for sure!

[brandall10]

Originally Posted by Ozarkpicker

I'm not much on gold fret wires and tuning machines, I like the rest.

But even the gold frets are an upgrade in the sense that they're EVO.

It's a really bang for the buck upgrade. There are plenty of things small and not so small that go into it for less than the CS charges for hide glue.

[Peter Z]

^^^^^
right!

[MickZ]

There are many good posts here, and I will amplify a few points from my perspective. I hope it helps. (I don't own one but have played a 000-28MD and a D-18MD, and my impressions are on the 28). First, it is quite a featherweight. It is surprisingly light, despite my expectation and preconceived notion that it would be. Second, I think it's very balanced across the strings, which is not always the case with Martins in my experience, and it is responsive and resonant with nice overtones and sustain. True, it is brighter than other Martins I've played/owned, but not as strident as Taylors. Third, I love the neck on these. It's a great carve and a pleasure to play.

If you like the Martin tone but want something lightly built, a bit brighter and balanced with a fast neck, you can't go wrong with one of these. Whether this adds up to the upgraded price is for you to decide, but it is a different beast than a Standard and worthy of your consideration. With a good discount or if you buy a lightly used version, I think it would be a good value.

[StevenL]

Originally Posted by Song

Martin put a lot of thought and love into the design of these guitars and I'm very happy and proud to own one.

Beautiful guitar & beautiful pup!

[David Rance]

There seems to be some consensus that the Modern Deluxe version of the OM28 is a less heavy, tonally brighter, more ornate verion of the OM28. As regards tone, I had thought that too from A/B YouTube comparisons with the Reimagined.

The Reimagined was marketed by Martin as an attempt after analysis to build in some of the features of the much sought after pre-war Martins. In 2018 their marketing described it as "the most significant update to our flagship line of guitars in our 185 year history". The MD takes a different more cutting edge approach, with new materials especially.

I agree, we can decide which one we want on the basis of what we want. My question was whether or not the 2018 "best version" is worth £1000 more than the 2020 "best version".

And I suppose it might be. There is little doubt that the Martin OM has become an industry standard and Martin now charges more for them than they do for their dreadnoughts. And I agree. Why not charge more for a guitar you know there's a demand for. You can pay a lot more for a "me too" version from boutique makers and Martin cannot stand on their laurels.