Martin Dreadnaught GAS

[rokdog49]

You asked for opinions.
Get a D18. You said yourself "it felt really,really good."

[zoopeda]

I love the Hd-28v. And the new D-28 is killer. Play a new d-28 and either a new Hd-28 and/or the Hd-28v along with the d-18. Then decide.

[bryantjudoman]

I was looking for a hd-35 for a while till I stumbled apon a hd-28 that just blew my socks off. Take your time go try as many guitars as you can. Have fun looking...no rush. eventually you will find...the one. Till the next one that is. (d-18 are amazing as well lol)

[mattd]

Check out the J-40

[jbeecham]

You should check out maury's shop. It is not far from the Martin factory.

https://maurysmusic.com/

jerry

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by Dancup

I'm a singer-songwriter; I do weekly gigs with just my voice and guitar through a small PA system. Original stuff mainly, with a mix of strumming and fingerpicking.

What would you if you were me?

D-35 or possibly HD-35. The lighter bracing will fingerpick better than the -28s IMO.

Besides, the 3-piece back is downright sexy.

[woodbox]

This is the AGF at its best.
Simple question, various answers respectfully offered.

The trick here (I think) is to be sure to take your Gibson along to any test drive of the Martins.
Now, perhaps the OP and many of you are thinking.."Yeah, duh."

I have a newer HD-28 and new version D-18.
My playin buddy has a superlative 10 year old HD-28V.
So I've played these models in many settings.

I too have written and often present original material, and my Gibson J45 is tonally near perfect for that.
However, when it's Martin Dread time, my D-18 is my choice over my HD-28 for what I do.
Yes yes, I know about the scooped mids from Rosewood, but my D18 fits right in better... for me... because the deep low end of the 28 gets a little heavy sometimes for my songs.
Especially the strummed songs.

If I had to sell one, the 28 would go and Id keep the 18.
And the OP already had some experience that reflects mine.

What a wonderful problem.
Have fun with this.

[ataylor]

Don’t rule out the D-18 simply because you have other guitars with similar wood combinations — especially considering you loved the one you played. I’ve yet to play one I haven’t wanted to take home.

I think it would be plenty different from the Gibson and Taylor. In fact, I’m in a similar situation — I have a Taylor dreadnought in spruce/sapele (an older, all-solid 210) and I have the Gibson flavor covered with a Fairbanks F-35. Like you, I thought a D-28 or OM-28 might make a lot of sense, but I keep coming back to the D-18 and it’s different enough from the two I have already that I think it would make for a nice complement.

Definitely play a good selection though — I’d give the updated D-28, HD-28, and D-35 an audition along with the D-18. If it’s in your budget, give the D-41 and/or any of the authentic series models a go as well. And moving the other direction on the pricing spectrum, I wouldn’t rule out the D-15 either!

I’ve been really impressed with all the Martin guitars that have been updated — the move to the 1.75” width MLO/performance neck and the vintage bracing/appointments is a slam dunk in every model I’ve played. Good luck and enjoy!

[GeneralDreedle]

The HD 28 VTS might be a nice choice. I have one and it's extremely versatile. Not as boomy as the HD 28V

[Shades of Blue]

I love Martin dreads, but I prefer my J-45 when doing the singing thing. Not that I sing much, but I prefer the more balanced sound. My D-28 is pretty much for DADGAD and playing with other guys who also play Martins. I use my J-45 for everything else, including playing with my daughter who plays violin.

I have to say, nothing sounds as good with a violin as a J-45, but I bet a D-18 would sound pretty good too.

[Pura Vida]

Get the one that sounds best... to you. Since you're local to the factory and know some peeps, hopefully, you'll have the chance to play through each of these models and decide for yourself. Good luck!

[Nyghthawk]

Have you tried an M-36? Would be completely different and a good compliment to your Gibson.

[Shadowfox]

You should also consider an MMV from GC. It's a custom all solid rosewood dread. They are pretty big steals for the price.

[Dancup]

Hi everyone!! What a lot of great replies!! Thanks for being so welcoming.

Seems like all the guitars I mentioned have a devoted fanbase. So I’m guessing I wouldn’t be unhappy regardless. And I’m very aware that sometimes when you’re in the store on the day and actually play through everything without considering specs, you might just bond with something that you didn’t ever expect to.

Actually, when I bought my Taylor, I spent about eight hours in the store on a couch playing a heap of guitars. The guitar I wound up buying had been left out by someone else and was sitting a few feet away. I didn’t even try it for the first six hours because I wasn’t looking for a Taylor, let alone that model. Until eventually a clerk asked if he could put it away, and I thought I might as well see how it played.


But I definitely want a Martin this time. I know that much. I probably will get a D-18 either way at some point - I had trouble putting down the one I tried. I just want to make sure I’ve ruled out all the rosewoods first, but it’s my fallback if none of them do it for me. And I know I wouldn’t regret it. But as much as I dug the one I played, I’d probably look for a D-18E with the Aura VT Enhance.

I’m not hell-bent on rosewood, but it has to be something that really gives my Gibson a run for its money or there isn’t much point.



I tried a standard HD-28 (no electronics) in April… It was nice too, but that particular one felt quite bright. I don’t know if it was a good one or not though. I think I also may have tried a D-35 when I tried the D-18 and wasn’t as blown away with it either. Actually, I tried everything in the factory show room and I liked the feel of the 18 the best (they didn't have any 28s or any other 35s), but I think that was mainly about the neck. I don’t know if that 35 was a new ‘reimagined’ model or not. There was something very comfortable and playable about the new 18’s neck. Maybe I'm especially partial to the modified low oval/high performance taper feel.



Hadn’t considered (or even heard of) the J-40, but I’ll check one out when I’m next test-driving, if it’s in stock. And perhaps an OM-28 too. Though I think I’m particularly partial to the classic dreadnaught feel and sound.



Definitely gotta get a vintage Gibson J-45 one day too. But one thing at a time… Or else I’ll be living in an empty house after pawning all my possessions for musical instruments. Lol.


Cheers,
Dan

[brad2001]

D-18's to me are the best bluegrass / mountain music guitars to be had. Were I to buy another guitar, it would be a D-18.

Gibson Dove
67 Fender Coronado mod