Not Impressed by Two Martin D28s

[Dbone]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Hi Everyone. My favorite and main acoustic guitar is my Taylor 814ce that I bought new in 2006. I have been playing guitar since 2002 and have actually never tried a Martin D-28. I have heard great things about the new 2017 re-design so I wanted to try one.

I went to my local Guitar Center, and tried one. The action was so high - I mean it was way higher action than ANY guitar I have ever played (and I've played hundreds, both cheap and expensive). The strings were also really old on this D28 so I assume that would negatively affect the sound. I'm stunned that Guitar Center wouldn't change the strings, and more importantly, lower the action before trying to sell it.

I know old strings can really affect tone, but when my Taylor 814ce has old strings on it, the guitar still sounds amazing.

I then went to my local Sam Ash and tried a D28 there. The action was better, but the tone was nothing special.

I know guitarists love D28s, and of course they are famous guitars. I'm just wondering why the two that I tried, at two different stores, just didn't sound like anything special.

I do own a Martin X1-DE which is a fraction of the price of a D28, and it sounds amazing!

I'm curious - what are your thoughts on this?

Be aware that there is a massive Martin following on this forum. Often the moment anyone says anything even remotely critical of the brand you will gets some awkward pushback sometimes on here.

Your observations are completely valid, and your question completely fair. If you think you have an interest in Martin, and you are patient, I bet it will work out for you. I played a D18 in the last year before the pandemic that blew my mind. I say this as someone who does not generally identify with the Martin brand.

[Peter Z]

I consider myself a Martin guy but I never played a D-28 I liked. Don't know why. Maybe the rosewood but I have an OM-21 I love and played two wonderfuf HD-28s.

[MartinGibsonFan]

I'm not sure why folks like to dwell on the negative.

I'm 99.9999 % sure there are Martin guitars that will tickle someone's fancy.

I agree, there are more ' Lemons ' in this world than Diamonds.

Why focus on the Lemons?

Play a Lemon and move on to find your Diamond.

MGF

[jswr450]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Hi Everyone. My favorite and main acoustic guitar is my Taylor 814ce that I bought new in 2006. I have been playing guitar since 2002 and have actually never tried a Martin D-28. I have heard great things about the new 2017 re-design so I wanted to try one.

I went to my local Guitar Center, and tried one. The action was so high - I mean it was way higher action than ANY guitar I have ever played (and I've played hundreds, both cheap and expensive). The strings were also really old on this D28 so I assume that would negatively affect the sound. I'm stunned that Guitar Center wouldn't change the strings, and more importantly, lower the action before trying to sell it.

I know old strings can really affect tone, but when my Taylor 814ce has old strings on it, the guitar still sounds amazing.

I then went to my local Sam Ash and tried a D28 there. The action was better, but the tone was nothing special.

I know guitarists love D28s, and of course they are famous guitars. I'm just wondering why the two that I tried, at two different stores, just didn't sound like anything special.

I do own a Martin X1-DE which is a fraction of the price of a D28, and it sounds amazing!

I'm curious - what are your thoughts on this?

I had a similar experience with a 2011 D28 I bought used. It sounded fine but really nothing special. Seemed tight and not very responsive. Nothing wrong with the guitar but overall it was austere. It was setup to play very easy (very low action), and maybe that was affecting the responsiveness (lower saddle). Then I bought a new reimagined HD28 about five months ago, and I now totally get what all the fuss is about. The tone is deep and clear (if that makes sense); completely amazing guitar, and the best sounding acoustic I've played. The action is still too high, but I can lower it. Maybe try one of the HD28s with scalloped and forward shifted bracing? IMHO, it will be obvious when you play a good one, regardless of whether or not you prefer the "Taylor" sound.

[zoopeda]

The D-28 is legendary, played and adored by music legends. It may not be for YOU, but there is definitely something there to appreciate if you have the ears to hear it. I do agree with others--find a small shop D-28 without dead strings, and give it 30 minutes of dedicated play. Then again, Martins are another universe from Taylor. If your ears like that bright, thin, modern sound, you won't get that on a D-28 no matter what strings you put on it.

[Bain]

Bloody ell don’t like the tone move on dude dont sweat it , martins are not the be all end all it is just( ,American This is a Martin the best there is crap )ther are loads a geriatric guitars out ther man Furch being one of them.....

[Bob from Brooklyn]

No sweat. It took me 50+ years to come around to a Martin.

[YamahaGuy]

I've had similar experiences. Every time I recall my D28 demos, and share my experience, I get accused of having bad ears. I'd love to play a well set up, broken in D28. I have played an HD28 or two that were pretty good, but not "diamonds." I've had similar experiences with. Gibson acoustic guitars too.

Of all the Taylor's I've tried, there have been more diamonds than lemons by far.

One thing that could help to level the playing field is if Martin's had Elixirs on them. I find Elixirs to sound the same from day 1 as they do on day 364. Martin SP or even the Lifespan strings, especially when plucked by hundreds of filthy hands over months and months are going to go dead and sound terrible. Thus, a $3000 guitar seems like a dud.

[catdaddy]

I consider myself to be a fan of Martin guitars. I've played more than a few over the years that have left me wishing I had more disposable income. As it turns out I was able to afford to bring a couple of them home with me, but of all those other "wish" Martins not one has been a D-28.

With a guitar range that covers hundreds of models, is it really so strange to think that a person might not care for the sound of one of them regardless of its iconic status? Or maybe it's just the luck of the draw, and there's a D-28 that came out of Nazareth sitting in a store somewhere that might just have that special magic that tickles my ear enough to forever change my mind.

[Rinaz]

Originally Posted by Scotso

If you love your Taylor and are used to that sound, chances are you are not a Martin archetype. Do not post what you did on UMGF though. Your sanity, your ears, and your choice of guitar stores will be questioned.

But if you wanna "get" Martin go the bluegrass jams or camp with your Taylor and stack it up vs the Martins . It will probably change your thoughts

This is true, I like Taylor dread, I own 2, but I wouldn't say Taylor dreads will beat Martin Dreads in bluegrass. I bought them not to play bluegrass.

An example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQv81UrNe7g

A taylor dreads wouldn't sound as boomy as this for bluegrass. It's better for fingerpicking, light strumming, light touch, and crispy sound. So the bass on Taylor is not boomy bot growly I would say

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by MartinGibsonFan

I'm not sure why folks like to dwell on the negative.

I'm 99.9999 % sure there are Martin guitars that will tickle someone's fancy.

I agree, there are more ' Lemons ' in this world than Diamonds.

Why focus on the Lemons?

Play a Lemon and move on to find your Diamond.

MGF

Yet they do.

GC's I've been in, are hands down the lowest rung on the guitar ladder as it applies to playable, great sounding guitars, no matter the brand. I've rarely if ever played a guitar in GC, Taylor or Martin (they're quite fair in their lack of guitar care) that impressed me.

It's not you! However, you would be mistaken to assume it's a Martin thing until you've gone elsewhere and sampled their guitars. Perhaps after that, you'll still not like Martin's, but you will most certainly see the difference a nice setup and newer set of strings can make on a D-28.

[aeisen93]

I do own a Martin X1-DE that I really like! It doesn't sound anything like my Taylor 814ce, but I really like the tone! I want to try some more Martins that are properly set up, with new strings. There's a few smaller local music stores near me that might have some. Thanks everyone for the feedback and suggestions.

[Br1ck]

Martin guitars are set high for a reason. It's easy to lower action, and the bluegrass market is a big part of their customer base. They don't want people to have to get new nuts on a new guitar.

You are shopping the wrong stores. You can buy a Taylor anywhere because they set an action low. That sells a bunch of guitars for sure. Buy a Martin from a specialty shop. They will give you any action you want. I've never played a guitar at GC with new strings on it unless it was straight out of the box.

If you like the brightness of Taylors, and many do, you might never find a Martin you like, just like I might not find a Taylor I like. You like what you like and that fine.

When a specialty Martin dealer sends back a subpar Martin, and it happens, Martin does not burn it. Guess who gets them. Just sayin'. I talked to a car salesman once and he said, a lot of people just want a car. Don't micro analyze anything. Plenty of people walk into GC and say I want a Martin D 28.

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Hi Everyone. My favorite and main acoustic guitar is my Taylor 814ce that I bought new in 2006. I have been playing guitar since 2002 and have actually never tried a Martin D-28. I have heard great things about the new 2017 re-design so I wanted to try one.

I went to my local Guitar Center, and tried one. The action was so high - I mean it was way higher action than ANY guitar I have ever played (and I've played hundreds, both cheap and expensive). The strings were also really old on this D28 so I assume that would negatively affect the sound. I'm stunned that Guitar Center wouldn't change the strings, and more importantly, lower the action before trying to sell it.

I know old strings can really affect tone, but when my Taylor 814ce has old strings on it, the guitar still sounds amazing.

I then went to my local Sam Ash and tried a D28 there. The action was better, but the tone was nothing special.

I know guitarists love D28s, and of course they are famous guitars. I'm just wondering why the two that I tried, at two different stores, just didn't sound like anything special.

I do own a Martin X1-DE which is a fraction of the price of a D28, and it sounds amazing!

I'm curious - what are your thoughts on this?

Because of my job, I used to spend at least one day every week in the local shops. And there are a load of them in the KC metro.
I played as many different guitars as I could lay hands on. I’ve played at least 1,000 guitars in the last 25 years.
I’ve brought home, or have been gifted a little over 2 dozen.
I still have a baker’s dozen. I have the gift or perhaps the curse, of remembering every great guitar I’ve played. I remember a few of the worst ones as well.
In truth, I’ve been blown away by THREE Martin guitars, and felt mostly favorably toward three or four more.
Not a one of them was a D28.
I like the HD28. But my Alvarez Masterworks sounds within a frog hair as good to me. And I saved $2400.
I also have played a few good MMV’s. But $1300 vs $650 for a similar sound and playability made that an easy choice.
For me, it’s not so much about the name on the Headstock...as evidenced by the sheer number of fairly inexpensive guitars.

Even my “grail” guitar isn’t terribly expensive.
I have a Jones and have since the mid ‘90’s for a Gibson Gospel.

We each have a certain sound and handfeel that is “it” for us.
For me, like you, a D28 doesn’t figure into that.

[aeisen93]

Update: Tonight I just went to a different Guitar Center (my first time at this location) and tried an HD28. As the salesperson was taking the guitar off the wall to hand to me, he said "these guitars have all been for sale before we closed due to Covid, so the strings may be very old on them. Just play it for what it is."

I'm surprised that they don't replace the strings more frequently on a guitar that costs over $3000. I know they have tons of guitars, so they can't always be replacing strings. But the HD28 is a very popular model that probably gets tested and played frequently.

Anyway, I thought it sounded great with a pick. Very loud and full tone. Finger picking sounded decent, but my Taylor 814ce is better for that (in my opinion). This HD28 did sound much better than the one I played yesterday. I would be interested to hear it with new strings...