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Old 07-12-2020, 06:15 AM
Proclaimer888 Proclaimer888 is offline
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Default Martin D-28 is a bit bright...thoughts?

Hey guitar friends! So got my new D-28 and getting used to it....former J45 owner. One thing thought is that it is soooo bright....I understand that this comes with rosewood but looking for some opinions. It came new with Martin 80/20's and wondering what strings can be recommended to make it sound a bit more "woody" or dry?? I am a fan of Monels but have not tried them on a guitar with rosewood. Any Martin RW folks or any folks with RW care to give thoughts on strings that will "woodify" the sound of my guitar?
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Old 07-12-2020, 06:32 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Hi Proclaimer. If you find your strings bright with 80/20s then try some phosphor bronze (PBs). I've always had success with John Pearse.

Pick material and gauge can also change the tone that you hear.

Congrats on the new D-28!
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Old 07-12-2020, 06:36 AM
archerscreek archerscreek is offline
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Monel (Martin Retro) strings bring my HD-28 with an Adirondack top a bit closer in sound to my D-18GE with an Adirondack top. So I think they do help deliver a more fundamental/woody sound.
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Old 07-12-2020, 07:35 AM
Matts67 Matts67 is offline
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Keep in mind most strings sound jangly and bright when new, especially phosphor bronze. Retro monels, once broken in, will definitely sound less bright than 80/20s. Phosphor Bronze strings as well, after a couple days of break in.
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Old 07-12-2020, 08:38 AM
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TBman TBman is offline
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80/20 strings sound brighter than most strings. Try regular PB strings or D'Addario Nickel Bronze.

A lot of members here don't care for monels on rosewood guitars. I haven't tried them with rosewood, just mahogany, though.
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Old 07-12-2020, 09:02 AM
6L6 6L6 is offline
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In my experience PB's sound brighter than 80/20's.

But I'd still give PB's a try. Also, compared to mahogany, most would find a rosewood bodied guitar to be less bright.

I use Light gauge D'Addario PB's on all of my acoustics and really like the tone they deliver.
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Old 07-12-2020, 09:32 AM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Martin Titanium strings are (to my ear) very mellow and if you like that sound, they will retain that tone for a long time.
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Old 07-12-2020, 10:04 AM
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JayBee1404 JayBee1404 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Proclaimer888 View Post
It came new with Martin 80/20's
Unless the dealer changed the strings, they wouldn’t have been 80/20s, they would have been Martin Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 Medium Phosphor-Bronze, that’s the factory-standard.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars...d-series/d-28/
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Old 07-12-2020, 10:59 AM
Wellington Wellington is offline
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Honestly, sounds life you might be more of a hog b/s guy!
I also fight against brightness. I have a dread with rosewood b/s, I find phosphor bronze less bright than 80/20, especially after they're broken in. Monels sounded very metallic like on mine, not woody at all.
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:01 AM
Scotso Scotso is offline
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if you think Martin D-28 is bright...do not buy a Taylor
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:03 AM
zmf zmf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Proclaimer888 View Post
Hey guitar friends! So got my new D-28 and getting used to it....former J45 owner. One thing thought is that it is soooo bright....

Any Martin RW folks or any folks with RW care to give thoughts on strings that will "woodify" the sound of my guitar?
J-45 to D-28. Now too much brightness.
That's likely an inherent difference in the guitars. I'll guess that the D-28 is too "chimey" in comparison?

I suggest you get used to the D-28, or swap it for a D-18 if you want woody and want to stay with Martin.

There's only so much that strings can do. Particularly if the brightness comes mainly from the unwound strings.
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:14 AM
scotly50 scotly50 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotso View Post
if you think Martin D-28 is bright...do not buy a Taylor
That is what i was thinking. Actually I have never heard a D-28 owner say they sounded bright.
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:17 AM
Bax Burgess Bax Burgess is offline
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What are the differences in sound characteristics between the current D28 and the previous, longstanding version D28?
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:25 AM
jseth jseth is offline
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If that D-28 is a brand new one? Just keep playing it,a and play it hard... the thing needs to get broken it a bit. is all...

Certainly different strings would alter the tone slightly; I'm a phosphor bronze fan, myself, but no matter what strings you put on it, it's still going to be rosewood guitar and as such, will have those characteristics of rosewood back and sides w/ spruce top...

If you don't care about that "crisp ring" that fresh strings have, try a set of the MArtin Authentic phosphor bronze... after about 6-8 hours of play, they soften up and "dull up" quite bit... the longer you keep them on, the "softer" they become, without the jangly high end of many strings.

I prefer that "crispness" and like to hear my guitars ring out, so I use Elixir Nanoweb phosphor bronze strings; after about 2 hours of playing time, they "morph" into a tone that hangs in there for months at a time... works for me!
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Old 07-12-2020, 11:30 AM
Rinaz Rinaz is offline
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It is not bright but for me, it’s hot less bass response but have other pros. Crisp, clear, articulate, and loud. I’m a Taylor fan, but D28 and A martin with cocobolo are my favorite guitars from martin. They dont have heavy bass and have big volume to my ears compare to others.
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