Next on my list... 
by Mike from SW Mississippi, August 2007
Music Background:  Hobbyist, Student, Live Sound Engineer, Recording technician

The Martin HD-28 is the next acoustic on my list. After shopping around in several large music stores with my Dad, and drooling over instruments only a pro can afford ($7-$12k), This is the next guitar on my wishlist.

At the top of our list for priorities was tone, and boy does this Martin have tone! The highs were silky and bright, while the mids and bass were well rounded and mellow. My dad plays a garage sale guitar, and I play an Ovation super slim roundback, and one of the most noticeable things about this guitar was the amazingly full tone. We had played Gibsons, Taylors, and a really good little Fender, not to mention every other martin in the store, but this took the cake, and was much cheaper than many of the other models we had tried.

The aesthetic isn't as great as some other models, asother reviewers have noted,but the smoothe sonics and playability, will more than make up for it. The neck is slim, but has enough surface area for a good grip, and is fast enough for the most demanding bluegrass runs.

The intonation was spot on, and the fit and finish was top notch, even surpassing some of the gibsons we had played.

If you want Rock 'n Roll, get an electric, but if you want clear ringing bluegrass tone, get the HD-28. Like the initials, the tone is indeed High-Definition!!

  Martin HD-28 
by Hilton Roberts from Gilbert, Arizona, February 2007
Music Background:  Been playing since I was 12 or so and I will be 65 this year

I bought my HD-28 about 3 years ago. I went to a music store here in Phoenix and played every Martin they had. This particular instrument did not sound very good when I picked it up. It was flat almost one step.

We brought it up to pitch and the instrument came alive! Beautiful overtones. I generally play in church so I wanted some amplification for the instrument.

I settled on a Baggs I-Beam active. There is no drilling into the bridge plate and I did not want anything to alter the overtones in the guitar.

I had a professional luthier install the pickup and the first thing I did when I got it back was play it unplugged listening for the overtones. They were still there.

I run the instrument into a Baggs active direct box into the church sound system and take a send from the direct box into a Crate CA-125D amp for use as a monitor.

Hands down this is the best acoustic guitar I have ever owned. Action, fit and finish were just right for me and I have had to make no adjustments.

There is a reason you see so many Martins in bluegrass bands.........

  MARTIN HD28--TRUE OR FALSE? 
by C.ROSE from WALDO, FL, USA, February 2007
Music Background:  BLUEGRASS RECORDING ARTIST

AS A BLUEGRESS FLATPICKER, ONE HEARS ALOT ABOUT CERTAIN MAKES AND MODELS OF GUITARS. PERHAPS THE ONE MOST TALKED ABOUT IS MARTIN'S HD28. I PLAY MOSTLY A D-15 CUSTOM (SPRUCE AND MAHOGANY), SO I WAS SOMEWHAT EAGER TO PROVE WHAT I'D BEEN HEARING. I RECENTLY VISITED A LARGE MUSIC STORE WHERE I HAD THE CHANCE TO TRY OUT SEVERAL HIGH-END LEVEL GUITARS INCLUDING TAYLORS, GIBSONS, LARRIVEES, AND OF COURSE MARTINS. AT THE END OF SEVERAL HOURS I WAS DOWN TO 3 GUITARS I THOUGHT BEST SUITED MY PLAYING STYLE: MARTIN D35, GIBSON J45, MARTIN HD28. PLAYING THEM EACH EXTENSIVELY AND WITH FRESH STRINGS, I WAS READY TO SETTLE ON THE HD28, EVEN THOUGH THE SOUND OF THE OTHER TWO WAS COMPARABLE TO MY EAR. THEN THE MANAGER BROUGHT OUT HIS FAVORITE, A GIBSON J45 ROSEWOOD. AFTER JUST THE FIRST FEW LINES OF A SONG I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE CLEAR, CRISP, PUNCHY SOUND THAT A FLATPICKER DIGS. I PICKED UP THE HD28 AND PLAYED THE SAME SONG BUT I STILL THOUGHT THE GIBSON SOUNDED BETTER. MERELY A FEW DAYS BEFORE I WOULDN'T HAVE DREAMED OF BUYING ANYTHING BUT AN HD28 AND HERE I WAS READY TO TRADE IT FOR A GIBSON! MY ADVICE TO ANYONE BUYING AN HD28: PLAY AS MANY OTHER GUITARS IN THE SAME CLASS AS YOU CAN. YOU MAY FIND ONE YOU LIKE BETTER.

  Herringbone Delight! 
by MukfromOhio from Chardon, Ohio, October 2006
Music Background:  Active Musician

The Martin HD28 is a fantastic guitar! Martin quality, all solid woods, great tone. It has beautiful rosewood sides and back, mahogany neck, and an ebony fretboard. The herringbone trim really sets this guitar apart! The Gotoh chrome tuners are tight, and it comes with a nice hardshell case to protect your investment. This guitar sounds wonderful! It has that ringing Martin tone, deep lows and sparkly highs. And boy does it cut through the mix! You don't have to worry about getting drowned out by the banjos! A great guitar for a great price.

  Confesiona of a Martin Addict 
by David Reinstein from San Anselmo, CA, September 2006
Music Background:  Musicker

About a year ago, I acquired my first Martin – a steel string Backpacker – truly, the ‘bottom-of-the-line’ but, compared with the inexpensive and cumbersome guitars I had been toting around and playing for the 35 years or so previously (Harmony Sovereign and a Framus 6-string) I found it’s playability a pleasure – though it’s sound leaves quite a lot to be desired. It was, however, portable – and together with substantially adjusted expectations, it met many needs for me. But a seed had been planted. I had tasted (touched) something better than what I had touched before. If it helps to understand my point of view or experience, I am a devoted acoustic player - and have never owned or played an electric or amplified acoustic guitar of any kind.

My addiction continued as I bought a D-15 Custom build (Mahogany) about 4 months ago. This was the first really ‘good’ guitar I ever owned. It was easy to play and had wonderful resonance and tone. It actually made me sound like a better guitarist. I was pleased – for a while. But, as with all addictive behaviors, it continued to grow.

More recently, I began shopping around and stopping into local guitar stores to play other/better models of the Martin line and have recently settled on a new HD-28. Martin, arguably, made it's modern reputation with top quality acoustic guitars on the back of thee D28 series. Th "H" in the model number here refers primarily to trim elements on the front, edges and back of the instrument. I have moved from being a man who walked, to one who rode a horse, then a car – and now a Limo. Wow! What sound! What absolute playability! The appearance is a lot plainer than other brands – but it is pretty ornate for a mid-range Martin as the HD model includes the Herringbone trim and a tortoise shell pick guard (unlike the D28 which has a black one.) It is a lot heavier than the D-15 as it constructed of Rosewood (with a spruce top), is braced more heavily and has a lovely ebony fingerboard. The weight is no problem though, as it is light compared to my other axe, a 12 string Epiphone.

It is loud, but can be played softly. It is dramatic but can be played with great subtlety.
It can be played as the dominant presence in any venue – or as a reliable rhythm background instrument. I have played it with both flat picks (my preference) and fingerpicks. In each instance, the choice is that of the player. Everything seems possible. In any event, I feel that I have graduated to what I feel is a truly top-of-the-line musical experience. Perhaps I am kidding myself – but I feel as though this growing Martin addiction has, finally, been satisfied. At least that is what I'd like to believe and what I genuinely feel right now. On the other hand, am I kidding myself? Many addicts are when they say they're finished. There ARE other Martins ...
but as other reviewers have noted, it is difficult to imagine wanting or needing anything more from a real 'player's guitar' than Martin offers in this wonderful model HD28.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!