Martin Sweetwater Select 28 Style Herringbone Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar with Modified V Neck and Adirondack Top Reviews

Awesome support and great guitar, the perfect mix. This was in spite of me being a neophyte in buying this beauty! Special thanks to Logan!

What can I write that hasn't been said on the the other reviews on here?!

The Martin HD-28 Sweetwater Exclusive is all you will ever need in an acoustic guitar.

It's an upgraded HD-28.

- You have square and diamond fret markers in abalone instead of dot style in MOP

- You have a upgraded herringbone pattern trim instead of the standard 28 trim

- Adirondack spruce (traditional) instead of regular Sitka spruce

- Scalloped Adirondack spruce braces instead of non scalloped Sitka spruce braces

- Forward shifted X brace for better sound and sustain

It's a Martin tone canon at its best!

The only thing that would've been the cherry on top of the sunday was if they had the Martin logo in abalone in the headstock instead of raised gold. But that has zero effect on sound.

Get yourself one ASAP!

Great guitar! The v neck feels amazing, the adi top is booming,flawless craftsmanship. Only complaint is there is no strap button on the neck heal, but that is really nothing. High price tag, but worth the coin!

Easily the best acoustic guitar I've ever had. Never before had anything Martin but I'm very happy with this monster. The sustain is unreal! My Gibson is still a nice instrument but they don't compare, (someone before me added electrict to it) . (The Gibson was born in the 50's so -- it's probably just filling its age)

I'm actually considering adding a Hummingbird to my little collection. Wish all of you a nice day.

Wow, where to begin….

If you're like me and listen to music. I mean REALLY listen to music. There is a certain tone you'll hear out of a HD-28 or an old D-28. This guitar is the closest to that sound I've ever heard out of a guitar I've actually played.

I was skeptical about the Modified V Neck. Turns out, that is the best neck on an acoustic guitar I've ever played. Everybody's hands are different, so what works best for me, may not be the best for you. Keep that in mind, but there is plenty to hold on to but not enough to restrict finger placement. I can very comfortably chord anywhere on this neck.

The gold of this guitar is the rosewood/Adirondack top combo. That is a golden tone making combination. You can only watch so many videos before you realize that it will sound different in person. A video is at the mercy of whoever is running sound that day. Not a very reliable gauge of what a guitar sounds like, so keep that in mind.

This guitar sounds better than any video I watched. After some research, I learned Martin used to make the D-28 with rosewood and Adirondack tops standard. So I figured I'd take the risk and buy it. I was NOT disappointed in my decision in any way. Worth every penny.

This is the modern standard for the D-28. If you have the ability, I recommend playing the D-28, HD-28 and then this one. They all sound different, but this is my favorite guitar I've ever played in my life.

I fully recommend this "Modern Standard" guitar to dreadnought players looking for serious quality and tone.

And no, nobody paid me to write this review. I very happily wrote this out of pure passion for music and amazing guitars.

This Sweetwater Exclusive HD-28 is the epitome of everything you'd want in a classic Martin dreadnaught. It doesn't get any better than this folks.

If you only ever get one Martin guitar I'm your life, this is THE ONE.

I've owned a couple high end OM acoustic guitars and never had a Dreadnought and don't know why I waited so long. This is one the best sounding acoustics you will ever own. The Adirondack top goes so well with the Indian Rosewood. Deep bass, clear and articulate notes is how I would describe the tone. If this guitar was ever damaged, lost or stolen I would replace it in a heart beat. It's that good! Some folks may hesitate to spend that much money but you won't be disappointed with this purchase.

For me it's about the Adi top and the neck. The modified V is perfect for me as I just can't get along with the MLO on the standard Martins. I find the 1 11/16 perfect for flat picking. I've had the 37 Authentic and much prefer this neck. The Adirondack Rosewood combination is very resonant and loud with tight bass. Only modifications I made were to slot the bridge, install solid pins and upgrade to 700 Gotoh tuners. These modifications aren't really necessary but I typically like to tweak a new guitar to my preference. I'm really happy I was able to grab one of these. This model is discontinued in Martin's regular production line. Nice that Sweetwater is able to offer it with the Adirondack upgrade.

I have always been a 000 guy. I have a 000-18GE 1937 sunburst a great example of a perfect 000. I wanted a Dread. Specifically a HD28v but the one Inwanted I hadn't found other than the expensive authentic model. I stumbled on this Style 28 exclusive for Sweetwater and it ticked every single box I had other than plastic bridge pins. Not that that is a deal breaker it won't affect tone is any meaningful way. I ordered anyway and it is an absolutely perfect example of a loud Martin Dreadnaught! I've been playing not non stop fit finish fret work is all perfect and that East Indian Rosewood back and sides are stunning. But above all it sounds incredible!

My wife and daughters conspired to get this guitar as a surprise for my 70th birthday... all I can say is I was stunned and can now die happy... this is the pinnacle of the acoustic guitar experience

I'm going to start this review off with a two word suggestion: GET IT.

What makes this D-28 so special? What makes it "exclusive"?
I'm a nutshell, it's a HD-28 with a D-45 case. Add that up and you won't get it cheaper than this. But there are other small upgraded tweaks over a regular D-28 that I'll let you find out for yourself. I don't want to ruin it for you. But if you're going to get one Martin in your life, make it this one!

One of the nicest rosewood dreadnaughts I have played, the adi really projects! Bass without and woofiness and nice sweet trebles. As good as any of the custom shop models I have tried out in a store. Excellent sustain (I'm using a Retro 12-54
set).The top finish is starting to turn that nice yellow/gold hue.

This is the one to buy. The sound from this is just incredible. I had it set up by a local luthier and put Martin Retro strings on it. I can't say anything more than the others have said. This is the only acoustic you will need. I do have a D10E that is used for outside by the pool. Sweetwater service is second to none.

First of all I want to thank Jeff Weinstein for his assistance. Jeff has helped me thru a few purchases with Sweetwater and was able to answer all of my questions.
As for the Martin- love it! Love the soft v neck, love the 1 11/16 nut width and the adi top. It's a great guitar!

The Sweetwater version of the Martin HD-28 is PERFECTION!!!!
The main differences are :
- the herringbone pattern along the edge of the front and the zig zag strip on the back are upgrades.
- the Addy spruce top replaces the Sitka spruce top.
- the forward shifted X braces are scalloped.
- the fret board markers are abalone diamonds!
- the included case goes from the standard green. interior to the old style burgundy upgrade.

This is THE guitar to spend your money on! Trust and believe me. You won't need another one ever.

Buy it once and never have to buy another acoustic again was my motto when researching the best acoustic guitar for me to buy. The HD28 w/Adirondack top and forward shifted scalloped bracing was 98% what I was looking for. Only thing that would have been slightly sweeter would have been a VTS Adi top but who cares. This thing ROCKS! I'll let the top age naturally over the many years I'll have this baby. I'm an intermediate player for now but this guitar is so much fun to play I'll be moving up in no time. I've felt compelled to play it everyday since I got it just for the shear fun of it. The bass is incredible and the mids and highs equally sound great. Great sustain too. Any of the custom shop stuff after this is pretty much window dressing (looks, glue type etc....). I wanted something that would sound great and I definitely found it. If you're on the fence, just remember... buy it once and never have to buy one again. BTW, I contemplated buying a used one but was turned off after thinking about not knowing if the previous owner did any type of humidity control so to me, buying it new was the better way to go along with knowing you have the Martin Factory lifetime warranty. Just my 2 cents.

I bought my first Martin (D-28) brand new for $500 in 1970. Regrettably long gone, but I've got it back now with the special Sweetwater HD-28V. The new neck profiles don't cut it for me. Love the soft "V", which just feels right to me. The Adirondack top sealed the deal. Sweet tones. Played well out of the box. Kudos to Sweetwater for their pre-ship check out, and the extra care with shipping (double boxed and additional foam). Recommend this guitar and Sweetwater!

For me, it was all about the 1 11/16 nut width. I have small hands and the 1 3/4 inch nuts Martin has on the majority of their guitars is just too wide for me. So I was thrilled to get a new guitar that reminded me of my 1969 D28 that I had played for 30+ years. Ok, but how does it play and sound? First of all the action is comfortable and every note rings pure and true. But, with this guitar, its all about the sound! It's been a long while since a guitar has given me chills...but this one did just that...it's beautiful: sweet yet complex w/beautiful overtones and sustaining bass notes just seem to sustain forever...I'm very impressed...and this is from a brand new guitar...I can only imagine how it will sound in several years because it's incredible right now! Martin and Sweetwater have hit a home run, and I absolutely love it!

I'm a man with small hands and fingers (small cadet golf glove) and was worried about the playability of the Mod V-Neck however it is a significant improvement from the Low profile neck on my Zager ZAD50 dreadnought.The Mod V-Neck makes it much easier for me to reach strings both across and down frets by putting my wrist,hand and fingers in a more fundamentally correct position.

The Mod V-Neck has flat shoulders just below the fretboard which allows me to support the guitar with my thumb and thumb pad with the neck naturally falling into the palm crease below my thumb pad.This allows my fingers to correctly hover above the fretboard and reach and approach the strings from above rather than flatly stretching and inadvertently muting adjoining strings. The V is very subtle and it's easier to play barre chords as well with the thumb underneath in the back of the neck.

The guitar action is low enough where it's easy to press strings on the first fret and all E-shape barre chords ring true.The A-shape barre is of course a little more difficult,at least for me,but they are clear as well.

The 1 11/16 nut is what I'm accustomed to so,for me,it's good for all styles finger,strumming,flat picking.

The guitar is absolutely impeccable in sound and craftsmanship and truly will be a cherished heirloom.

What can I write that hasn't been said the the other reviews on here?!
The Martin D-28 Sweetwater Special is all you will ever need in a guitar.

Everything is upgraded!

- You have square and diamond fret markers in abalone instead of dot style in MOP.
- You have a upgraded herringbone pattern on the front instead of the standard 28 pattern.
- Adirondack spruce (traditional) instead of regular Sitka spruce
- Scalloped Adirondack spruce braces instead of non scalloped Sitka spruce braces
- Forward shifted X brace for better sound

It's a tone canon at its best.

The only thing that would've been the cherry on top of the sunday was if they had the Martin logo on the head in abalone instead of raised gold. But that has zero effect on sound.

Get yourself one ASAP!

Now that I've played it a few months I'm doing a 180. For me it's strictly a flat picking guitar and best with a capo for easier fretting.The 1st fret position is difficult to hold chords because of the thickness of the neck,especially barre chords.I've come to realize too the 1 11/16 nut is a problem with muteting adjoining strings,the exact opposite of my first review.In the hands of a stronger player this might be the perfect guitar but for me it's like trying to play golf with Tiger Woods' clubs.