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Why so many people love D-28?


tennisplayer

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Well I don't. They are nice played by other people but not for my finger style playing, too boomie on the bass.
To each
his own
.

 

+1 to that :thu: I found exactly the same, the D-28 and D-35 just didn't suit me after the initial thrill wore off.

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It's a Martin, isn't it?

 

 

Well..there is that but I think it also stems from a time when Martin was one of the two really gig guitar makers for so long and if you wanted a "good guitar" back in the old days you either got a Martin or Gibson. People didn't have the choices like we have today. Sure back then there there was Stella, Oscar Schmidt and Harmony brand guitars but most professional musicians played Martins or Gibsons. People like The Carter Family, Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams and all the other popular country singers of the day all strummed on Martins or Gibsons. Bluegrass is not correct unless it's being played on either a Martin D18 or D28. ;)

 

Of course today we have a lot of off shore companies building excellent guitars at affordable prices but having tried out a couple of recent D28's I still have to say for strumming and flatpicking they are pretty hard to beat.

Of course I also think that part of the mystique and high cost of the D28 is due to it's Martin heritage. Many people would probably agree that today you can buy a guitar as good for a lot less money but again...it's not a "Martin". ;)

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Well..there is that but I think it also stems from a time when Martin was one of the two really gig guitar makers for so long and if you wanted a "good guitar" back in the old days you either got a Martin or Gibson. People didn't have the choices like we have today. Sure back then there there was Stella, Oscar Schmidt and Harmony brand guitars but most
professional
musicians played Martins or Gibsons. People like The Carter Family, Jimmie Rogers, Hank Williams and all the other popular country singers of the day all strummed on Martins or Gibsons. Bluegrass is not correct unless it's being played on either a Martin D18 or D28.
;)

Of course today we have a lot of off shore companies building excellent guitars at affordable prices but having tried out a couple of recent D28's I still have to say for strumming and flatpicking they are pretty hard to beat.

Of course I also think that part of the mystique and high cost of the D28 is due to it's Martin heritage. Many people would probably agree that today you can buy a guitar as good for a lot less money but again...it's not a "Martin".
;)

 

+1 :thu:

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Tone, build, playabilty, volume, heritage. Too boomy? Find another example; like every guitar they vary in tonal response. I've had a few D-28's and one HD which I didn't like at all. The scalloped bracing puts far too much emphasis on the bass for my taste.

 

The D-28 is iconic and a design classic. That it has been in production since 1931 should speak for itself.

 

 

___

 

 

Yamaha LL26

Martin D-28

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Depends on the individual guitar (fit and finish varies among each due to the human element in their production) but if there are any doubts use a thick pick and hard attack and listen for the magic.

 

As for fingerpicking, well to me that's not what a D-28 is for. I'd suggest that for those who don't like a Martin dread for fingerpicking but still want good bass that they look at the OM-21.

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....well, having owned a few, I can say that I am not a fan of d-28's....I do however own and play a d-18V, and it's a lovely guitar....vastly superior in volume and tone to all but the oldest d-28's I'v played....with that said, I've played some really nice hd-28's....scalloped bracing seems to make all the difference.....

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The D-28 is likely the most recorded acoustic guitar in history. It might even be the most recorded guitar (Electric or Acoustic) in history. A lot of the songs people grow up listening to were recorded on that guitar. So when someone strums a couple chords it has the tone you are used to hearing because you've been hearing it all your life.

 

That's my theory anyways... There is always the history and heritage but I think that's more Brand then specific model.

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Well I don't. They are nice played by other people but not for my finger style playing, too boomie on the bass. To each his own.

 

 

I play mine fingerstyle all the time. "Blackbird" never sounded so great. Bass sounds wonderful on mine. No boominess.

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I love my D-28, but that is partially because we have had so many good years together.

 

From memory (dangerous for me), wasn't the D-28 the first dreadnought? It seems like it was either the first, or the first mass produced...

 

The D-28 design has become the defacto standard and has been copied by virtually every guitar manufacturer in the world. Anyone that plays a dreadnought is paying homage to the d-28 - even if their particular guitar is a boutique uber-expensive, one-off item.

 

That's the thing, the D28 is the real deal. Everything else stems from that original CF Martin design.

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I love my D-28, but that is partially because we have had so many good years together.


From memory (dangerous for me), wasn't the D-28 the first dreadnought? It seems like it was either the first, or the first mass produced...


The D-28 design has become the defacto standard and has been copied by virtually every guitar manufacturer in the world. Anyone that plays a dreadnought is paying homage to the d-28 - even if their particular guitar is a boutique uber-expensive, one-off item.


That's the thing, the D28 is the real deal. Everything else stems from that original CF Martin design.

 

What he said..:thu:

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. . . From memory (dangerous for me), wasn't the D-28 the first dreadnought? It seems like it was either the first, or the first mass produced...

 

According to Wikipedia:

 

"The Dreadnought style was originally developed in 1916 and was manufactured by Martin specifically for retailer the Oliver Ditson Company. These early Dreadnought guitars carried the "chicken" brand.

 

In 1931, Martin began producing Dreadnought guitars carrying the Martin name. The first two models were the D-1 and D-2."

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