If only the 000-28EC didn't have his signature on it.

[nylon rock]

I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

If you play a nice one, you'll fall in love with it right away. Very fun guitar, and oh so comfortable when trying to make it sing. If you have ever heard of someone refering to a guitar as hard to play, this short scale model is probably the standard bearer for the comparison.

 

Not a very loud guitar, but a good player can make one come alive and it has a wonderfully rich "mellow" sound that makes a typical G barre chord sound very full bodied.

 

Some people give this guitar a bad rap, but I played one the other day, and also others at other times, and with the exception of only one time where one hadn't opened up yet, have always been impressed.

[Dave W.]

Sorry, I don't get it. Do you not like him, or do you not want to pay extra for his endorsement, or am I missing something.

I am curious as I am looking very seriously at it as my next guitar, though I have never played a short scale.

I have a 000-16STGNE nylon and love the OM size and the way it feels.

Dave

[Tweedledee]

I love 000-28EC as well but I can't stand signatures on guitars. Signature guitars with the "signature" anywhere but on the label in the sound hole just plain annoy me. If it didn't have that mother-of-pearl "Eric Clapton" inlay it would be a beautiful guitar.

[Dave W.]

Yeah, forgot about the inlay sig., that is pretty tacky.

Dave

[nylon rock]

The Martin short scale models are few. They lose a lot of volume compared to their 25.4-inch brethren, and maybe that is why.

Most new guitarists want a guitar that will ring out for them in the first position. The 000-28EC is ideal for up the neck work and so doesn't suit them well at all when they're in the store. When they play one they just don't get it, and they feel underwhelmed by it, and really can't understand the hype behind one, hence its bad wrap.

The guitar understates many of the high string notes and therefore melds them very well into chords and leads that are not attention getting. This is where its charm comes in, in that you can get into a groove as you cycle through a chord repetition sequence, which will have a nice, even, rich, full sound. And as you become more emboldened each time through, you subtly work in your leads until you can lay them down with some bravado because of your just being at those frets, and then suddenly the guitar turns on as you unleash what has become easy to play, but very pleasing sounding, melodies which have a rich texture to them. These then further embolden you to even higher highs because they sound so good. They're not too shrill, nor are they tinny sounding. You can hang out there for a long time, too, because the string tension offers less resistance on your fretting hand, and you can even get some decent bend action to the notes with that reduced tension.

Makes me want to order a custom model. One that would be identical except have no sig, maybe a low profile neck, ebony/pearl pins, and a 12 inch radius fingerboard. And an 8 rated top with a genuine mahogany neck.

I just might do this, and sell my custom OM-21, which is my first steel string acoustic. (The guitar I used to learn what owning a steel string is all about.) Only a year into owning it so it wouldn't be like I was parting with my long owned "first Martin."

Short scales are a gas if you have a traditional approach to flat picking a guitar, using a lot of barre chord inversions, and have a good command of the major and pentatonic scales.

[scottgd]

I've play 3.

1 sucked, but that was at a Sam Ash, so that explains that.

The other 2 were the best sounding and playing I've ever played.

I too would like to find that same guitar without the Sig.

However, with or without, one day 1 will be mine.

[Tralfaz]

If you really hate the sig you could probably have a luthier replace the bit of fretboard in that section for well less than the cost of a custom Martin.

I've actually thought about doing that myself for another signature Martin I was looking at. Having some other guitarist's signature inlaid on the fretboard smacks a little too much of hero worship.

[knockwood]

Always possible to order one without the signature... I love EC, but hate the idea of anyone's signature - other than mine or the maker's - on one of my guitars.

Mandolin Bros. has a ROFR (Right of First Refusal) procedure where you send them a $100 deposit and an order for your model... They order it and no one touches it until you come to claim it or they ship it to you. You have a few days to try it out and I believe the deposit is refundable if you decide you're not crazy about it (not 100% sure on that one). Where removal of the signature is concerned, I'm not sure whether they'd include this under the ROFR policy or look at it as a custom order. If the latter, it's a 50% deposit, no refund, no returns...

Or... there is this guy:
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/00028H.htm

[guitarcapo]

I'd just buy the thing and not worry about the signature if it was a great guitar for you. Not a big deal to me.

[Dave W.]

Originally posted by guitarcapo I'd just buy the thing and not worry about the signature if it was a great guitar for you. Not a big deal to me.

 

 

Agreed. If I play one and love it, then find a nice one for a good price, it's a done deal, but I do think it is a mistake on Martin's part. Most people willing to pay that kind of money for a guitar are serious players. I don't have a problem with the double, signed labels, but having a star's signature inlaid in a prominent place like the fingerboard, is a detriment, rather than a selling point. And I love Clapton, particularly since he "unplugged". My two cents.

 

BTW, does anyone know why there is an almost $5000 difference in list prices between the two Norman Blake models. The only difference I can find is that the back/sides go from east indian to Brazilian rosewood. Thanks.

 

Dave

[nylon rock]

Guitarcapo, I'm kinda coming to that conclusion. I e-mailed Martin and just got my reply that to have one made but no inlayed signature would force it into a Custom model.

You know, the 000-28EC does have Eric's signature on the label inside. One day he will be history and these guitars will be part of a "golden age," as hard as that may be to think of. One day you won't have the woods that they have right now and a lot of the things that are nice today will be treasured items tomorrow.

Since it is his signature guitar, once you buy into the fact that it is a wonderful guitar, the signature aspect makes it all the better.

So, how are things in Naples? Did CNN leave yet? They were camped all over the place on Monday around you. Man was it windy.

My condo on the beach just south of Boca, the fifty foot stretch of grass leading to the beach proper, is now beach too. Need a lot of shovels, according to my brother who rode out Wilma there!

[Tralfaz]

Originally posted by Dave W. BTW, does anyone know why there is an almost $5000 difference in list prices between the two Norman Blake models. The only difference I can find is that the back/sides go from east indian to Brazilian rosewood. Thanks. Dave

 

 

Yes, the Brazillian rosewood accounts for the price difference.

 

There are probably some archived posts here and on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum that attempt to explain (or justify) why Martin charges so much for Brazillian... I think it all boils down to the fact that Martin hasn't acquired any new BR for awhile, and may not buy any more for the foreseeable future, so as the stockpile at the factory goes down, the price they charge for it goes up exponentially. And people keep paying for it.

[Dave W.]

Originally posted by Tralfaz Yes, the Brazillian rosewood accounts for the price difference. There are probably some archived posts here and on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum that attempt to explain (or justify) why Martin charges so much for Brazillian... I think it all boils down to the fact that Martin hasn't acquired any new BR for awhile, and may not buy any more for the foreseeable future, so as the stockpile at the factory goes down, the price they charge for it goes up exponentially. And people keep paying for it.

 

 

With all the debate on the impact of the back and side woods on the sound, it seems to come down to the aesthetics and collectibility. Thats a lot of money.

 

Dave

[scottgd]

The only problem I have with EC's sig. on the fretboard is that I think it raises the price at least several hundred dollars.

Love the guitar though.