Legendary. Historic. Iconic. Not many musical instruments can lay claim to this type of reverent praise. But when discussing the Martin D-28, well…it all makes perfect sense.
The Legacy
Introduced in 1931, the Martin D-28 was instantly lauded for its booming projection, sonic clarity and ease of playability. Its popularity increased dramatically throughout the next two decades and by the 1950’s through the 1960’s, customers were actually waiting 2 years or more for a new D-28. With so many high-profile legends such as Hank Williams, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page making the D-28 their acoustic guitar of choice, it’s no wonder every serious guitarist longed for one of their very own.
The Inspiration
Regardless of the huge success the D-28 was (or quite possibly because of it), Martin Guitars was inspired to make further improvements upon their most popular dreadnaught acoustic guitar with subsequent redesigns and variations. The 2017 edition of the D-28 incorporates the very best attributes from all eras of its remarkably luminous history. In the words of Chris Martin, Chairman and CEO of Martin Guitar, “We have extracted the finest features from the D-28 of both my grandfather’s and my father’s respective eras.”
The Improvements
The 2017 redesign of the Martin D-28 is a highly-balanced amalgam representing both its storied history and current prestige. This future classic features open gear tuners, a sitka spruce top finished with aged toner for a vintage appearance, East Indian rosewood back, sides and headplate, antique white binding and endpiece, multi-stripe top and back inlays, ebony bridge and fingerboard with mother of pearl inlays, and a faux tortoise pickguard to protect the top and enhance this beauty’s appearance.
Keeping in mind that their guitars are meant to be played and not just adored, Martin has given the D-28 a new neck profile, resulting in a more contemporary feel and enjoyable playing experience. And to further enhance the glorious tone Martin guitars are renowned for, they’ve also added forward-shifted bracing, facilitating enhanced top vibration.
The Bottom Line
All we can say is…the legend just got better!