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MGR/Garry McGrath « Martin D28 »
Published on 11/19/03 at 15:00Just purchased the instrument new here in Noosa Australia from the local music shop, Music@Noosa. The price was US$2735. I am using it to play bluegrass instrumental and backing for country music.
Sound, Sound, Sound. I reviewed several other brands, including Cort, Taylor (310)and the Aussie made Maton(Massiah). The D28 was head and shoulders above in both volume and tone. A plain guitar compared to the others but it's not a beauty contest. The taylor and the Maton were the most playable, but I found myself working overtime trying to get that sound out of 'em, which was not to be got. You know the one - that nasal, metalic, percussive HUM.
Not much. If I wanted pretty I could have got a herringbone/MOP type somewhere up the range. But you can't get a D42 or something like that to play before buying in Australia, and I wasn't prepared to go the extra, sight unseen. Maybe a glossy neck would be nice if they can come up with one that will not thumb wear excessively. It would bring the character out in the mahogany.
Not a mark on the exterior. Some bear claw in the spruce, but the grain is wide and regular. Even my wife admired it, and it doesn't have anything to do with dresses or kitchen appliances. Its beauty is in it's simplicity, which is a modern design trait for a thing that has been around so long - just goes to show. I could not find a crack or gap in it. I will just have to wait and see how it improves and/or deterioates as time goes by.
It is a truly precipitious guitar. Once you own one you are committed to a certain style and niche as dictated by the thing itself. It has one purpose and you are going there with it or forget it. Also, perhaps not the best idea to by a 28 as a first if you are contemplating a Martin. Even though it's big, you won't want to go down the range and there is not much reason to go up, except perhaps to a D18 type for the other classic tone.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Sound, Sound, Sound. I reviewed several other brands, including Cort, Taylor (310)and the Aussie made Maton(Massiah). The D28 was head and shoulders above in both volume and tone. A plain guitar compared to the others but it's not a beauty contest. The taylor and the Maton were the most playable, but I found myself working overtime trying to get that sound out of 'em, which was not to be got. You know the one - that nasal, metalic, percussive HUM.
Not much. If I wanted pretty I could have got a herringbone/MOP type somewhere up the range. But you can't get a D42 or something like that to play before buying in Australia, and I wasn't prepared to go the extra, sight unseen. Maybe a glossy neck would be nice if they can come up with one that will not thumb wear excessively. It would bring the character out in the mahogany.
Not a mark on the exterior. Some bear claw in the spruce, but the grain is wide and regular. Even my wife admired it, and it doesn't have anything to do with dresses or kitchen appliances. Its beauty is in it's simplicity, which is a modern design trait for a thing that has been around so long - just goes to show. I could not find a crack or gap in it. I will just have to wait and see how it improves and/or deterioates as time goes by.
It is a truly precipitious guitar. Once you own one you are committed to a certain style and niche as dictated by the thing itself. It has one purpose and you are going there with it or forget it. Also, perhaps not the best idea to by a 28 as a first if you are contemplating a Martin. Even though it's big, you won't want to go down the range and there is not much reason to go up, except perhaps to a D18 type for the other classic tone.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com