Which Martin Dreadnought

bandmaster188

Of all the Martin’s I’ve tried and owned (only a few) I always lean towards mahogany. Just seems to be a warmer rounder sound to my ears. 

pjf

ICBM said:

If you want a Martin, buy a Martin. No other, no matter how good, sounds the same.

I do find the D-18 slightly more satisfying to play by myself - it has a warmer tone and seems to project the sound 'around' the guitar more, whereas the 28 tends to project it out 'forwards' more, so it can sound a little boomy and muffled to the player, even though it's punchier if you're listening to someone else play it - if that makes sense.

That said I haven't played more than a couple of these new varieties which I just lose track of...

Martins do have a very distinctive sound. I imagine it’s no mistake that you wrote “the same” and not “as good”. Totally agree with this description of the mahogany D18 vs the EIR 28, 35, HD28 etc. 

I owned a custom HD28v for a number of years and it was superb. OP, you may not like the V neck but HD28 would be my choice were I in your position.

crunchman

Personally I love the V neck, with 1 11/16" nut width, but that's quite a hard combination to find these days.

Based recent experience, I'd go for an Atkin.  I've got an HD28V that I thought I'd never sell, but I'm seriously considering selling it to fund an Atkin. That's partly because I'm coming to the position where I am now preferring mahogany back and sides.   The Atkin Essential D is a stunning guitar, and better than any Martin I've played in that price range.

Andy79

My 0-15 has a 11/16 V and I do agree it is an exceptionally comfortable neck. 

Don’t get stressed over things.  This is a good problem to have. 

ICBM

I’ve only played one Atkin, and based on that experience I wouldn’t buy one at all, especially not considering the price.

Brize

crunchman said:

Personally I love the V neck, with 1 11/16" nut width, but that's quite a hard combination to find these days.

Based recent experience, I'd go for an Atkin.  I've got an HD28V that I thought I'd never sell, but I'm seriously considering selling it to fund an Atkin. That's partly because I'm coming to the position where I am now preferring mahogany back and sides.   The Atkin Essential D is a stunning guitar, and better than any Martin I've played in that price range.

Don't sell the HD-28V - you'll regret it!

crunchman

Brize said:

crunchman said:

Personally I love the V neck, with 1 11/16" nut width, but that's quite a hard combination to find these days.

Based recent experience, I'd go for an Atkin.  I've got an HD28V that I thought I'd never sell, but I'm seriously considering selling it to fund an Atkin. That's partly because I'm coming to the position where I am now preferring mahogany back and sides.   The Atkin Essential D is a stunning guitar, and better than any Martin I've played in that price range.

Don't sell the HD-28V - you'll regret it!

I'm not sure at this point.

It's been my main live acoustic for 10 years or more, as it has a Fishman blender pickup that sounds pretty good.  I just never play it at home though.  I have a Stonebridge (Furch) OM that is much more comfortable to sit on the sofa with than a dreadnought.  My wife bought me a Fender Acoustasonic a couple of weeks ago.  With the flexibility that gives, I'll probably

use that live more than the Martin going forwards.

I am leaning towards a guitar with mahogany back and sides though.  If I do get another acoustic, I'd probably get an Atkin.  I'd have to sell the Martin (or an electric) to fund it though.

Brize

crunchman said:

Brize said:

crunchman said:

Personally I love the V neck, with 1 11/16" nut width, but that's quite a hard combination to find these days.

Based recent experience, I'd go for an Atkin.  I've got an HD28V that I thought I'd never sell, but I'm seriously considering selling it to fund an Atkin. That's partly because I'm coming to the position where I am now preferring mahogany back and sides.   The Atkin Essential D is a stunning guitar, and better than any Martin I've played in that price range.

Don't sell the HD-28V - you'll regret it!

I'm not sure at this point.

It's been my main live acoustic for 10 years or more, as it has a Fishman blender pickup that sounds pretty good.  I just never play it at home though.  I have a Stonebridge (Furch) OM that is much more comfortable to sit on the sofa with than a dreadnought.  My wife bought me a Fender Acoustasonic a couple of weeks ago.  With the flexibility that gives, I'll probably

use that live more than the Martin going forwards.

I am leaning towards a guitar with mahogany back and sides though.  If I do get another acoustic, I'd probably get an Atkin.  I'd have to sell the Martin (or an electric) to fund it though.

Awesome wife - printed out and pinned to the fridge.

Andy79

https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/pxp200319357385002-4585809--martin-1999-hd-28-pre-owned-668918

Trude

I had an Atkin J45 with rosewood back and sides, but I found the bass too prominent and sludgy when recording. I settled on a recent D18 and am much happier. It's powerful but has more focus. I also much prefer the wider 1.75" nut.

prlgmnr

Cheers @Andy79 for the heads up but I think I'm going to wait til lockdown is over and I can get my hands on some of these in person, Northern Acoustics in Leeds looks like a good bet.

boogieman

Anyone had experience of the HD28 twelve stringer? I love the tone from the demos I’ve heard but what’s the string spacing like? I’ve got a cheap Yamaha APX 12 but the fretboard is so narrow it’s really hard to hit individual pairs of strings. 

Brize

boogieman said:

Anyone had experience of the HD28 twelve stringer? I love the tone from the demos I’ve heard but what’s the string spacing like? I’ve got a cheap Yamaha APX 12 but the fretboard is so narrow it’s really hard to hit individual pairs of strings. 

I think that Martin have got it right on the latest version - the nut spacing is 1 13/16", which is manageable for the left hand and still allows the right hand to accurately pick the individual pairs. (I believe the nut spacing on the previous model was 1 7/8".)

Edit: Your Yamaha also has a 1 13/16" nut, but there may be a difference in string spacing at the bridge (which is 2 5/16" on the new HD12-28).

McSwaggerty

 About 5 years ago l was convinced l wanted a Martin D18.
After saving up for almost a year l excitedly ventured into my local store to do the deal.
One hour later l left the shop with a Gibson J45. 
Haven't regretted it for a second.....