Martin

For many, the ‘70s doesn’t seem that long ago, and I’m sure that, if it were endowed with the power of speech and the burden of nostalgia, this 000-28 would share that sentiment. Yet, in playing this guitar I can’t help but think that it is only six years older than I am and it is about to turn 50—somehow this venerable age seems perfectly okay for a guitar, but not so okay for me, its player!  But before I know it, this guitar has turned on its charm and I find comfort in its solid feel and tonal warmth, such that the thoughts of then and down the line diffuse into a satisfaction with the here and now.  It is not a voice that is brash or bombastic, nor perhaps the most sensational or refined; but, it is a voice that is confident, even, sweet, and beautiful. It is a voice that makes you feel instantly at home with the instrument from which it emanates. 

In this respect, this 000-28 has an engaging personality, and thus qualifies in my book as a truly good guitar.  As a post-WWII guitar with tapered bracing, it has a more mid-range forward voice, with a particularly strong, but not over-powering or disproportionate open A.  This mid-range bump translates to both evenness in the voice and also added sweetness and texture to the more elusive registers of the guitar.  By virtue of this and the body shape, this 000-28 represents a shift to the brighter edge of the Martin spectrum, but it still has the signature Martin earthiness that we all know and admire.  In this respect, it would work exceedingly well in a recording or live context, though, as stated above, it is certainly compelling otherwise.  As is true of most short-scale 000s, this guitar prefers a controlled attack, be it fingerstyle or strumming, rather than aggressiveness or hard strumming—the short scale reduces string tension, and thus, to some extent, the headroom the guitar can produce.  But, I am pleased to report that it handles a fairly firm (but controlled!) strum remarkable well.  All in all, this 000-28 is a well-cared-for and beautiful mature guitar. – L. Petsch, 2023

Condition

As one would expect, this 000-28 has picked up a ding or two over the years with various dents and scuffs on the body and neck.  But, thankfully, there are no major gouges or scrapes.  Likewise, there is no evidence of cracks or major repairs, though we do note the original pickguard (not present) has been replaced with a faux tortoishell pickguard.  The instrument is quite playable, with action measuring approximately 3/32” on the low E at the 12^th fret and less than 5/64” on the high E and overall good fret mass. However, it should be noted that, while there is still some room to lower saddle further, there is minimal saddle clearance.  That is to say that this guitar is not in need of a neck re-set at present; but, as is increasingly common with any guitar with passage of time and stress, re-angling the neck may be necessary down the line in order to achieve ideal action. On a final note, this guitar does have a Mitchell's Platemate installed, as it had some wear to the bridgeplate.

• 000-14 Fret Body Size
• Solid Sitka Spruce Top
• Sitka Spruce Tapered X-Brace (5/16”) Thickness
• East Indian Rosewood Back and Sides
• White Plastic Binding
• 5-ply Top Purfling
• Style 28 Checkered Backstrip
• Style 28 Multi-ply 3-Ring Rosette
• Gloss Finish
• Mahogany Neck
• Ebony Fingerboard
• Style 28 Mother of Pearl Large Dot Fingerboard Inlays
• East Indian Rosewood Headstock Veneer
• Script Decal Logo
• C-Shaped Neck Carve
• Satin Neck Finish
• Modern Belly Bridge with Drop in Saddle
• Chrome Grover Rotomatic Tuners
• Faux Tortoiseshell Pickguard (Non-Original)
• Bone Nut
• Bone Saddle
• White Bridge Pins with Black Dots
• 1 11/16” Nut Width
• 9” Scale Length
• K&K Active Pure Mini Pickup System
• Platemate Installed
• Original Thermoplastic Hardshell Case