Kingston Crossroads: Re: New Guitar Day: Martin Sweetwater Select 28 Style Herringbone Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Ken, Goes without saying , you have excellent taste! I've often wondered about the ads I've seen that say 28 style guitar ,but leave out the word Dreadnaught. So....this model actually is a version of a D 28.

I have three Martins. An om16koaE Which I absolutely love. A D 17, this was from early 2000's when they were full body gloss, which I absolutely Love...also. Plays like a dream and has that deep sound that an all mahogany instrument is supposed to have. My newest is a 000 18. I'm hoping to part with this one, at an upcoming guitar s swap meet in , nearby, Ann Arbor, next month. I've had it for abut 3 years now. It came from GC so had no set up. It played well, but not well enough. I had a pro set up done and a K&K installed as well. The instrument had a "Mirroring" sound that only I could hear. The tech guy found a high fret and corrected that issue. It projects well, but I like it, but don't love it...if you get my drift. I'm thinking this guitar is better suited for a more delicate attack than mine. Probably a fingerstyle player. If it sells well, I'll be looking for a used D 28 or a "28 style" dred.

My first Martin , in 1973 was a gorgeous D 41. It was a beaut, and a horrible guitar. I kept it for MANY years, as it was funded by another instrument which I inherited from my Father and sold with the intention of buying a special Martin. This guitar went back to Martin twice...no better. it sounded like a piano and was almost impossible to barre. It also had that famous 70's pick guard crack and so on. I sold it for a good price, to "My favorite Guitars" , a dealer in Florida (no longer in business) apparently he had a Blue Grass customer with very big hands and it worked out. I took the proceeds, mad a mortgage payment and bought the D 17 with the change. Never looked back.

I also appreciate Ovation guitars. I bought a "Balladeer", in the early 70's, used for a fair price. Jim Croce played a similar guitar and I felt we should both have one. :<) The only issue with the Ovation, it's a deep bowl and over the years my own "Bowl" has grown and the guitar is hard to hold upright.

Previous Message

First Posted On Acoustic Guitar Forum, July 4, 2025:

Like many of you out there in AGF guitarland, I've been watching this Martin/Sweetwater model collaboration since around 2021 when it came about. It's a variation on the now-discontinued Martin HD-28V. The difference is that this Sweetwater offering has an Adirondack Spruce Top and Adirondack Spruce Bracing. Over the last few years, I've scoped out this model, looking for what I consider an Adirondack Spruce Top that would compel me to order one. As sales of the model moved along over the years, I'd seen several decent examples enter and exit Sweetwater's Guitar Gallery. Finally, last Saturday, I saw one in the Guitar Gallery that met my Adirondack Spruce Top grain criteria of needing to have a straight, moderate width, evenly-spaced, quartersawn grain top (this top even has some silking), and ordered it. Having medium-sized hands, I also like the 1 11/16-inch nut width of its Modified V Profile neck. Yesterday, my order arrived and I gave it a look over at my FedEx Office Print & Ship Center, and all was well. Back at home, I tuned it to pitch and left it out on a stand overnight to settle in and acclimate to my climate-controlled room. Today, I'm playing it right now and l love the tone and feel of this guitar.

Okay, so I already have a 2020 Martin HD-28 Reimagined 1935 Sunburst that has forward-shifted bracing with a nice Sitka Spruce Top, and it sounds mighty fine. That guitar and my new 2025 Martin D-28 Select Special sound wonderful, but the new Adirondack-topped Martin D-28 Special sounds louder and brighter, so it's not a redundant addition to my stable. Given what I hear now from the Martin D-28 Special, when it opens up, it's going to be everything I could want in a Martin Rosewood dreadnought! I don't see any flaws or cosmetic issues in the guitar's construction. As received, the action height and neck relief are perfect for my bluegrass flatpicking, heavy, medium, and lighter strumming, and fingerpicking, i.e., not too high or too low. This guitar includes a top-of-the-line TKL 6-latch/3-hinge Geib-style case.

Thanks for looking in, and please ask me any questions you may have about the Sweetwater Martin D-28 Select Special.

Tech Specs
String Type: Steel
Number of Strings: 6
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
Body Shape: Dreadnought
Back & Sides Wood: East Indian Rosewood
Top Wood: Adirondack Spruce
Color: Natural
Top Bracing: Scalloped/Forward-shifted Adirondack bracing
Binding: Grained Ivoroid
Neck Wood: Select Hardwood
Neck Shape: Modified V
Radius: 16"
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Fingerboard Inlay: Abalone Diamonds
Number of Frets: 20
Scale Length: 25.4'
Nut Width: 1.6875"
Nut Material: Bone
Saddle Material: Bone, Vintage Style Long Saddle
Bridge Material: Ebony
Tuning Machines: Open Gear Nickel
Strings: Martin, .013-.056
Case/Gig Bag: Hardshell Case
Manufacturer Part Number: 10CMFGSWEETWATER0015