Martin 000-28VS

Martin 000-28VS

Features : 10

09, 000; 12 fret,SLOTHEAD Beauty; polished gloss w/aging toner; Waverly Nickel side mounts with butterbean knobs; no electronics...not needed unless playing out. Amazing bass for the 000 size since we almost expect it to be so much less than a Dread.

Top is SOLID sitka spruce; back SOLID East Indian Rosewood with HD Zig-zag purfling back. Neck is satin with black ebony bridge

25.4 scale and 1 13/16th width at fingerboard. Some say this is too big from the more standard 1 3/4", but I find it very comfortable. It makes going back and forth between my classical guitar (2" width) hardly a difference. The spacing on the frets is perfect for strumming and fingerstyle.

Sound : 8

Comes with light phosphor bronze strings and they seem adequate at this time. I immediately took it to luthier for set-up with new light gauge strings, so still have some aging to do. Very bright on the high strings and love that Martin bass sound on the lows.

This being a new (09) model, it has some opening up to do, thus the lower rating. I fully anticipate it will age and be a 10+ for sound.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9

Set up was high. As mentioned took it to luthier for set up and strings and it is now low and lovely. Did get an initial buzz on the 6th string in first fret, but it corrected well with adjustments.

No flaws, cut on frets is beautiful and the quality control at Martin did not let anything past the door with these beauties.

Reliability/Durability : 10

What can you say but that it is upper end Martin quality throughout. The name and reputation preceeds it and it stands the test. Finish, hardware all quality stuff. My only issue about live playing out would be the worry that it will get dinged...and we all know how painful that first set of dings are in our new guitars.

Customer Support : No Opinion

Since I bought the guitar second hand, am not available to the Martin lifetime warranty. I figured with what I saved over list price by buying from an individual, I can do the neck reset in 10+ years. Guitar is quality and built to last. I have owned other Martins and they were helpful with necessary paperwork and warranty.

Overall Rating : 10

I own a Guild classical, Gibson Hummingbird, Larrivee 000-60 and a couple of other beaters for the grandkids to plunk on. This guitar was a replacement for my Martin 000-28 EC Sunburst, so about the same price (list is now $4500 on the 000-28VS) but we all know the quality online dealers will sell them around 40% off that.

At this point, I expect great things from this guitar and expect to keep it. Time will tell about the features in the long run and how it wears. Martin list prices are up there, but it is all quality stuff backed by one of the best mfg systems in the world. For what I paid, as trade, it was a deal for sure!

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