Martin Guitars Custom Shop 000-28

Sonic Evaluation

This Custom Shop Martin 000-28 is an absolute beast! First things first: it is LOUD! Because I got The Mischief in me, I walked in on one of my coworkers having a conversation in another room and strummed it full force, and it overpowered them completely. Then I stopped, and they started talking, and I did it again, and so on and so forth (I'm a bad person). Though it has tons of headroom and power, it still sounds full if you play it with a light touch. The attack is wonderfully stout, with a piano-like attack and excellent roundness, so it can withstand serious punishment without notes breaking or splatting.

It has no shortage of overtones, but it sounds surprisingly woody and balances things with a strong fundamental tone, too. As far as timbre goes, it's quite warm and deep, but it has a lovely clarity thanks to those fundamentals, so you can play complex chords and hear each note. The overtones blend beautifully, too.

As you might guess, this guitar is a monster as a strummer because of the aforementioned qualities, but it also responds to a light, delicate touch. I have a heavy right hand, and our resident Fingerstyle Weapons Master Brian plays very lightly, and we both dug this guitar. When that happens, you know it's got some serious versatility!

I have no doubt that you'll see why I had to be a menace to my coworkers in the first paragraph if you take this guitar for spin, and I think you'll love it as much as I did.