Martin 000-28EC

2004 Sunburst model with slightly wider modified V neck for fingerpicking. I bought this secondhand in excellent condition from a dealer of top of the range and vintage guitars. Housed in a beautiful Geib harcase with plush green lining.

I play blues and the guitar is perfect for this. It has so much clarity and separation and responds excellently to soft or hard playing. It has good volume for a smaller bodied guitar and a tone to die for. Each time I play it I marvel at the amazing sound that Martin has produced compared to other so called high end guitars. I have owned many guitars over my 40 years playing and I can honestly say this is the best.

The action on most Martins is set too high for fingerpicking but this one had obviously been professionally set up because it need no alteration at all. The build quality is excellent as you would expect and the finish is a beautiful sunburst complemented by the herringbone inlay. I happen to think the signature on the fretboard blends in very well and isn't gawdy at all.
Sometimes I just open the case and look at its beauty.

Obviously it is too soon to know but from the look of it I would think it will last a lifetime.

I emailed customer support to try to find out some history of the guitar and they responded very quickly and professionally.

I have been playing for 40 years and as I previously stated I have owned and played many guitars. It is only now (with the wife's permission) that I have been able to justify paying so much for a guitar. I tried a Martin D42 about 27 years ago which had a profound V neck and I didn't like it so I was a bit aprehensive about the modified V neck adopted for this model. Maybe others didn't like it too hence the modification and Martin have done an excellent job. It is so comfortable and easy to play and I have relatively small hands. This guitar in my opinion is perfection.

2005 model, with case. Indian rosewood body, ebony and mahogany neck, sitka spruce top.

Wow. I compared five 000-28ECs and a Bellezza Nera in four stores to find this one. It had the most dings and scratches, but the wood grain and the TONE was all there. Deep low bass, nice scoop in the mids, fat melody notes, and a body that resonated noticeably more than any of the other Claptons I tried out.

Neck has too much relief and I'm having difficulty finding a truss rod wrench that reaches. May have to take it to a shop to adjust it. The pickguard has none of that dot matrix pattern you see in the newer Clapton's. Action a bit high. Has several dings and scratches, but that's from the store not from Martin.

Can't tell at this point, but the guitar seems reasonably solid. I bought it for studio recording so I'm not too worried about it.

Martin was friendly on the phone. Lifetime warranty.

Playing for 30 years. Also own a Taylor Big Baby, a Fender '62 Vintage reissue strat, Ibanez AF-105F jazz guitar, and an Ibanez RG-540.

I checking back in after owning this guitar for 3.5 years. Refer to my original posting of 6/12/03 for comparison. Label #6500 from late 2002. Features are listed elsewhere and at Martin's website. Mine is still stock and I would not change much except to go with bone for the nut and saddle (especially the saddle).

In the past 3.5 years I have compared my particular axe to many other acoustics and other 000-28EC's. This one just has IT as far as my personal tone perfection goes. A solid 10 then and it has only gotten better over time. Open, big but not boomy bass. Complex, articulate midrange. Clear on top. Mine is not at all bright like an OM. More bell-like. Still my favorite, and the gold standard that I compare all others too.

Replaced the bridge and saddle with bone both for sound and to lower the action which was too high from the factory and to correct a problem with string spacing at the nut. The action is VERY stable and does not change much even between winter dry season and summer humid season here in Ohio. The top has not bellied at all and I don't forsee needing a neck reset for a long-long time. The fretwire is wearing well and it should be another 4-5 years before I need some professional attention here. The 8 rating is after professional set-up work and bone nut & saddle. Not a higher rating because I find the v-neck a little deep for my shorter fingers.

I still would not regularly gig with this guitar, although I have used it for special performances. It has held up very well with the only issue being a minor center seam separation between the bridge and tailblock when I neglected to humidify the guitar during an especially dry winter heating season. When the guitar was rapidly humidified to swell the top prior to regluing some checking of the lacquer occurred between the pickguard and the purfling at the side. It is very minor and kinda adds to the vintage vibe IMHO. Have gotten some minor dings and pick stratches but the guitar is holding up very well. Very well built guitar.

I have not really had any customer support issues with Martin directly. I guess thats a good thing ;-) My local Martin repair facility is kind of hit-or-miss. If they are busy the quality of their work suffers and it takes a long time to get something back. If they are not overly busy the work is great. They did an OK job on my top separation. They reglued the top just fine, and the repair has help up well but they "forced" the humidification and checked the finish to get the job done faster.

Like I said earlier, this is a long-term report. Too many of the reviews here are from folks who have just gotten their guitars and you don't get a feel for how the guitars hold-up over time or how the player's experience changes. I still love the sound and the look of this guitar. I really have only come across several other guitars that sound better (and they were custom builder - very pricey), and few that sound even as good, as this particular guitar. My 000-28EC is interestingly from the same lot as one in which two guitars went to EC himself for the George Harrison tribute concert at Royal Albert Hall and is within 30 serial numbers of the 000-28EC actioned at the Crossroads II Guitar Action at Christies in 6/04. Maybe Martin paid more attention to the build of this lot... I don't know but it is a fantastic guitar.

2004 Model / East Indian Rosewood

It's very versatile guitar, I think it suits a lot of styles. I did have a bone saddle installed, which opened up the guitar even more. Additionally, I have added a K&K Western Mini pickup.

Martin is known to send their guitars out with a somewhat higher action. I had my guitar setup properly by a professional. It was worth the money.

It's a very reliable instrument. However, I don't play live gigs and take care of it like it's a baby.

All I did was registering the guitar.

I'm playing for 40 yrs. I like the looks,feel & sound of this guitar. I compared it with Taylors, but Taylors are somewhat too sweet sounding. I like the darker sound of this guitar.

This is a fantastic guitar with a wider neck, great for fingerpicking, Vintage appointments. It is a fingerpickers dream.
There has already been a lot of other writeups as to its features.

Sound is fantastic. This is a real bright sounding guitar. It resonates. Its sound is different than a dreadnaught. Less bassy,
more mide range. It is a real porch picker bluesy cowboy fingerpicking type guitar.

Set up was perfect. Zero, and I mean Zero flaws.

I would use this guitar at any gig. Its such a great guitar. Fantastic on all counts.

No opinion as of yet. It has lifetime warranty

I've had lots of fine guitars. This is right up there with the best. It is so much better than anything else out there. I've had Gibsons (only recently do the make decent guitars), and others.
This is the best.

Instrument nomenclature: Made the same as all others reviewed so I won't bore anyone with that. I don't know when it was made; I don't really care. Overall it's a very beautiful instrument. I personally love the deep, aged finish of the top; no clue why, really.

I didn't buy it to play with a band just to play alone or with close friends. I don't play a particular style, just songs that I like. The sound is amazing. Deep, resonant and clear. Very few guitars I have ever heard sounded this good. The other 00028-EC's I have played over the years pale by comparison. I wasn't in the market for a new guitar when I bought this one. The guitar sold itself.

Action is a tad high but I understand that is normal for a Martin guitar. Beautifully bookmatched top and the back and sides were dark and rich. I never looked for little tiny flaws so your guess is as good as mine regarding that. To me, it looks great!

Seems very well made and the finish seems very beautiful to me. This guitar cost way too much for me to take it out to some bar or other venue; I play it every day but I doubt I will ever perform with it.

Called em on the phone ... very pleasant. I will be bringing my guitar up to them to ease up on the action a bit. We will see how they are when I get there.

Been playing for over 40 years. If lost or stolen my heart would be broken; it is irreplacable ... don't know if I would even try.

I love the way it sounds, I love the way it feels, and I love the way it looks. I can't find any real complaint. As I said I wasn't looking for a guitar when I came across this one. Something about it called to me and the next thing I knew I was at the checkout counter with axe in hand.

Criticism: Why use imitation Waverly tuners when the real things are available? For the price I paid they should have been the genuine thing. But, maybe the ones provided are just as good, who knows? I sure don't! In any event they work just fine so this is not really a legitimate criticism.

Thought to share: I wish it weren't an Eric Clapton model or that he'd placed his autograph somewhere it can't be seen unless you want to show it. I don't like the idea of being a walking billboard. Eric should be bigger than that; others have been.

It didn't stop me from buying the guitar but it left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Still, it's a GREAT guitar!

I bought this second-hand from a collector who was cleaning up his inventory. This is a late 1995 model, placing it about 9 years old. The bridge was replaced by the seller with bone. The guitar has obviosly been well-cared for, with only a few minor "love-marks". I like the overall look of the guitar but agree with some other reviewers that the signature on the fretboard is a little gawdy. Overall, however, the guitar is not overly fancy in appearance, which for me was a plus. No pickup installed. Not too many frills besides being extremely well built. The woods that were selected are better than those that you'll find on the similar 000-28.

I play fingerstyle guitar. Blues, alternative, folk, indie. This is not a strumming machine, although it doesn't sound bad with a pick. It's just that there are better guitars for strumming out the rhythm section. I played about 50 high-end ($1200+) guitars in search of "the one" guitar, in one sitting at a local shop. If you are considering buying this guitar, you should compare it to a Taylor 514ce, which has a pickup in it, and is a little cheaper. Make sure that the extra sound you get from a Martin is worth it to you. It was to me, but sound is pretty subjective. The sound is very well rounded. I compared it to the aforementioned Taylor and really thought long and hard about it. The Taylor has a more bright sound that maybe better for live performance, whereas the 000-28ec has a more nuanced mid-range.

Bought 2nd hand, so I don't know how it was set up at the factory. Get light gauge 80/20s on it and it sings. There appears to be some small finish separation occurring at the neck, but the finish hasn't cracked...plus guitars are meant to be played. The action is a fingerstylists dream, but again, I didn't get this from the factory and it likely has been professionally set up since 1995. The frets are perfect and the ebony fingerboard both add to the playability. The neck is V-shaped and helps if you have big hands like me. I personally like the 000 body for long sessions. Dreadnoughts can get tiring.

I wouldn't ever gig with this. I think guitars are meant for playing, but this guitar is not really a good live instrument for most of us. For one, it's too expensive to risk some drunk spilling his beer on while asking you to play freebird. Secondly, no pickup and the small body size means miking it--there are better alternatives for gigging.
It is a durable instrument. It's lasted 9 years with proper care. And it's aged brilliantly. As long as you properly humidify and store your Martin, it will not only last long enough for your grandchildren to pass it on, but it's value will increase as well.
It's a great studio instrument and Martins are Martins. They're worth every penny.

Haven't ever used them.

My best guitar. Seasoned guitarists can be found drooling over this guitar at your local music store. If I ever lost it, I'd cry. If it were ever stolen, I'd buy a gun instead of the guitar and use the money to hire a lawyer for my insanity defense. I compared this to a crapload of guitars and for fingerstyle, you're gonna have to pay an extra grand to top this guitar. I mean, Brazilian Rosewood would be required to sound better. The best comparisons to AB this guitar against are the Taylor 514 and the Martin OM28V guitars. Both are comparably priced and sound close enough that you can decide for yourself which of the three toots your horn. After a month of playing my 000-28ec, I doubt if either of the other guitars would have been a better choice. I would go ahead and upgrade the bridge and maybe even the bridge pins. But the tone is amazing. Tone mongers beware: If you pick this instrument up, GAS will strike you down where you stand and you'll end up dipping into your 401K to make room for your newest obsession. I rate it a 9 because there are those sickeningly amazing sounds that come out of Collings and Santa Cruz guitars.

2004 model. Bought brand new. 000 size solid rosewood body, solid spruce top, ebony fboard with 'diamond' inlays, V-shaped neck. Eric Clapton signature inlaid at 20th fret. Very elegant butterbean tuners. Martin hardshell Geib case with plush green interior lining. Not exactly loads of features but what do you expect from a staightforward handmade acoustic? 500 amp models and effects????

I've had this this guitar for over a month now and wanted to wait before posting a review out of 'new guitar infatuation'. Well what can I say.....one month on and still infatuated!!!! This has to be one of Martin's best sounding guitars. I mainly play fingerstyle blues and rock, both fingerstyle and with a flatpick. This guitar responds amazingly to my playing style. It has an extremely well-balanced sound and resonates like hell!!! What I really love about this guitar is the way it articulates each and every note and the dynamics of your playing. When being aggressive the notes really snap off the fingerboard. Unlike many acoustics the sound does not get mushy when played hard but each note rings out with a toothy clarity. When playing softly it really reponds well and sings out each note tenderly with beautiful sustain and warmth. The rosewood body really adds richness to the overall tone. People always say these are fingerpickers guitars and they are obviously perfect for that. But what I found great with the 000-28ec was the way it responds to strumming and rhythm playing as well. The shorter, Gibson-like scale-length makes it a joy to strum and it sounds great with chords. It is not as loud as some other acoustics but the tone is unsurpassable for me.

Straight out of the factory the guitar was set up very well. Medium action, no buzzing....just TONE! The woods certainly seem to be of very high quality. All dead straight grain and clean looking. No flaws. EC signature at the 20th fret is very tastefully done. The top of the guitar has a honey/tan-coloured vintage toner applied. This does a good job of making the guitar look like a genuine vintage martin from the 1930s/40s rather than a brand new white top. Ebony fingerboard has a very smooth feel as well. I find the V-profile of the neck very comfortable and easy to play.

Seems extremely well built so I expect it to last a lifetime. You can feel it is a solid guitar as soon as you hold it.

Guitar is under warranty. Have emailed Martin just to get some information and they responded very quickly and were polite and helpful.

I've been playing for 13 years now and this is the best sounding acoustic I've heard or played. I have been shifting between Gibsons and Martins before (Hummingbird, D28, J-200) but I know I'm going to settle on this one. I was lucky and got a keeper but with acoustics it is essential to try as many of the same model as possible. I tried other 000-28ec's in different shops before going for this one and they all sounded different. This one really stood out. I was also thinking of going for a OM-28V but the Clapton just seemed to have a more comfortable feel, bluesier tone, and looks amazing. Although I am a massive Clapton fan I am hesitant of buying guitars with signatures on them as I feel you can subconciuosly get too hung up on trying to play like someone else rather than developing your own style. The signature is inlaid so tastefully on the 000-28ec though that it often goes unnoticed. At the end of the day though, with a guitar that sounds so good, who cares about signatures. And if I've got to have a famous signature on my guitar, wouldn't choose anyone else. With a guitar of this calibre, I can't wait for the sound to mature and open out even more as years of playing go by.

It is small and so comfortable to play, while retaining all the best sound qualities of a jumbo-size guitar. The v-shaped neck feels great. The thing that would make this category a 10 would be the inclusion of a pickup. The case is the best I have seen.

The finish is beautiful. Everything about it says "top shelf." I have a Larrivee, which is stunning with its exotic body woods and wood binding and silver inlays, but this is just as beautiful in a different way. I wouldn't want it to be flashy.

I currently own about twenty high-quality, American-made guitars. I have a Larrivee that was the best-sounding guitar I had heard. The EC is neck-and-neck with it soundwise, but is more comfortable to play because of its smaller body. I have always been more a fan of the Martins and Martin-style guitars (like Larrivee), than the Gibsons. I own a Gibson Emmylou Harris, have owned a Hummingbird, and have played plenty of J-200's, but they just don't please my ear like the Martins do.

I have not recorded with this guitar yet, so I can't comment on its recorded sound. I won't hesitate to do it when the time comes, though.

It was set up well, but if you are going to pay $2k for a guitar, why would you not spend the extra $25 to $75 to have it professionally set up? The fit and finish are flawless, like every Martin I have seen.

The EC stays in tune very well. It is very solid and sturdy...but I own one of those Martin Cowboy guitars that is made entirely out of compressed woods--Man, that thing is indestructible (you can leave it out on a stand with babies in the house and not worry about it), so _that's_ the new "10" for me in _this_ category. I believe Martin could make a guitar out of grass clippings, and it would be exceptional. (I suppose the Rainsong graphite guitars would be super-durable as well.)

Have not needed it.

I think of it as "a guitar for life," meaning that while I will probably buy more as a result of Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, if I were reduced to just this as my sole acoustic, I would be absolutely fine.

Martin 00028ec. go to martin.com to get list of features

The sound on this guitar is like no other. The sound that is portrayed by this guitar is one you would expect from a dreadnought withouth the exessive boomy bass. The tone is very balanced. Every note that is played is a step farther into my love for this guitar. Because of the scalloped bracing you are able to get a more open tone instead of a kinda boxy kind os ring to the notes. I couldn't ask for much more.

action was what I expect from the factory. For some it might be to harsh but for me it is fine. THe fit is perfect. I was looking for a nice small bodied guitar that I would be able to relax and play. So now I can have a nice sounding guitar without it taking over my body. Now I look good playing to the girl so that I can really benifit from this investment. Just kidding sord of. THe finish is awsome in my opinion. some people don't like the vintage toner. I personally love it.

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I really love this guitar. It is the kind of guitar that I could play for the rest of my life. It's not a guitar that sits in the corner and is pulled out once in a while. It sounds, fits, looks, feels perfect. This is only my opinion though. Others might think differently. For those people out there. You can eat a fart!!!! once again I am kidding. I know my statements sound stupid but they are very sincere. "So I'll check the weather wherever you are, so I can know if you can see the stars tonight"