Martin 000-28EC

Mine is a '97 & is numbered #997. Beautiful Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce with a warm aging toner in the lacquer. In the style of Clapton's '30's original, it features ebony board and bridge, herringbone purfling, and 24.9" scale. To my eyes it has a nice vintage aura & I love the look of it & don't mind the Clapton sig. too much.

This is what it's all about isn't it? The minute I picked this baby up in the store & strummed the 1st chord, I knew it had "the" sound. I even tried a bunch of older vintage Martins & some Santa Cruz guitars that the owner of the store suggested but none had the tone of this guitar. I basically fell in love & came back the next day with my Gibson ES165 as a trade in ( hated to do that but I didn't have enough cash) & went home very happily.
I also own a Taylor 514CE & although it's a very nice guitar, when I compared the 2, the Martin put it to shame. I won't go into much detail because much has already been said here & obviously not every 000-28EC is going to have the killer tone mine has ( in fact I played a brand new one that wasn't close to this '97!) For me tho' I feel like I've found my tone-monster.

The setup wasn't bad. A little stiff maybe & I may switch to lighter strings down the road but don't want to sacrifice tone. No flaws at all & for a 7 year old guitar it looks brand new. Someday I might have to replace the tuners but for now they're fine.

I wouldn't take this guitar to a punk & metal gig but that's not what it's made for anyway so yeah, I'd play it live. Probably bring the Taylor for a backup tho'.

Not needed & hope I never do.

I've been playing close to 40 years ( thank you Beatles!) & spent the 70's & half the 80's on the road with a Canadian hard rock band.
Regetably sold a lot of gear over the years but still have a '74 Strat, '75 Gibson Flying V, a '95 California Strat( with hotrails), a '70's Gibson bass as well as the Taylor, a 12 string Tak, an old japmade classical, Mexican Strat, Protone Fender Telly & a cool Samick archtop but the Martin has quickly become my favourite ( along with the '95 strat which is my workhorse).
I love pretty much everything about it ( except the pricetag but you get what you pay for most of the time).
If (heaven forbid!) I lost it, I'd sure be looking for another one but it would be hard to find one with the sound of this baby.

I just bought a Martin 000-28ECL lefty from ebay at $1600. I had the chance to compare it to a Martin 000-42EC. While the 000-28EC has a very balanced, intimate and resonant tone, the 000-42EC has a magic sound from other world. So the difference is REAL, not only in the price and materials but in the sound. (Of course $1600 vs. $6800).
I compared 10 different models of Martin, I was looking for a intimate and delicate sound, and found it to be the winner. It also has a very bluesy sound.
In features I would have to add that I read an interesting review basically saing that micarta is a good material for kitchen appliences and Corian is good for kitchen top tables, why Martin is using these materials for saddle and nut in a supposingly $3899 guitar??

I just bought a Martin 000-28ECL lefty from ebay at $1600. I had the chance to compare it to a Martin 000-42EC. While the 000-28EC has a very balanced, intimate and resonant tone, the 000-42EC has a magic sound from other world. So the difference is REAL, not only in the price and materials but in the sound. (Of course $1600 vs. $6800).
I compared 10 different models of Martin, I was looking for a intimate and delicate sound, and found it to be the winner. It also has a very bluesy sound.

Excellent neck and fingerboard. I have been playing with a fernandes strato for the past 10 years, I found the Martin to be as easy to play as a stato...in deed...
The frets are very different from the 000-42ec and 000-42ECB. These guitars are a little easy to play, and the frets produce more vibrato.

no idea

no idea,but if Martin really support their products...why Martin has this "original owner" policy?...I mean ...the product is still made by Martin, even tought the owner is different??

Overall is a very good guitar. I think everybody should try a 000 before buying a dreadnought. Period.

My EC is a 2002, with all the features that have been named previously. The four things I dislike and would change: I'd get rid of the signature at the fifth fret, replace the tuners with Waverly's, include a bone saddle and nut, and forego the vintage toner. These are fairly minor features, but otherwise it's just the way I would have designed it. I especially favor those tradtional appointments like the square and diamond inlays. I've since added a K & K Western pickup, and it sounds great, but I still always mic it if I have the option.

I play mostly fingerstyle blues, folk, and ragtime. I bought this guitar because I was looking for the sound I heard in a friend's 000-28 several years ago, and it had the same clear, ringing tone, with some dark, bluesy undertones, even for a new guitar. The tone is perfect for the style of music I play. I played 10 or so other acoustic guitars looking for this one, including three other EC's, and when I picked it up and played it, it jumped out at me and said "I'm the one!" I've had it for nearly a year, and it's starting to open up nicely, even though it had a pretty strong voice to begin with.

Factory action was a little high, but I've sinced replaced the saddle with bone and lowered the action to fit my playing style. Now it's perfect. The top has some beautiful silking. No noticeable flaws from the factory--fine workmanship. The width and v-shape of the neck sold me as much as the tone. This is a great guitar for fingerstyle playing.

I've been gigging with this guitar regulary for nearly a year, and it's aging well and stands up to hard use, except that the frets are showing some wear a lot earlier than I expected, and it'll need a fret dress soon. Don't know what alloy Martin uses for frets on this guitar, or their reasons, but I'd expect them to hold up a little better than they have.

This guitar came with a life-time warranty--I haven't had to use it yet and don't expect to unless it's for a neck reset way down the road. Sandy was helpful via e-mail to register the guitar. For any kind of repair or warranty work, I'd use my local Martin warranty repair person since he's worked on other guitars I've owned.

Been playing for 35 years or so. I've had this guitar for almost a year now, so that's probably long enough to write a fair evaluation. I was able to play lots of guitars, play this one in the store, and ask lots of questions This is the nicest guitar I've owned. I'd definitely replace it if something happened to it. I actually bought it to replace a Taylor 510 that I had for 18 years (UPS finally came through with the insurance money, but that's another sad story). I compared it to a Santa Cruz OM (used to have one; EC had the same clarity with more bass and complexity, and a more comfortable neck), other EC's, Taylors (no models with a tone close to the EC's), and a 000-18 (neck was too small, and a sound too different from the EC to compare it). I love this guitar for its neck size/shape/action and for its tone. Most all the appointments, too, except for the changes I mentioned above. I have a 000-28VS and an OM-18V, both great guitars, (and distinctly different sounds than the EC), but the one I play most is the 000-28EC. I haven't owned the other two long enough to write a fair review yet.

It is the same set of features described in detail by the other reviewers of the 000-28EC. I'm not crazy about the butter bean tuners, but basically they work.

It bought this 1999/2000 000-28EC used, after auditioning it with new strings, because of fond memories. My favorite guitars were a mid-30's 000-18 that I owned for several years and a mid-30's 000-28 that I had on loan for about 3 months--all back in the early to middle 60's. That old 000-28 has always been my gold standard reference--the sweetest guitar I can remember, and I can even remember the 1960's!

The short scale and 1 3/4" width are wonderful (I had forgot about the wider neck and wondered why newer 000-??"s didn't feel the same to me). Used mostly for blues, folk/folk rock, and music written for lute and vihuela. Beautiful balanced tone, extremely clear, rings forever. Not for the dreadnaught folks, I expect--this is a fingerstylists dream. This is probably as good a guitar as I've ever owned over the last 40 years and I've owned many, including a few really nice ones.

If you know and love the sound and feel of 30's 000-28's, and if you happen across an 'EC' like the one I got, you will probably know what to do (offer the wife anything, snivel, grovel, etc.). Definitely play before you pay, but this is just one wonderful sounding quality instrument.

Mine was used, no flaws. The luthier waxed eloquent about the quality of the woods and workmanship. Subtle flame on the sitka spruce top, extremely fine-grained and matched rosewood sides and back, best set up on a Martin that I've ever encountered (except that old 000-28....).

The guitar is mint and shows no flaws or defects. It will probably outlast me by quite a spell, I want my granddaughter to have it someday. It tunes up and stays tuned (except some weather changes seem to affect these tuners more than others. The neck is true, EADGBE on the 12th fret are just an octave higher than on the open strings. I wouldn't play gigs with this (my old 000-18 was stolen, may the thief's soul burn in hell, so I do remember some lessons of the 60's)--but it is very well built, the craftsmanship is very high.

Don't know, but I wish they could tell the name of whoever owns my old 000-18 so I could make their legs bend funny.

I started play banjo in 1960, guitar in 1961-you do the math, I don't like working with large numbers(?). If lost, I'd want to replace it with its clone. Of course I'd settle for a 1930's version with Brazilian rosewood instead, but only because I'm so agreeable and easy to deal with.

The neck characteristics and the sound make this a guitar to die for (hopefully some else, otherwise I can't play it any more). You know by now very well why I chose this--if your tastes are similar you should have a similar experience.

I wish this guitar came with a beautiful 20 year old woman with a desire to please, bad eyes, and poor taste in older men. After all, if you pay list, it's not exactly cheap.

1997 model, nice V neck, ebony bridge and fingerboard. If you're looking at this you probably know all the other features.

You can play any style on this guitar and it shines ! It has the most even sound spectrum of any guitar I've played. I've been playing for over 30 years and played alot of guitars in my time and this one is one of the best !

The action was a little stiff when I got it so I had to lower the nut and saddle a little but after that it played like a dream with no buzzes etc. No flaws on this guitar, infact it looked like it had never been played.

It's a Martin !

Martin's been around a while and I've never had a bad experience.

I would buy another if this one ever walked out on me. Very inspiring to play this instrument !

This is a 1996, #862, made in USA. Solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, mahogany "V" neck, and much more of a "V" than what i have been seeing in the last couple of years of production of this model. The finish is flawless, the whole guitar is a joy to look at, play, and listen to. the case is very nice, one of those "geib" type deals. Well, if great craftsmanship, superior build, quality, wood and finish are features, then this one is a 10!
I could do without Clapton's signature on the fretboard, but whatever...it's kind of self serving.

It sounds fantastic. The fretboard is relatively flat, so lead playing is enhanced. The ebony board is great, the frets are just perfect. The "V" neck is to die for!! The most comfortable neck i have ever played!!! The body size is very comfortable to hold. Quite a lot of sound comes out of this small body!! Great projection.
I bought it for the sound quality and ease of playing. I bought it used, although it was in better shape than some guitars in stores! Not a scratch on it.

I dont know about the factory set up, but it was fine when i got it. The aged toner used on the top gives it a beautiful patina. The rosewood back and sides are of very high grain quality. The only mishap was one of the tuners fell off when i changed the strings, and thats what you get when they try to preserve the "vintage" feel. The tuners are not that great! But i am not changing them.

I can stand up to live playing, just be careful with it.

Nope

Been playing a long time. Own a lot of guitars. Acoustics are mostly Martin and Gibson. If lost or stolen, i would wait for the opportunity of getting another used one. They are almost $4000.00 new plus 15% tax here in Canada, and guess what? I am not paying that!!!
I looked at the OM-28V and 000-28V and preferred the EC for it's appointments, and it just seemed to project better to my ears, anyway.

2002 OOO-28EC- I bought this (barely) used. Sitka spruce top (nicely matched, tight grain, honey-toned to give it a vintage look). Ebony fingerboard; 24.9" scale neck, V-shaped; 1-3/4" at the nut; open Waverly tuners. The only "modern" thing about this guitar is the adjustable truss rod (thank you, Martin!). Body is Indian Rosewood. Herringbone purfling. Ebony bridge. Geib-style case. This guitar is beautifully built, with a flawless finish, good woods, perfect(and I mean perfect!)action for fingerstyle and combo pick & fingers style.

I own a '79 or '80 Martin D-25K, which is bright, boomy, and loud. The OOO-28EC has a much more balanced and focused sound, smooth and almost "buttery" compared to the Dreadnaught. There is no bass boom, as in a Dreadnaught (obviously because of the smaller body). The EC is absolutely great for bluesy stuff, closed chords, etc. It's intonation is dead-on all the way up (I paid a lot of money to a luthier to correctly compensate the 25K for good intonation). The Dreadnaught is hard to record, but the EC is a snap, and I can minimize the use of compression.

Since this guitar was used, I don't know how well the factory set it up. However, it's as near to perfect as anything I've ever played. Action is low for a Martin but no buzzes -and I have a fairly heavy right hand attack. The V-neck is very comfortable (another reviewer said you'd never want another kind of neck after this, and he/she's right!). The finish is high-gloss for a "vintage" look & feel, no flaws anywhere.

I've gigged with the D-25K for a long time, and it still looks and plays great (although I had the neck reset for it's 20th birthday), even with the relatively soft Koa back and sides. So I can't think that the rosewood EC will be anything but even more resilient to bumps and scrapes that inervitably happen with use. Even though this is a small guitar, there's nothing "dainty" about it- it's got that Martin quality that is the standard for steel string acoustics. That having been said, I'll probably keep this one at home; there are no electronics in it (I installed an LR Baggs 'Double Barrel' setup into the D25K), and there isn't a strap button on the heel of the neck of the EC. But I'm leaving it alone, and will use the Dreadnaught for live work, keeping the EC for recording.

I've never had to call Martin about anything, so I wouldn't know! Maybe I'll give 'em a try, just for kicks!

I've been playing for 40 years. In addition to the D25K already mentioned, I have a Taylor 12-string and a Nat'l Steel O-style. I have a couple of "mutant" telecasters, a couple of early 60's Gibson electrics. I primarily play blues/rock, and country/western. I looked a long time for a second 6-string acoustic, and checked out other Martin models, Taylors, Collings, and even a Santa Cruz or two. The Taylors just seem too flacid to me- I like more wood on the neck and a little more tension on the strings. Some of the newer Martins are nice, but I prefer the "old fashioned" hi-gloss finish of the EC to the newer satin finishes- just feels better! Collings and SC's are great guitars! But I ended up wanting another Martin, since the first one has been so great.

Favorite feature: the neck!

If lost or stolen, I'd definitely get another one.

Built in 2002, paper tag series #6500. Purchased in 3/03, have been playing it for about 3 months now. Standard features for the basic Clapton model, 000 body size, 28 appointments, spruce top, rosewood sides and back, V neck shape. In my opinion a nice balanced package of excellent woods and tastefully restrained embellishments in the herringbone trim and MOP inlays. My only knocks on the features are the tuners which are Gotoh imitations of Waverley butterbean vintage tuners and while they work well, they show casting impression marks on the sides which look rather cheesy on an otherwise great guitar. I would also have preferred bone for the nut instead of Corian, but more on that later.

The sound of my particular guitar is fantastic. It is a joy to pick this baby up and play. It has a unique, "balanced" sound. The bass is full but not boomy or muddy. The high notes are nice and clear with lot of ring to the note. In the middle register this guitar just sings. I have never played an acoustic that has as much sustain as this one does. It is almost electric like in that regard. It is not overly loud, but that is a characteristic of the body size. I have not added a pickup to it but I think it would sound great amplified. Different strings have a big impact on the sound of this guitar. I am still experimenting to find the ones I like best. Overall, I cant say enough about the sound of this guitar, it is great and just improves the more I play it.

Here I was a little disappointed by Martin. The action was set up very high from the factory. Thats OK, because some like it high some low and it easier to remove material from the saddle than add it back on. A trip to the nearby Martin authorized repair agent(Lays in Akron OH)for adjustment of the action and installation of a strap button. Described to the Luthier how I wanted the action setup. Picked up the guitar and it was perfect, I mean PERFECT. No buzz, easy even low action from string 1 to 6. A good tech can really make a great guitar just perfect. When I asked how much I owed them for the work, they replied, "six dollars for the strap button". Everything else was covered by Martin under warranty. Now a flaw in Martin's construction was evident. When they cut the grooves in the nut, they were just slightly off center shifted to the high E string side so that when playing certain chords in the open position the high E was muted by the ball of my index finger. Another trip to my friends at Lay's to have them replace the nut with one made from bone, and now this guitar is setup just as I need it to be. Because I had them replace it with bone, it was not covered under warranty, which is OK, even if Martin had not mad an error in cutting the grooves, I would have eventually replaced the nut with bone anyway.
Everything else, the frets, inlays, binding, finish was very well done.

I think this is a solid, well built guitar that should stand up well to home playing. I would not take a guitar of this quality out to a live gig for fear of it being damaged or stolen. My guitar seems very stable. I keep it in the hardshell case, and it requires only minor tweaks to keep it in tune. Most days I pick it up and it does not need any tuning at all. The action has not moved at all which indicated that the neck is very stable too.

My customer support experience has been good. I was told when I purchased the guitar that Martin would have really good customer service and that is what I have found to be true. See my comments above for more details.

I have been playing for 30 years. Started out playing electric blues roots rock (Cream, Clapton, Allman Bros, Hendrix, Rolling Stones, etc..) and have mellowed with age to where I play primarily acoustic blues , blues/rock, and fingerstyle stuff like Steve Stills & Dylan. This is why I picked up this particular model guitar. It fills the bill. Other equipment I have owned over the years include Gibson Melodymaker (SG body), Les Paul Custom, ES-330, Yamaha dreadnought acoustic, Fender Telecaster, Carvin custom electric with Seymour Duncan humbuckers, Fender tweed Deluxe amp. If this guitar where lost or stolen I would shop around and replace it and pray to God I could find one that sounded as good and fit me as well. The next things I will do the this guitar are replace the tuners with Waverleys and install fossil ivory bridge pins (not because it needs it, just because it will make the guitar more personal to me).

This is a smaller bodied Martin 000 size. It is the Eric Clapton Signature model. This one is a special order sunburst finish. Looks great, but looks aren't everything, are they?

The guitar has a smaller, but more punchy sound than a Dreadnought size guitar. I have a very nice 23 year old Australian Maton CW-80 for that role. Very nice.
The 000-28EC has a clear resonant tone. I like it....but...

The finish is very nice.
But the action and fit ... well this is where the story starts to go a little sour. The action is very high, and was so when I bought it brand new 15 months ago. As I quite like a high action on all my acoustics and electrics, it didn't worry me much.
As it turns out there is a hump in the neck where it joins the body which I didn't see in the shop until I took it to my favourite luthier for a set up. "The neck needs a reset. No problem though, it is under warranty". Right? Wrong!
Martin has steadfastly refused to honour the warranty. More on this later.
A score of 2 for the finish, everything else is a zero

I would not take this guitar to a gig. My Maton has not let me down once it 20 years, but something in the Martin has caused its neck to be unstable. Is it manufacturing? Is it travel? Who knows, but from here on it stays at home.

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MARTIN AGAIN IN MY LIFE!!
You will see many positive Customer service feedback results from reviewers. The truth is, it is easy to give good customer service if the customer asks questions like "what wood is my guitar made of" or "what colors do they come in". However, the real back bone of Customer Service is how a company deals with a REAL PROBLEM. That's when their true colors come out. Now, take a look at the reviews where Martin owners had real problems, and you'll see why I will never buy another Martin again.
What you do is up to you, but once mauled, twice shy. Martin have treated me with arrogance and have stubbornly refused to repair the neck. THIS GUITAR IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A LIFE-TIME WARRANTY!! What a joke! They wouldn't even honor a manufacturing fault on a new instrument.
I am not sure what happened with Martin, but somewhere over the years they lost their way with customer service. I wonder how Christian Frederick would react if he knew his customers were being treated this way.
I have been playing for 30 years and own 14 delicious guitars but I have never resented buying a guitar like I have with this Martin.
Good luck if you live in the USA, which is where I bought my "bentwood" Martin, but if you live elsewhere, you're on your own. I was told by Martin's Customer Service that after the salesperson from Manny's (very professional and caring place) told me that my guitar had a lifetime warranty I should have referred to the "Care and Feeding Manual" where apparently it tells the buyer to suck eggs if you live outside the USA. I might have thought of opening the booklet if it was called the "Care Feeding and Warranty Loop-hole" manual.
As I say, do what you want to do when it comes to handing over a LOT of hard earned money. This is my experience and I can't see why they would treat the next guy with any more dignity or respect than me. After a dozen emails and several phone calls, I still own a brand new bentwood neck Martin. Maybe I can hang it on a wall. It still looks beautiful.

I have been playing for 30 years and mainly play electrics. The acoustics are manily used for recording.
There is no point in owners gushing over their latest purchases in Harmony Central to justify their actions.In these reviews I call 'em as I see 'em, which is what you want in a review forum like this. I believe Lindy Fralin makes my electrics sound luscious. I believe my Fender Bassman sounds nearly as good as my JTM45. And I believe I will never buy a Martin again.

This is a smaller bodied Martin 000 size. It is the Eric Clapton Signature model. This one is a special order sunburst finish. Looks great.

The guitar has a smaller, but more punchy sound than a Dreadnought size guitar. I have a very nice 20 year old Australian Maton CW-80 for that role. Very nice.

The 000-28EC has a clear resonant tone. I like it....but...

The finish is very nice.

But the action and fit ... well this is where the story starts to go a little sour. The action is very high, and was so when I bought it brand new 15 months ago. As I quite like a high action on all my acoustics and electrics, it didn't worry me much.

As it turns out there is a hump in the neck where it joins the body which I didn't see in the shop until I took it to my favourite luthier for a set up. "The neck needs a reset. No problem though, it is under warranty". Right? Wrong!

Martin has steadfastly refused to honour the warranty. More on this later.

I would not take this guitar to a gig. My Aussie Maton has not let me down once it 20 years, but something in the Martin has caused its neck to be unstable. Is it manufacturing? Is it travel? Who knows, but from here on it stays at home.

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER MARTIN AGAIN IN MY LIFE!!
What you do is up to you, but once mauled, twice shy. Martin have treated me with arrogance and have stubbornly refused to repair the neck. THIS GUITAR IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A LIFE-TIME WARRANTY!! What a joke! They wouldn't even honour a manufacturing fault on a new instrument.

I have been playing for 30 years and own 14 delicious guitars but I have never resented buying a guitar like I have with this Martin.

Good luck if you live in the USA, which is where I bought my "bentwood" Martin, but if you live elsewhere, you're on your own. I was told by Martin's Customer Service that after the salesperson told me that my guitar had a lifetime warranty I should have referred to the "Care and Feeding Manual" where apparently it tells the buyer to suck eggs if you live outside the USA. I might have thought of opening the booklet if it was called the "Care Feeding and Warranty Loop-hole" manual.

As I say, do what you want to do when it comes to handing over a LOT of hard earned money. This is my experience and I can't see why they would treat the next guy with any more dignity or respect than me. After a dozen emails and several phone calls, I still own a brand new bentwood neck Martin. Maybe I can hang it on a wall. I still looks nice.

I have been playing for 30 years and mainly play electrics. I call 'em as I see 'em, which is what you want in a review forum like this. I believe Lindy Fralin makes my electrics sound luscious. I believe my Fender Bassman sounds nearly as good as my JTM45. And I believe I will never buy a Martin again.