Martin 000-28EC

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.

Features have already been described by others below, although some people don't seem to understand that what they bought is a guitar modeled on a Martin made in the early 1930's, which is why the neck is shaped the way it is, NOT because EC designed it.

A few years ago I traded my Collings OM2 because I became unhappy with the sound. I got a new sunburst OM-42 that, while well made and beautiful to look at, didn't get it either. I knew for sure when I brought home a new OM-21 and compared them. The 21 was louder and had more pronounced highs and lows. Still, the sound I wanted was based in part on an old Stahl parlor guitar I had that was made in the '30s.

This EC Indian rosewood model already sounds old. It's got tone right now, brand new: the lows are deep and yet transparent, and you can really tell (on any acoustic) by listening to the B string ring. I would never have started out to buy this (don't like aged toner tops) but I have gotten frustrated at spending $$$ for something that either is SUPPOSED to sound good (Collings) or LOOKS good (a sunburst OM-42). The truth is, when judging acoustics, its all in the sound and feel. One should be led blindfolded into the store to search.

One last note here. I found a good one, and I was lucky. They don't all sound like this. You have to really go through a pile to find a good one. Not all "vintage" acoustics sound good either. Same thing.

The nut was poorly cut but will soon be replaced with bone. Corian belongs on counter tops in your kitchen and micarta (saddle) belongs in the guitar of the guy you don't like. You buy the brazilian EC and you get bone nut and saddle and ivory bridge and end pins, a $4500 upcharge from this one.

What's stunning on this one is that the top is perfect, with little humping behind the bridge. Putting a steel straight edge on the top shows it to have just the right amount of swell.

Should be fine. Martin has certainly improved their adjustable truss rod design in recent years. They now work.

I have dealt with them and they are friendly.

2002, USA, Serial 5000 range, No electronics, Beautiful solid East Indian rosewood back and sides and split in the back, perfectly bookmatched, solid spruce top, scalloped bracing, glossy finish, tortoise colored brown pickguard slightly hand beveled on the edges, aged yellow top, Fat and solid magogany V-style neck that actually leaves a little raised V spot on the back of the headstock (Loved the back of the neck!) ebony fingerboard and bridge, Fret inlay is teeny tiny and fancy and well done except you can't hardly see it and starts only on the 5th fret. I did not like this understated look. No neck binding and no really visible side markers to see on the neck, tiny frets, I mean low and thin, I would need a refret in 2 years the way I play, action so low makes it harder to bend strings. 24.9" short scale, tiny body both in size and thickness, feels like females guitar or someone smaller. Nickel vintage externally geared tuners with butterbean knobs, Very plain logo on headstock no inlay there at all. From heel to neck very well crafted but dreadfully plain from about 10 feet away. Super nice green velvet/black case. Bridge pins were sticking about 1/4 inch above the bridge like they cannot fit all the way in, I thought this was something wrong. No tools, straps or accessories. Strings had tarnished spot on them like some strings you buy that are coroded in the wrapper before use. Dead sounding strings. (Martins)Other than the wood I was very very underwhelmed with features and appointments. Even the herringbone binding and rosette were not impressive beyond about 3 feet away. You can tell Amish built this thing ! This guitar is like peeing in dark pants, you get a warm feeling but no-one would notice. Masterful craftsmanship with British understatement. A rich guitar hero's road and play around the house small guitar. Very comfortable if you are a bean pole or are 5'5" tall. But if you are 5'9" and 200 lbs you look like a Gorilla playing a Ukelele. I walked up to my wife and several others and said with exitement (faking) Do you like this as much as my Gibson one ? They said with un-trained eyes. No that looks plain and small. I'd have to have one a little bigger, with neck binding, more inlay, better headstock work, fatter frets.

Alot LESS volume than I expected and none of the bass a dreadnought has (like the reviews claimed). I was again very underwhelmed for a 3800 dollar guitar. The Gibson Montana built acoustic I just ordered blows the sound of this Martin away in fullness, body, bass, highs... period. I can tell it is a very nice guitar but I have had a 899.00 Martin that really sounded just as good to a blind folded ear. I really hate to be giving this review but I knew I was returning this one 30 minutes after I recieved it, just not my sound. Lots of sustain and a good MIDDY kinda sound. Like a small guitar , period.

Action was SUPER low and in fact was hard to do bends on the 2nd and 3rd fret because of it. I actually thought this was like alot of electric players with thin strings play, but then again Clapton kinda likes this setup. I DONT, I think is wussy. Says alot though for the quality of the guitar, which is incredible even though its NOT for me. Bookmatched back is incredible. Workmanship and finish is to behold. One scratch on pickguard and one of rear out of sealed plastic Martin box. Bridge pins too big for holes and stuck up about 1/4 inch. bracing and insides looked wonderful with clapton/martin signatures. The Eric Clapton signature on the neck probably was half of the price and must be hell to install and if you EVER refret with bigger frets they will Overlap the top and bottom of the letters E and C without a doubt this was evident. The inlay was impressive but you need a microscope to see it. I did NOT like this. Nut was excellent. The "Eric Likes Them" tuners are sloppy when changing directions, I know they might work and Eric loves them but give me a break people 3800.00. Rare doesn't mean GOOD. Still had great workmanship and SOLID feeling neck.

Oh sure this will stand live playing. But for as plain as it looks from about 10 feet away and the fact that REAL HUMANS can't tell the difference between this and a plan 1600.00 000-28 then don't buy it for clubs. WHat a waste of money for that. It has ZERO stage presence as far as looks , so why spend the money unless you want to show the audience the rosewood back all the time. Very solid guitar and contrary to some reviews the only worries I would have is a screw coming out of one of those old exposed tuners during a gig or those non-existent frets wear off like butter in a year. For 3800 (2200 wholesale) its nice but not that nice. Maybe the original limited series was nicer but I doubt it. This guitar is MADE WELL, thats not my issues. It's just not for me.

I'm sure and I have heard their customer support is awesome and the repairman locally in Atlanta (Ralph Lutrell) listed on Martins web site is good enough to be WORTH shipping it too. He has the respect of other builders and a magnificent Martin rep. So I can tell you the support is said to be legendary.

A wonderful piece of collectorship but not worth the money for a regular player and not enough looks and appointments to make it worth being a fancy stage guitar, inlay is beatiful if you have binoculars. Frets are so thin and low I was little shocked. Low action and well made neck. Action was MUCH stiffer than I expected for a short scale and I didn't think the neck was blazing fast but still well made. NICE V shape neck. Hated the tuners and headstock plainess. Nut great, Pegs too big, holes too small. Not as loud as expected, Not as much bass as I reasonably expected. Smaller body than I EVER expected, too small for me on stage. Nice guitar but not for me. My Gibson Montana lacked some of the detail but almost as solid and sounded MUCH better !

1997 model Left Handed 00028EC

Beautiful Guitar Finish (vintage) top with flame like grain!
Don't really like the EC signature on the fretboard, but luckily it's discreet. I liked the vintage look, but what attracted me was it was left handed. In fact the shop had two lefties of the same model. One new and this one. The used was prettier and played better.

Mostly a blues/rock player.
Great Full sound, especially with medium gauge on it. Fingers are getting ripped up from the med gauge, but hell i'll be really ripping the .09s on my strat later.

Action was okay when puchased (used). had a few playing marks but in general guitar was in mint shape and the shop in Japan liked to charge a ton for it. I'm sure I payed more than in the USA, but hell I live in Bangkok, Thailand where there are no left handed anything let alone a Martin! So, postponed my trip home by a day and trecked back down to the shop and bought it!

Overall the guitar is in great playing condition! Love it!

Haven't checked.

Been playing guitar 25 years. Mostly a hacker. A few gigs way back when. I own all left handed guitars; 99 Mexican Strat and a 1978 Takamine (that's right the lawsuit guitar that Martin sued about)... a spittin image copy of a D28. Wanna buy it...email me. and also a recently acquired Baby Taylor (thought I'd be able to travel with it on planes..NOT).

I purchased a standard 00028-EC with case.

I play blues influenced rock. I use no amplification other than AKG 414 mic through house & monitor systems. The guitar is quite rich and balanced in tone with many variations depending upon the expertise of the player. It is not a loud guitar like a Dreadnaught, but is extremely pleasing to the ear and actually catches some listeners by surprise with its warm and balanced tonal qualities. If I had to pick on it (pardon the pun), I would say it lacks a bit of sustain, not the booming sustain of a large body, but that on and on sustain that a well seasoned acoustic should have. I was told by the salesperson and Martin that the guitar would acquire this quality with age, but I was also informed by a local luthier that aging would only increase the sustain minimally. I have found that using the heaviest medium guage (highest tension recommended by Martin for the 00028-EC) helps in this department.

Action is great. Finish is cleverly toned to give an aged glowing amber look to the soundboard. Nice marketing on the part of Martin, but has nothing to do with the sound of the instrument. Also, the Eric Clapton signature is discreet and hardly noticable, attesting to more good taste on the part of the makers.

This guitar is solidly built, however I think that this is one of the drawbacks. The original way back when Martins were not built this solid and this is why they sound better. It is obvious that in todays marketplace one cannnot lightly build anymore. It is a shame that the guitar is slightly overbuilt. It would sing even more if it were a bit lighter and more reactive to string vibrations.

The people at Martin are about as helpful as a big corporation can be. I have no complaints other than the fact that they could not specifically and definitively tell me exactly what types and kinds of woods were used to build my guitar. I was a bit surprised, but I guess they do not keep their records as detailed as I would.

I have been playing for 40 years. I own a 1950 Fender Broadcaster, a 1959 Fender Stratocaster, a 1959 Fender Telecaster, a Gibson Melody Maker, a 1965 Kohno Classical, and other assorted instruments. I play through a Bogner Metropolis, Vox AC-30, Vox Royal Guardsman, Pre-CBS Fender Twin, Pre-CBS Fender Super, and other assorted goodies. If my EC was stolen, I would investigate having a luthier reproduce one exactly to the EC specs, but I would have him put a red spruce top with cocobolo sides and build it a tad lighter. I love the way it plays and the tonal balance of the instrument. In short, it was my first choice out of many many guitars I have played. I shopped for years before I bought it.

2000 model Left handed 000-28EC Martin with case. No need to list features again.
I love the fact that Eric Clapton's name is on my guitar.

I play blues. This guitar is perfect for that. Fingerstyle or with a pick. This guitar sounds terrific.

Guitar finish is beautiful. Fit and action were perfect as recieved.

This is a very light weight guitar. Built solid though. If you baby it a little, it should last a lifetime.

Take the free tour. The Martin people are wonderful. They love their products and it shows.

Been playing 10 years. Would recomend this guitar to anyone. Martins are the greatest. I would never want to part with this guitar. This guitar is the greatest and EC is the greatest guitarist!
Thank you Martin. Thank you Eric Clapton!

I purchased my 000-28EC last year (2001). It's the stock model Eric Clapton "signature" guitar described by previous reviewers. It has a Sitka spruce top and Indian rosewood sides and back. Except for the Clapton signature between the 19th and 20th frets and an extra herringbone purfling ring around the soundhole, the body trim, snowflake inlays, "tortoise" pickguard, and open tuners replicate pretty closely the appointments on a vintage 000-28. According to the Martin website, Clapton refers to this model--the lowest-priced of a suite of four Martin/Clapton guitars--as "utilitarian in the best sense of the word." And I agree. The other three limited edition guitars--the 000-42EC, the 000-42ECB, and, most recently, the 000-28ECB--are fancier, but I doubt that they play or sound any better than this one. Fortunately (for my pocketbook), I tend to prefer the classic "austere" look of the herringbone Martin.

I purchased this guitar by mail order, which caused me a good deal of anxiety. However, I've had very positive dealings with this vendor--Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI--which sends out its instruments on approval. Even so, for a panicky few moments I thought I might actually have to return this guitar, which out of the box sounded disappointingly dull. A change of strings (to a set of light-gauge Martins), however, made all the difference in the world. I can't say enough now about the gorgeous tone of this lightly-braced little guitar, by turns mellow (when finger-picked) and punchy (when flat-picked). I'm pretty wide-ranging in my musical tastes--I started off in my teens playing bluegrass, then later folk and blues, and, most recently, Brazilian jazz. For a middle-aged picker like me with a fairly eclectic bent, this is an ideal all-around instrument.

The fit and finish measure up to Martin's very high standards. I might have preferred a clearer top grain (mine has a bit of bearclaw figuring) and a tad lower action (which can, of course, be adjusted). But these are matters of personal preference. Like a couple of previous reviewers, I would also have preferred a satin (rather than a high gloss) finish on the neck; for me, the glossy finish tends to collect a residue of sweat and gunk.

Martin seems to be paying a lot of attention to quality control these days. I have no doubt this guitar will hold up very well over the years, with reasonable care. The vintage Geib Style case with its elegant green interior seems very sturdy.

I had a Martin-authorized repair person adjust the neck on another guitar a couple of years ago. The work was accomplished in a reasonable amount of time and was covered by the instrument's warranty. Martin later asked me (via mail-in survey) to rate my satisfaction with the work. So my limited experience has been positive.

My main guitar between 1968 and 1995 was a fabulous 1942 herringbone D-28 (that I purchased originally for $200!) I sold it six years ago and, truth be told, don't really miss it all that much. Martin seems to be making really fine instruments these days, which don't come with the quirky problems of their vintage counterparts. As a replacement for my D-28 I initially purchased a brand-new OM-28VR, which, except for its funny-looking (to me anyway) teardrop-shaped pickguard, I liked very much. Last year, however, I had a chance to try out an 000-28EC, which I liked even better for its slightly shorter scale length (and standard pickguard). I have relatively short fingers and it just seemed more comfortable to play. So I switched. I own three other guitars (a Martin "George Nakashima" dreadnought, a Masaru Kohno classical, and a Rick Turner 1C-LB electric); the 000-28EC is the one that gets the most play by far.

Made in 1998. Standard Clapton model. I don't think there are any options, different models, etc.

Had Bob's Music (downtown Chicago) install a Fishman thinline pickup, lower the action and sand the gloss off the neck (I prefer a satin finish neck; gloss finish just catches the palm of the hand and squeaks).

I mostly play blues/country. Combination of fingerpicking, flatpicking and occassional strumming. Bought this guitar after trying out many Martin, Gibson, Taylor and Larrivee models. Thought I'd be buying a dreadnought or jumbo but when I heard the tone and clarity of the 000, well, everything else just sounded muddy in comparison. The lower volume of the reduced size isn't an issue for me because I use it to record into a Roland VS1680 via condenser mic and ART Tube preamp. Best way I can describe the sound is that each individual note rings clear and full; makes other guitars sound like the notes are walking all over each other.
The guitar has a naturally bright sound (size, ebony fingerboard and bridge, etc) so I stick with mellow strings (Elixers, which I really like on my Larrivee 12-string, were way too bright on the 000EC)

The fit and finish were typical Martin excellent; and the action was typical Martin high. Had Bob's Music lower the action when they installed the bridge pickup but it made little difference probably because they don't want to lower it too much. Plan to do it myself when I get the time. Also plan to sand more gloss off the neck (again, the guitar shop's reluctance to take off too much).
At first I thought the open-back tuners looked cheap (didn't my 1964 Kay plywood guitar have openback tuners?) but they are very good. Tuning is very precise. 9 times out of 10 that I pick up the guitar it is in perfect tune.
I particulary like the deepvee neck because I have larger than average hands and the vee helps fill some of the space; players with smaller hands might feel different.

I'm confident the guitar will hold up well, although I don't plan on putting it through any torture tests. I've got other less expensive guitars to take to festivals, etc.

Not needed yet. Maybe I should call them about action modifications.

Playing since early seventies. 3 6-string steel acoustics, 1 classical, 1 12-string, 2 basses, 2 strats, mandolin, banjo, squareneck slide.
Would definatley buy same model again, but would order from the custom shop to get a satin finish neck.

2001 Martin 00028-EC with the same features as the others mentioned in these reviews. I don't know where to start with the neat features of this guitar but I guess the vintage tint on the top is the first thing you would notice. Very nice. The neck is short scale . Body style is auditorium. The grained ivoroid binding is nothing to write home about, It looks like the same binding on my HD-28...which is not considered ivoriod

Well, here is where I may have been dissapointed a little. my other Martin is an HD-28 (1996) and is simply THE best sounding guitar I have ever played or heard. The acoustic resonance and projection is second to nothing. The Clapton by comparison has little projection and yes I realize it's an audtorium. I had the action lowered and had a Martin thinline pick-up installed as soon as I got it cause I play alot of solo in church. It does sound good with the p/u and obviously this helped the projection. The action is still not as fast as the HD-28. Im also still trying to get use to the smaller 000 size!!

The action was high from the factory. Had it lowered and it still is not what I thought it would be. I use Markley bronze 11's on it. The finish gets a 10!!

The reliability will be excellent as well made as this one is and the durability will be ok too as long as the guitar is well taken care of. Im sure it'll be around as long as I am and besides I have three others to kick around with. Yes I would use it without a back up but I don't really need to haul 2 guitars and an amp into church to play one three minute song. The HD-28 and the amp will do fine, thank you
!!!

n/a....but Ive heard Martin support is super

Been playig 25 years. own a Martin HD-28, Gibson j160E, and a Conn classical guitar. Also own a Crate 60w amp. Truthfully, if I would of played this guitar FIRST I would not have bought it. It's simply not loud enough unplugged. Other than that it is a wonderful high quality guitar. Dont get me wrong...I love it but it needs to be played through an amp..or miked, at least for my ear. I'll have this one for the long haul because of the investment if nothing else. With that said, if it were lost or stolen I would'nt replace it because I now know I own the best ACOUSTIC guitar out there.......the Martin HD-28