Martin 000-28H

The guitar was a special order through one of the finest dealers in the US. It was manufactured in late December, 2001 in Martin's US facility. If you are looking at this instrument you know the specifications so I will not repeat. This is a high end Martin product, small body, regular neck width, special herringbone trim. Great wood.
My order included the best mono electronics available combining an internal mic and regular transducer.
The guitar comes with a very nice SKB-Martin case.

This guitar sounds absolutely incredible. As with all good small bodies, it has a sweet, quiet voice without amplification. When amplified it is just amazing. I am using with a PA after preamp by Boss, and directly into a Fender Acoustisonic Junior. Both sound really great.
It has the small scale common to guitars before mass production and the benefits for fingerstyle playing are evident immediately. The strings feel looser and you can really get a much more dynamic response.
Though the electronics are not standard, the Fishman Blender I had installed is just terrific and I am confident I could get just about any type of sound I wanted pretty easily. There is no noise, and I have had no feedback problems thusfar.

Here's where the problems rest, and this is the reason I am doing this review in the first place. I learned quite a lesson in acquiring this guitar and I want to share the experience.
When I received the guitar the intonation was off considerably. Depending on who you believe, 15-20 cents off would not be incorrect.
On top of that, the neck had two distinct curves that served to lessen the quality of the action. Lastly, though this is a top the line instrument, it had a nut that was plastic and had not been trimmed properly.
Other than these flaws, I found the guitar to be fine. Like the rest matters if those things are incorrect.
Now, since I had special ordered the guitar with electronics I could not return it. It would have to be adjusted by a Martin Warranty Repair Center or returned to the factory. I took the guitar to two Martin Warranty Repair Centers in Arizona and they did not want to do the work to fix the problems. Both suggested the guitar needed a "bridge compensation" to correct the intonation and some serious work on the truss rod to get the neck and action into alignment. Neither wanted to do the work because Martin doesn't pay them enough to make it worthwhile and the paperwork is extensive.
I contacted the factory. They are 4-6 months behind on such work. That was an unacceptable timeline for me.
The dealer provided the name of a restoration specialist in Nashville who agreed to look it over. I shipped the guitar to him, he made the arrangements with Martin and fixed the guitar. He did a marvelous job and I am very happy now.
Here's the rub. I spent over $300 to get the guitar in suitable condition after buying it. I paid $2000 as ordered. A 15% premium to get it to play in tune is just not acceptable.
I learned in this process that Martin is precutting the saddle slots. Not a good idea if you don't glue the bridge in the right place. Also, their specs are + or - 5 cents for each string. That can be 10 cents between strings. I can hear that, and so will your audiences.
I think I have owned a guitar by just about every company, but this was my first Martin. If I buy another, I will have it checked-out by an expert before I buy it or I won't buy it. I say to all of you ....you cannot rely on Martin's reputation nor the reputation of any dealer. You must be sure what you are buying has been assembled properly. This makes buying over the internet especially perilous, and I recommend against doing so regardless of the circumstances. Have it evaluated, or take a tuner and evaluate yourself.
By the way, a plastic nut is just not cool for such an expensive guitar.

Time will tell. I am going to take good care of it, and I will be gigging with it immediately. Now that it is in good order, the results should be great.

Martin showed me no customer support. If you cannot service your mistakes in less than 4-6 months you have no support. Their warranty service organization appears to be largely a public relations joke. Thank goodness in my case the dealer knew a reputable warranty center in Nashville that would do the work.

I have been playing for 40 years. I own ten guitars at this time and play both acoustic and electric. Prior to this Martin my prime acoustics were a Larrivee (very nice) and an Ovation Legend (also nice). Prime electrics include PRS McCarty Hollowbody II, Hamer USA Duotone Custom, US Strats, Epiphone Blues Master. Amps include two Fender Acoustisonic Juniors, Marshall DSL 2000 100 watt head, Genz Benz Cabinet, a Marshall DSL 2000 20 watt practice amp, a Hughes & Kettner Tube 50 Head and 4x10 Cab, and a Fender Blues Junior.
If the Martin is lost or stolen, I might replace it. If I did, I would follow my own advice and be very careful.
I chose the guitar because I really like the feeling for fingerstyle and I am playing more fingerstyle now than ever before. I felt the Larrivee was a bit too stiff, the Martin was just right. I love the small size and I am going to live without the cutaway I always thought was important to me.
Lastly, I just did not know Martin would not stand right solid behind such a problem. I thought the guitar was closer to handmade that machine made. I've owned some cheap guitars, but the intonation was always quite good. I am embarrassed for Martin, but they seem to take such things in stride. I am not encouraged about their future.

2001 000-28H
Spruce top, solid rosewood sides and back
shorter scale length than Dreadnought series Martins
herringbone trim around top of body, zigzag strip on back
glossy finish on body-no aging toner, neck is a satin finish,
Schaller tuners
molded hardshell case
a simple but effective design

very full and warm given smaller body size,
nice clarity on trebles, good sustain, does not have
the 'oomph' that sometimes overpowers the Dreadnought series,
responds equally well to flatpicking or fingerpicking,a great
all-around guitar

As with all Martins, the workmanship is second to none. The finish is
flawless and the set up is ideal. It is no wonder why Martin has always been the top acoustic manufacturer in the world.

Look at the number of old Martins that are still in service around the world and you know they will last forever. And the best part is the sound will continue to improve the older the guitar gets and the more it is played. That's why the older ones cost so much. Give these newer ones a few years and they will be just as valuable.

I have never dealt directly with them but my guitar tech does on a frequent basis(he is the authorized station for NE Ohio) and he has always spoken well of the people at Martin.

If you are looking for an all-around guitar that does well in any setting, and you don't want/need all the fancy inlays and such, this is your guitar. You know you can always count on a Martin and it will be a guitar you will keep for years to come.

2001 000-28H, body joins at 14th fret. Solid spruce top (scalloped), solid rosewood back and sides (top has nice feathering and rosewood is very straight). Neck is mahogony low profile with a flat finish while the body is gloss. Scale is 24.9 (traditional OOO scale) measures 11 11/16th at the nut. I upgraded to the Gieb hard shell vintage style case.

I bought a 000 EC (Eric Clapton) model and had to return it as the neck was just not comfortable for me. I had hand pain after playing for a couple of hours..maybe it was the V neck (most likely) maybe the 1 3/4 inch at the nut, but this 000-28H suites my hand much better. The sound is warm with good volume for a small bodied guitar. It is well balanced. The clapton was darker with stronger bass (not sure as to why, as the construction of these is supposed to be the same, maybe it is the different necks. I flat pick mostly and I think this guitar does fine for this..as I do not play outside of the house the fact that it is not as loud as a dreadnut is not important, it is most certainly more comfortable to play as the body is just right for me.I never bought a 000-28 without the scalloped bracing as I always thought the newer ones sounded dead..this guitar is alive, very nice sound, very nice feel.

Set up was just great, action was not the lowest it could be but was more than low enough to be very comfortable and deliver wonderful sound. The rosewood was matched perfectly in the back, straight grain as I mentioned above, a medium, not dark color. The top has one less than perfect spot, but I don't think I have ever seen a perfect top, and this guitar sounds nice..I have stopped looking for the perfect looking top and just look for a nice feeling and sounding instrument these days.

I can only say that I have heard that Martin is great to deal with. I may find out very soon as the Gieb case may be defective..I will call Martin and see how they respond.

I have talked with the folks at Martin many times..the only dissapointment I have is that they are not familiar with all models, as in hands on, but maybe that is asking too much. They are always very respectful and helpful in any way they can be.

I have been playing guitar for 37 years off and on. I am back after a surgery 5 years ago, and hoping that my arm will do ok. I am a recreational player, for myself and my family. At the moment I am pleased enough to buy another just like this should anything happen to it. I really like the smaller body of the 000 and I think the 28H offers a nice open warm sound, a wonderful feeling neck and the shorter scale that I am more used to having grown up playing Gibsons. I have had many guitars, Larrivee, Santa Cruz, Guild..I did not like the longer scales on those, of course i didn't know that was what I did not like or I would not have purchase so many with the same scale. When I bought my Santa Cruz I let them talk me into the 25.4 scale even though I wanted the 24.9..that is why I do not own it anymore. I also own a little guild F 20 with a 24 3/4 scale. It is a dream to play but sounds thin in comparison to the Martin. I also have a nice old Gibson ES 330 from 1960 and a Fender Princeton Reverb from 1965.