Martin HD-35

1994 HD-35

Bought it used less than one week ago.
Guitar was in absolutely mint condition!
The previous owner had never even removed the plastic film from the pickguard!

I actually went to my local store with the intent of buying a new Taylor 710 or 810 model.
I was in the store for about 3 hours playing every high-end guitar they had.
Off in the corner of the playing room I saw a beautiful used HD-35 just sitting there minding its own business.
I picked it up and strummed a few chords.
I was completely floored by the sound!!!
I just could not believe that a guitar could sound so beautiful!!!
The action was as fast and smooth as a Les Paul - I'm not kidding!
To be honest, I've usually been disappointed by most Martins I've played in the past.
I always thought that the fit and finish was absolutely flawless, but the tone and playability was a hit or miss proposition.
I played it for about 20 minutes and put it down.
I went back to playing the various assortment of Taylors in the store but could duplicate the sound I heard from that Martin.

I went with my heart and ears and bought the Martin
I can't believe I own this beautiful guitar.
I feel as though I've got some secret weapon that no one knows about.
My brother tried for the first time over the weekend.
While he was playing I noticed his face started contorting with the look of shear jealousy.
I really think he may be plotting my demise so that he may take possession of my beautiful prize!

No way!

I am not overstating it when I say that this guitar (or any guitar for that matter) could not be set up any better!

My brother has owned a D-28 for over 25 years and has had one neck adjustment (about 10 years ago)done by Martin at no cost.

I've been playing for about 25 years.
It's just too bad that it took this long for this guitar and me to find each other.

1983, 150th anniversary model.

This is still one of the nicest sounding guitars I've ever played. I've had it 18 years and it only gets better. Very even, bottom to top, and records well.

Martin makes a fine instrument. I had to have it refretted about ten years ago, and also had to have the bridge reglued, but it's an acoustic guitar and these things are predictable. The woods are beautiful, and there are no visible flaws.

I've played this live and used it to record. It's dependable and my best friend.

Lifetime warranty. You can't argue with that. It was an expensive instrument, but over the years, what with the free repairs, it has become more and more reasonable.

I've been playing for 30 years. I have a number of other guitars (strat, Godin, Fender D'Aquisto), but this may be my favorite. If it were lost or stolen I'm not sure what I'd do. When I bought it, I was playing bluegrass, and it's perfect for that. I no longer do much bluegrass, and am more into blues, jazz, and fingerstyle. It's not a delicate little fingerstyle guitar, and sometimes I wish it were, but it covers most styles well, and it just rings beautifully -- feels like it's alive.

This is just a standard accoustic guitar.
Easy to tune,
Stays in tune for weeks.

I've never heard a better sounding guitar.

The craftsman ship is exceptional. Even after 21 years of frequent use, the guitar still looks great. The only noticable areas of wear are the frets and fretboard.

21 years old and never had any issues.

21 years old and I've never has any problems.

I rate this guitar outstanding. It sounds better today than when it was purchased. I highly recommend the HD-35 to anyone would wants a great sounding, great looking, reliable acoustic guitar!

My HD-35 was made in 1999 at Nazareth, PA. I will include here other information that previous reviewers left out. All acoustic, no electronics, H=herringbone, D=dreadnought.

This is why I purchased this guitar. This baby booms with a full sound all across the spectrum. I compared with high-end Taylors, Larivees, and other Martins HD-28, HD-28V, D-35 and this one was superior for my tastes. It resonates forever and it is clear as a bell. I have found no dead spots.

This guitar is a work of art! The fit and finish is flawless. Rosewood has a lot of personality as each piece looks different and has its own markings. The three piece back is handsome, indeed. The action is great and I find it easy to play, although it may be a tad high. I rarely play on the 12th fret so that does not bother me much. If it did, it is easily taken care of. I will probably bring it in one day to shave a little off the saddle.

From what I have gathered, Martins are made to last if taken care of. I am sure it will be around longer than me. If not, it does come with a lifetime warranty.

I have not had to contact them yet but I do hear good things from other Martin owners who have had to work with them.

I have been playing for a few years on an old laminated Yamaha that served me well. I always said when I got out of college and on my feet that I would get a Martin. That was a dream of the guys that I played music with. I most definately would get another one if this one was lost, although, insurance would have to kick in some! I did compare this one to other brands, see above under sound. I think all Martins come with plastic saddles and the like. This is a big bother to some, makes little difference to me. Even with plastic, it sounds great. Maybe it would sound better with bone, maybe one day I will find out, maybe the day I bring it in to have the action lowered.

Scalloped bracing, heringbone trim. Pretty much looks like your textbook guitar. Came with hard case with beautiful pine green fur on the inside.

I have sort of a stephen stills style and this guitar sounds fantastic. It is balanced and has great bottom end. I must admit that it is not as great a bottom end as my hummingbird, but that is made up for by the rest of the sound. Great ring! With new strings it has the sound of D-45.

The guitar had a mediocre setup from the factory. After getting a professional setup I was able to put 13's on the guitar and it felt like 11's. And I can't complain enough about those pathetic plastic saddles they use at Martin. The strings can tear pieces of it away. For $2000, I deserve to get an $8 bone saddle-- period. Shame on you Martin. The word is that bone is carcinogenic and they need special protections to work with bone. Lame excuse! All kinds of stuff is carcinogenic like the wood dust, but they can work with that. I haven't heard one acceptable reason why they would justified in being tacky on this issue.

The first thing you must do if you get a Martin is replace the saddle with bone.

The finish was great.

The guitar seem durable. The tuners are strong. I am still afriad to hurt it because it cost so much-- as much as a car.

No contact yet.

Lifetime warranty.

This guitar sounds wonderful. I was gonna get a D-35, but I strummed the HD-35 and new I would always regret not buying this guitar. It sounded beautiful. It took me about a half hour of roaming around the store trying to rationalize the extra $700, but I did it, and I have no regrets. Everytime I play I am reassured about my decision.

The plastic saddle issue is a tacky, but small problem. Maybe Martin will recheck this policy a few million dollars more in profit down the road.

The HD-35 features a solid spruce top with Indian Rosewood sides and a 3 piece back. The top features scalloped 1/4" thick bracing shifted closer to the sound hole. This enables the sound to explode out this fine instrument. The neck is mahogany, fingerboard is ebony and it has a very smooth feel. It features standard size frets and fingerboard binding. My only complaint is the choice of tuners. The HD-35 comes with locking tuners that function fine but look somewhat industrial with the knureled black locking knobs on the front of the headstock. The guitar came with a heavy duty plastic hard shell case.

The sound is the reason why you buy a guitar. And this guitar is perfect for everything from chord strumming to single note passes. The bass is rich and responsive and the highs are bright without being brittle. The sound is well balanced across the entire neck, no hot or dead spots. Hay! it's a Martin so what would you expect.

I bought the guitar at the Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island NY. And I traded a J-200 and a little cash for this baby. The action, fit and finish was perfect as you would expect from an instrument of this quality.

I have had the guitar for about 5 years now and I play it daily. I have yet to have a problem with it.(There's not much to go wrong) One thing to note is that this guitar rearly goes out of tune. I play it for weeks on end and it stays in perfect tune.

Martin warranties their instruments for life. So 'nough said.

I've been playing guitar for about 10 years and I've bought and traded several guitars. This one is a keeper. It is my main squeeze (next to my wife) and I can see me owning and playing it untill I'm and old man. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely replace it with the insurance money. If you are looking for a high quality accoustic guitar try the HD-35, you won't be disappointed.