Acoustic Guitar Masterpiece, the Martin D 28

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The Martin D 28 guitar is one of the most widely used, sought after, and famous acoustic guitars in the world.  Not only has the Martin D 28 been such a fine instrument itself, it's inspired many industries that simply make customized versions or even improved versions of the famous D 28 template.

I've owned a beautiful HD 28 VR in the past, and I wished that I owned it still.  I do own a variation upon the D 28 theme in the modern era, a 1984 Santa Cruz Model D.

I also own a Fender Japanese made copy of the legendary D 28, and though it's not a herringbone instrument, it is a high X braced instrument with resplendent abalone inlay all over the thing.  My Fender is an F 65.

That would be the Santa Cruz Model D, a herringbone high X instrument.

And that would be the Fender F 65, a very nice and inexpensive copy of a Martin D 28.

I'd never claim that Clarence White was the reason for the never ending popularity of Martin's D 28 because that's simply not true.  Without Clarence White, however, the D 28 isn't half the legend that it is, the picture above is of a modern Martin replica of Clarence White's old 1935 heavily modified D 28 - with an enlarged sound hole and a blank ebony fretboard.

want a cutaway?  Well, they make them.  From the picture here, can you visually see that this isn't a high X herringbone instrument?  Just look at the pick guard.  Most often herringbone instruments feature a faux tortoise pick guard.  Most likely, the guitar photo above is of an acoustic/electric D 28 cutaway, and if the guitar is going to more often than not be played with an amplifier, there really isn't a need for the high X bracing.

Then below the cutaway guitar with have a D 28S, a twelve fret clear of the body guitar that features a wider neck, and a larger body shape.  The slotted headstock is where the S in the model comes from, these guitars are mostly played by fingerstylist.

Want a twelve string version of the world's most sought after acoustic guitar?  No ploblem!

Here's a guy giving some great history of the world's most famous acoustic guitar, but let's hear the most famous example of that very guitar being played, shan't we?

That's Tony Rice, the absolute master of flatpicking acoustic steel string guitar in this world, primarily, with Clarence White's old 1935 Martin D 28.