The groundbreaking Martin Auditorium model

Martin fanciers will duly note that 000 (Auditorium) instruments share body dimensions with the company’s OM (Orchestra Model) guitars; the main difference between the two being the OM’s longer scale length. Prior to the Orchestra Model, Martin guitars all had the same 12th-fret neck-join design as the instruments Christian Frederick Martin Sr. was handcrafting during the 1830s. They were similar in shape, tone, and volume to today’s classical guitars, although most of them were converted from gut to steel strings by the close of the 1920s.

Interestingly, Martin’s Orchestra Model guitars came about thanks, in part, to the banjo. In the interest of keeping up with the trends (and being heard), banjo pickers — the primary rhythm keepers in bands of the era — became interested in steel-stringed guitars, which were more resonant (and at least as loud) than their banjos. Banjo players were also used to long, narrow necks, so Martin responded with the first 14-fret flat-top designed expressly for steel strings. Debuting in 1930, Martin’s Orchestra Model was the prototype for the modern steel-string acoustic guitar. During the winter of 1933–’34, Martin phased out the OM in favor of the 000 — which was, essentially, a short-scale OM with a wider nut. And this is the historical significance of the superb 000-28 we are privileged to present to you.

Plek’d to perfection

Premium Martin guitars like the 000-28 are Plek’d for fret consistency and smoothness. Plek Pro is a state-of-the-art, computer-guided process that scans, levels, and dresses your guitar’s frets to a microscopic level of accuracy for ideal action with no loss of sustain, minimized fret buzz, and no fretting out when bending strings, whether you’re playing low or high on the neck. The 000-28’s Plek’d frets ensure that every note in every position rings loud and clear with unblemished tone.

Quality materials deliver timeless tone

A quality acoustic guitar is all about the wood, and the Martin 000-28 serves up a classic tonewood cocktail with no compromises. The top is solid Sitka spruce for robust projection and crystalline note clarity. Its back and sides are made of solid East Indian rosewood, a classic Martin material. A select hardwood modified low oval, high-performance taper neck and solid ebony fingerboard give the Martin 000-28 amazing playing ease to match its mellifluous sonority. Ebony is also used for the bridge. Elegant, understated Style 28 appointments, such as classic bold herringbone inlaid top binding and abalone diamonds and squares fingerboard inlays, make the 2018 000-28 as irresistible to the eye as it is to the ear.

It’s a Martin…

Embracing the past, while looking to the future — it’s a tightrope act, but Martin has always been able to pull it off. That’s why they’ve consistently been a leader in acoustic guitar design, infusing their guitars with new materials, building techniques, and technologies — while producing fine instruments that age with grace to become highly sought-after, highly playable heirlooms.