I own a natural one (non aged)...love the guitar! Great for Bluegrass or just plain fingerpicking. Of all the dozens of Martins I've owned over the years, this one is by far the best!!!
Love me some Martin. Took years to get to own one, lots of trades along the way. Finally got to the dream, a new D35 last year. I do just fine at making my own relics however, got to that state myself along with my old 1971 J 50 Gibson with 100k+ miles on her too.
I love those musical pieces that have a subtle "lullaby" quality. In the right hands it squeezes your heart a little. Maybe the right guitar coaxes that mood from a player, but I didn't even look at the guitars in this video. I kept skipping over the guitar talk to watch Baxter play.
I own a Martin D28 1937 Authentic. What a fantastic guitar!! I own roughly 20 acoustic guitars, and this Martin Authentic is head and shoulders above anything IMHO.
Very nice job on the demo. Baxter holds back a lot on his playing so we get to hear the guitar. But this seemed really appropriate for the piece he was showing.
Absolutely beautiful demo of these two guitar! I think Baxter's review pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. I've owned the non-aged version for a couple years now, and am continually amazed by it. I've never heard anything that sounds quite this good, and I personally love the neck profile. I have seen no ill effect through any seasonal changes. The chunky neck and exceptional build quality keep it well within spec all year. Thanks again for the video Baxter! It's always a pleasure to watch and listen to your playing!!
I have a '13 D28A '41 and a'14 D28A '37. Killer guitars no VTS. Both needed a setup for me because they come with high action at both ends. As far as lacquer thickness, after a few years, the lacquer gets thinner and thinner. Worth every penny.
This is probably one of the best demos on the D-28 authentic. This year I'm in the market for either a D-42 or a D-28 authentic. I'm leaning towards the D-42 because the authentic doesn't have a truss rod, but I'm still intrigued by the guitar. Decisions, decisions, decisions!
Believe me my friend, the Authentic is much better! If you don't want to spend too much money, there's no need to take the Aged version. I tried all the best known Martins, the D42 has a lot of bass (too much for my taste, you only hear that). I'm lucky to have a Martin D28 Authentic 1937 VTS, it's a killer!!! Very nice bass that does not stifle the rest, the sound is magnificent very very powerful! And yes, you are right, there is no truss rod but whatever. Like any great guitar, it is advisable anyway to take it once a year to a good luthier for a check, and an adjustment of the action if necessary. But frankly, you won't regret it; the Authentic series is the best Martin has done in years. Less expensive: the D18 Authentic 1939 in mahogany is also a bomb!
Holy moly! Baxter you are an acoustic master! I really enjoyed that. I have one of the early 1937 D-28 Authentic models without the torrified top and it doesn’t sound as good as that one with the torrified top. Thanks.
These modern authentics. From 2018-2020 are the real thing. They started thinning the tops in 2021. Adding truss rods. N i think the saddle is thinner too if i remember from reading their specs. Before 2017 or 2018 the specs were quite as exact. Or maybe now they call them the 1937 custom authentic? Idk. But you want the no truss rod and full clone specs with vts. You choose aged or not. Personally i love the idea of seeing the natural finish age with me. These are instruments to love and spend your life with just as the originals. Truly a heart warming experience to own one of these. Gives us hope again for music.
I'll take the thinner top. Martins ore war guitars constantly measure thinner when you measure them. Also I prefer an adjustable truss rod. Idc if the t bar sounds a hair different. And Indian Rosewood is a thing of beauty with Adirondack. I was never a Madagascar fan. Sorry just wasn't.
There are no states that have a relative humidity of 50% year round... So...when acquiring an acoustic instrument, figure in a humidifier/ dehumidifier... and a backup system in case one goes out. Repair is an all around drag😐
Love that guitar voice! Had one, had to trade it because my wounded fretting hand was getting to where I couldn't play for long w/o hand cramping. Empire Music has similar Martin Customs With an adjustable truss rod. There IS a truss rod in the authentic, it's not adjustable, it is a lollipop it you look at it. Thanks Baxter
I just posted this in the "Are Acoustics Lame" video but it's worth posting again. If you like acoustic guitars I recently discovered and have been binge watching is The North American Guitar, they demo really high end guitars played by Carl Miner, the videos are really well recorded and Carl's playing is just great. Some of the older videos have some of Carl's best pieces/playing. I hope you guys don't mind me plugging another channel here, I figured it should be cool as they don't sell new Martin's or Taylors.
I’m sure posting ONCE to plug another channel is good enough - right? A lot of us follow Carl Miner and the channel you mentioned. But try to exercise some etiquette and comment regarding what the channel you’re watching. Once is enough Twice is too much
It can get very confusing out there. I’m considering getting my first “nice” acoustic guitar and thought I had it narrowed down to a Martin D18 or Gibson J35. When I looked them up at the local distributors’ websites here and in the used instruments online listings, I got a bit of a shock to see that there are many different varieties of D18 or J35 and a similar variation in price.
I'm a fan of the non aged honestly. I think it will age better sound wise. Jmo. Either way I have a 000-28 1937 custom authentic, non aged and it's unbelievable. And I was gonna get the dread and always have been q dread guy. But I think the 000s came out better. Specifically because I think EIR works better on smaller guitars
I have tried the 1937 Authentics both in the Aged Version and the Regular as well as the 000-28 and the D-28's. They look great, but the action was too high on all 4, and not a lot of saddle to lower the action. The strings were extremely abrasive; therefore, they might feel better with the better strings. I am not a fan of the neck, as my 2005 D-42, is much smoother, and plays better, and actually has a better sound and just as much volume. It could be that the binding on the 42 is smoother. I was hoping or instant love, but it just didn't happen. I may try another example just to be sure. Beautiful guitars, however the "aged" version has too many finish checks to suit me.
They are beautiful guitars, No argument here about that, but for 8 thousand dollars you can buy a brand new D-18 & D-28, and still have money left over in your pocket for somthing from the Road series or New Streetmaster D-15.
Ain’t no way ever I’m buying a guitar at that price without a truss Rod. That’s insane. Chris Martin does some non-common sensical BS. Like that SC13E - looks like half the guitar was chopped away because he didn’t have enough tonewood.
Lol - he never said it didn’t have a truss rod. It has a T Bar truss rod just like the original 1937s had. Steel string guitars HAVE to have some sort of truss rod whether it’s adjustable or not. With out it, he neck would bow within a short amount of time and no way to adjust it. Martins have had truss rods well before the 1930s. Use your common sense next time before you accuse Chris Martin of one of the dumbest things possible.
@@sc12100 well, not to hash over a two year old comment but: You said he didn’t say it when, in fact, he did. And in the context of the conversation, the OP obviously meant an adjustable truss rod, which it does not have. I own both the Authentic D28 and D18. They’re phenomenal. And, they wouldn’t be authentic without a T Bar.
