Martin Custom Shop HD-28 Style Sinker Redwood/Macassar Ebony (Empire Music Exclusive) #45147

Martin Custom Shop HD-28 Style Sinker Redwood/Macassar Ebony, Black Ebony Fingerboard, Natural

~Guitar pictured is the actual guitar that you will receive~

Only seven of these incredible guitars will be built for us by the Martin Custom Shop.

A sonic and visual masterpiece, this Martin Custom Shop HD-28 features eye-popping Sinker Redwood and Macassar Ebony from our private wood locker at the Martin Custom Shop.

As one of only 24 Martin Custom Shop Expert Dealers worldwide, we have unfettered access to the Martin Custom Shop and their incredible world-renowned wood reserves. Empire Music Owner Joe Ravita has hand-selected these specific wood sets and designed the instrument in conjunction with Martin Custom Shop Master Designer Jimmie Kleintop. The goal was to offer the finest sonic experience Martin has to offer with the highest quality wood sets on Earth.

We always strive to offer stunning sonic experiences with incredible tonewoods from the Martin Custom Shop. This Custom Shop HD-28 delivers on both accounts.

The top features incredible Sinker Redwood. Sinker Redwood is Redwood that has been submerged in rivers for many (hundreds!) of years. The Redwood takes on the mineral composition of the earth and water over this time, which leads to an incredible sonic experience.  Think of a cedar top with way more power and character!

We wanted to pair the Sinker Redwood with a tonewood for the back and sides that highlighted the warmth of the top but offered tons of clarity and output. The perfect choice presented itself during our in-person Factory trip. Martin had a small selection of Macassar Ebony and we jumped on it!

Macassar Ebony is sourced in Indonesia and is some of the most visually beautiful wood in the world. While it is beautiful, we selected this ebony for its incredible tone. The density of the Macassar Ebony offers tons of clarity, projection and overtones. It matches the top perfectly because it allows the Redwood to keep its warmth while providing tons of focus and clarity. It is a match made in guitar heaven!

The end result is a guitar that offers beautiful whispering tones while played lightly–full of character and definition–while still offering bellowing tones that stay clean while providing complex overtones.

The Dreadnought body shape offers plenty of overhead and surprisingly mature tones when played with a light medium attack.

Tonewoods are always incredibly important when designing a Custom Shop guitar–however, it is a must that the bracing, scale length and other design specifications maximize the tonewood choice.

So, we selected the Golden Era Bracing package on this design. This sought after design offers deeply scalloped braces that deliver huge tone, output and mature/vintage vibes.  Players will find that this guitar opens up with ease and complex tones are found at all levels of pick attack.

The 25.4” standard scale design keeps the guitar from losing the ability to stay clear and articulate. The design is intended to allow the instrument to sound as full and warm as possible while keeping the clarity that we demand.

We wanted to take this model to the next level, so we included all of the Golden Era touches–rolled fingerboard edges, Golden Era Bridge Plate, Authentic Fingerboard thickness and Authentic neck heel size.  This Custom Shop HD-28 is a true testament to Martin past and present!

We are proud to offer the world’s finest Martin Custom Shop pieces. Please feel free to reach out to our team to discuss this instrument or any in our collection.

Empire Music is one of only 24 Martin Custom Shop Expert Dealers!