Back to navigation


Martin’s Legendary Dreadnought ? A New Standard!





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Boasting tasteful refinements and elegant mid-century appointments, the Martin HD-28 Standard offers a definitive take on the company’s legendary dreadnought. This acoustic guitar features a solid spruce top with Sitka spruce Golden Era bracing, along with solid East Indian rosewood back and sides. The HD-28 Standard includes several playability enhancements, such as a gently beveled ebony fingerboard, refined string spacing at the nut, a sleek vintage-style heel, and an ebony Golden Era modern belly bridge with bone pins. You’ll also appreciate the HD-28 Standard’s eye-catching aesthetics, which include a long-diamond neck transition and an angled nut, along with classic Style 28-inspired touches and a glorious aged finish. The Martin HD-28 Standard reflects the pinnacle of golden-era acoustic guitar design while also equipping players with a well-chosen assemblage of modernized features for improved play and comfort.





Related Videos: HD-28 Standard Series Acoustic Guitar - Natural with Aging Toner (2025)





NOW PLAYING:


Martin’s 2025 Standard Series Acoustic Guitars | What’s New?





NAMM 2025: Martin’s New Acoustic Guitars for 2025





Interview with Chris Martin from Martin Guitar Co.


Premium Martin craftsmanship





The HD-28 Standard is Martin’s flagship dreadnought, considered by many guitarists to be among the finest-sounding Martin acoustics ever made. With a solid spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, and traditional zigzag purfling on the back, the HD-28 Standard is a beautifully and immaculately designed acoustic guitar. This guitar’s neck boasts a comfortable GE Modified Low Oval shape, along with a vintage-style heel and a long-diamond transition. The 20-fret ebony fingerboard features a thinner construction than previous models, along with refined string spacing and a gently beveled edge for added comfort and head-turning Diamond and Square Long inlays. The HD-28 Standard also includes an ebony Golden Era modern belly bridge with bone pins and a classic faux tortoise pickguard. It stays in tune with chrome enclosed gear tuners, complete with stylish butter bean knobs.





Serial M2919052


Serial M2919052


Timeless acoustic tones





The Martin HD-28 Standard spares no expense on its tonewoods. It all starts with a solid spruce top, which imparts a direct, punchy tone with ample headroom, handling gentle fingerpicking and aggressive strumming with equal aplomb. Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides frame the spruce’s straightforward sonic personality with a sublime crispness and reverberant projection that pairs beautifully with the guitar’s large dreadnought-sized body. Moreover, the HD-28 Standard features Sitka spruce Golden Era top bracing, infusing it with rich, breathy overtones and enhanced sustain. We’re enthusiastic fans of this tried-and-true tonewood combination here at Sweetwater; when you imagine what an acoustic guitar is supposed to sound like, this is it!





Standard series: revisiting timeless Martin tradition





Considering the storied history of Martin’s acoustic guitar engineering and building practices, there’s no question that the company’s iconic models stand firm as the backbone of American steel-string instrument design. With this sentiment top of mind, Martin presents the refreshed Standard series: a lineup dedicated to reviving the looks and tone of the brand’s golden-era vintage models while introducing a complex set of modern performance enhancements. The result is a comprehensive update to Martin’s most revered range of instruments, combining tonal authenticity with the comfort and versatility of a contemporary instrument. Across-the-board changes include remarkably responsive GE (Golden Era) bracing, thinner fingerboards with beveled edges, a slick vintage-style heel, angled nuts, and GE belly bridges equipped with bone or ebony bridge pins. What’s more, the refreshed standard series introduces a fresh new trio of Martin models back into the fold, including the iconic 000-17, D-17, and OM-45. Refreshed with a plethora of musician-requested features, the Standard series harnesses the power of these legendary acoustics and takes center stage once again.





Serial M2919052


Martin HD-28 Standard Features:


Offers a definitive take on Martin’s legendary dreadnought


Combines tasteful Standard series refinements with elegant mid-century appointments


Solid spruce top imparts a direct, punchy tone with ample headroom


Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides yield a sublime crispness and reverberant projection


GE top bracing delivers rich, breathy overtones and enhanced sustain


Comfortable GE Modified Low Oval neck with long-diamond transition and vintage-style heel


Thinner ebony fingerboard with a gently beveled comfort edge


Angled nut with refined string spacing


GE modern belly bridge with bone pins


Chrome enclosed gear tuners with stylish butter bean knobs


Classic Style 28-inspired touches and a glorious aged finish