When Martin refined the dreadnought design in the '30s, they totally revolutionized the acoustic guitar. The rosewood and mahogany dreadnoughts produced powerful tone unlike earlier guitars, and their driving sound was better suited for the musicians of the era. In those days, the Style-28 rosewood dreadnought had iconic Herringbone purfling around the top edge. Since then, that Herringbone trim has been known as a sign of robust Martin dreadnought tone, so much so that a good '30s D-28 is often called a "Herringbone."
In 1976, Martin introduced the Standard Series HD-28, which revived the Herringbone trim and—unlike the regular D-28—had scalloped braces on the inside. Like everything else, it goes back to the '30s. All of the best original prewar Herringbone dreadnoughts have scalloped braces, and in general scalloped braces produce more volume and low-end. In the modern era of Martin guitars, the HD-28 carries on this tradition.
This HD-28 was made in 2002 and it features a Sitka Spruce top, East Indian Rosewood back and sides, and a 1-11/16" nut width. In 2002, the Standard Series guitars didn't have a colored toner on the top finish, so the nice, mellowed color of this Sitka is all 100% natural aging. Also, the Ebony fingerboard has the same Style-28 pearl dots as the regular D-28. With the raised gold "C.F. Martin & Co" decal, white corian binding, and sealed-back tuners, this 2002 HD-28 captures a different vibe from the modern-day 2026 Standard Series.
This 2002 Martin HD-28 is in very nice cosmetic condition. There are some signs of play and use—in particular, the back of the neck has become shiny from the years, and there are some scuffs on the lower bout. But all in all, this is an impressive 20+-year-old guitar. In fact, the protective film is still on the pickguard. No strap button, no pickup installation, and a fantastic, low setup with Medium Gauge strings. Hard to believe, but when this guitar was made (serial #915762), Martin still had yet to the 1,000,000th serial number. It includes its original molded plastic case.