Thunderous bass response balanced by crystal-clear, articulate highs—the D-28 sets the standard by which all acoustic guitars are judged. Hank Williams, Sr., The Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page, countless bluegrass greats—the list becomes a who’s who of guitarists and songwriters across pretty much every genre. Simply put, the D-28 does everything well. It is the quintessential workhorse guitar.
The D-28P was a short-lived model that added Martin's Performing Artist neck to the tried-and-true D-28 template. This neck has a a slimmer nut width and a slimmer taper, so its profile plays a bit faster than the traditional Standard Series. The overall feel lends itself to effortless lead work as you play up the neck, while keeping a comfortable spacing for standard chording on the first few frets.
This 2013 D-28P has been played hard over the years, and because of that it has the broken-in, nuanced sound we expect from a seasoned Martin guitar. It's a bit of a cannon, so it will fight through the mix if you need it to. But when you play softly, there's still a ton of subtlety. Pronounced bass presence mixed with shimmering highs and rich clarity throughout. All in all, it's a guitar that holds true to the D-28 reputation.
On this D-28P, the finish along the body binding has become discolored, especially along the bass edge of the top where it is fairly worn, too. The effect makes the guitar look much older than it is—almost like it's some kind of vintage relic. From there, there is moderate playwear around the body (see photos), but fortunately no severe dings or scratches. The finish on the back of the neck is also fairly worn, but fortunately the frets are clean and have plenty of life left. Lastly, there is some wear on the headstock from a some less-than-careful restringing, and a strap button has been installed on the heel.
This 2013 Martin D-28P has a lot to offer, especially for a player who generally finds Martin necks harder to play. It includes a new-ish Bedell dreadnought case that protects it nicely.