Upgrade recommendations for Martin HD-28

[surfoxy]

Originally Posted by trumpus

Hey all,

Last May, my wonderful wife bought me a brand spankin' new HD-28. I love the guitar (almost as much as my wife), and it plays and sounds great. Always a tweaker, though, I was wondering what kinds of upgrades are generally recommended. I have heard a bit about upgrading the nut, saddle, bridge pins, tuners, etc, but don;t know the specifics or where to get these things...

...any info would be great!!!

Thanks.


Brian

Greven pickguards shape up the looks quite a bit!

[jgwoods]

The thing that most improves my Martin is to swap out the guy playing it for a better one...

[trumpus]

Thanks to everyone for the input! Much appreciated...On the topic of pickguards - how does the swap out work? Does it damage the guitar to remove the pickguard?

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Timely post! I find myself the owner of a brand new D-35 (I've played it more than 15 hours since Friday!), and was wondering the same thing. There's not much to be done. It's got bone nut and saddle, is already strung with Martin 4200's, and is pretty well set up. I'm considering a Greven pickguard, but not yet convinced. I'll take it in for another setup in month or so just to lower the action ever so slightly. I need to amplify it for the stage and haven't decided yet what to do. I'm leaning toward K&K Pure Western mini and a decent preamp, or LR Baggs I-Beam and preamp.

I'll watch this thread with interest. In the meantime, I'll just keep pickin' and grinnin' ... finally got the guitar I've been looking for these past 40 years. What the hell took me so long?

Timely indeed - I'm also looking into pickup options. I've narrowed it down to the same K&K or a Baggs iMix...any thoughts on either of these would be great too!

Brian

[banpreso]

we can always upgrade our own playin, practice practice!

[mjz]

Brian:
So you've had the HD-28 for almost a year. I have two HD-28s (one EIR and one brazilian) and here's a few thoughts.

1. A good set-up. After a year of playing it you should be able to talk to a luthier or set-up guy about how you'd like the guitar to be set up. Are you a heavy strummer? Do you play up the neck? Cowboy chords? Barre Chords? A good set-up guy will do wonders.

2. While your HD-28 already has a bone saddle and nut, you might consider a bone saddle that is intonnated.

3. Often, a set-up will involve reshaping the nut.

4. Ask your set-up guy to slot and ramp your bridge. This will save wear and tear on your bridge plate through the years as well as increase the break angle of the strings over the saddle to drive the top even more. Then you can use non-slotted bridge pins. Ebony is real nice on HD-28s. So is buffalo horn. I never really thought bridge pins would do alot, but to my surprise, they do. I'm actually using ebony on the 3 bass strings and buffalo horn on the treble. It keeps the bass round and warm and adds a bit more sparkle and zing to the trebles.

5. I've also added electronics to one of my HD-28s. It's an onboard unit so I opted to cut a hole in the side. Many on this forum cringe when they hear this, but if it's a working guitar and you want the convenience go for it. There are plenty of non-invasive options, as well. Goggle Trance Audio Acoustic Amulet for, perhaps, the best pick-up system for a Martin dread. I have one installed on my D-45v. It's the modern day version of the FRAPS, which is what Neil Young and others use on stage.

6. You may opt for a strap button to be installed on the heal if you use a strap often. And you may want to check out Sully's Straps for a cool strap to work with your new strap button.

7. And a Greven or Deep River guard looks cool. You can install one yourself using a hairdryer and cardboard covered with tin foil to protect your top, but why not just let the set-up guy do it.

Lastly, if you own a Martin dread and your thinking upgrades, you have to visit www.bryankimsey.com. Most everything I wrote about is covered (in pictures) on this site. Enjoy your HD-28. They are killer guitars.

max

[cotten]

I have a friend with a new D-28. He plays quite well already, but he says the best thing he can do for his guitar right now is to get some lessons!

cotten

[brandywine]

[QUOTE=trumpus;1426726]Thanks to everyone for the input! Much appreciated...On the topic of pickguards - how does the swap out work? Does it damage the guitar to remove the pickguard?


Not if you are careful. Its really pretty easy. I changed one recently on my Martin OM 28. You can buy very nice replacements from on-line retailers. I forgot the name , but there a several. Google "Greven pickguards" They come with instructions. Here's the nuts and bolts of it: Gently warm the exisiting pickguard with a blow dryer, set on low heat. In just a few minutes, the pickguard and the adhesive that holds it begins to soften. Insert gently a thin blade ( a strong fingernail may be enough) under an edge of the pickguard. Gently and steadily tug on it to lift it until you can grip it with your fingers. Then, keeping it warm, you slowly peel back the old pickguard. It should peel off easily once you get it started. Most of the adhesive comes off with it. You can rub off what remains with your finger, or use naptha to dissolve it. Naptha will not hurt the finish. In 5 minutes, you're done. Line up the new pickgaurd, peel of the paper backing away to expose the adhesive and set it into place. Once you start the removal, there's no going back. The original pickguard will not be re-usable.