What defines the Martin D-28
The D-28 is a 14-fret dreadnought on a 25.4 inch scale: solid spruce top in Aging Toner, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, dovetail neck joint. The top is braced with a forward-shifted X in 5/16 inch spruce, Golden Era scalloped. Moving the X toward the soundhole frees more of the lower bout to move, and scalloping the braces lets the top respond to a lighter attack, so the D-28's bass shows up at conversational volume, not only when you dig in. Rosewood's density is what turns that top movement into sustain and overtone complexity.
The neck is the Golden Era Modified Low Oval with the High-Performance Taper: 1 3/4 inches at the bone nut, 2 1/8 inches at the 12th fret, ebony fingerboard and bridge, compensated bone saddle, Plek-leveled frets. Style 28 trim means antique white binding, the Style 28 multi-stripe rosette, a Style 28 back strip with black stripe, mother-of-pearl dot inlays, bone bridge pins with faux tortoise dots, nickel open-gear butterbean tuners, and a molded hardshell case.
The D-28 trims we carry
D-28 Gloss and D-28 Satin
Martin lists the Satin as a finish option on the same D-28 record, so it is the same wood, bracing and neck with a satin top at around $3,100 instead of around $3,500 for gloss. The satin top feels drier under the arm and shows play wear sooner; tonally the two are the same guitar.
D-28 Billy Strings
The Billy Strings signature D-28, around $3,800, looks like a 1940 D-28 but is not a reissue; it is built to the specs Billy actually plays on stage. Our two videos below cover what changed and put it next to standard D-28s.
D-28 Authentic 1937 (VTS and Aged)
The Authentic 1937 is a different construction: Adirondack spruce with VTS for the top and braces, Guatemalan rosewood back and sides, hide-glue dovetail, a glue-in long saddle, bold herringbone top inlay, the Authentic zig-zag back strip, 1937 long-pattern diamonds and squares in abalone, Waverly open-back tuners, and the Authentic 1937 neck with Standard Taper (2 1/4 inches at the 12th fret, 2 5/16 inch string spacing at the bridge). VTS is around $8,700; the Aged version with Vintage Toner and aged finish and hardware is around $9,700.
Custom Shop D-28 1937
Martin's Custom Shop builds a D-28 1937 with an Adirondack top over East Indian rosewood, Authentic 1937 forward-shifted scalloped bracing and the Authentic 1937 neck, without the VTS treatment. These come through as individual units; see the Custom Shop page for what is on hand.
Martin D-28 vs HD-28: what is actually different
On Martin's current spec sheets, the bracing is the same: forward-shifted X, 5/16 inch, Golden Era scalloped. The $200 premium on the HD-28 buys bold herringbone purfling around the top, a zig-zag back strip and long-pattern diamonds and squares inlaid in abalone. Earlier D-28s were braced differently from the HD-28, which is why older comparisons (including our own 2024 video below) describe a tonal gap; with the current Golden Era spec on both, you are choosing on looks.
D-28 vs D-18 and D-35
The D-18 is the same build with mahogany back and sides, about $500 less: drier, faster decay, more cut in a band. The D-35 keeps rosewood but moves to straight 1/4 inch braces and a three-piece back, about $200 more: a rounder, bass-forward voice with a softer attack. The D-28 sits between them.
Who should buy a D-28
Strummers who want the low end to carry, flatpickers who play solo or lead, and singer-songwriters recording full arrangements. Look at the D-18 instead if you play in a loud rhythm section and want each note to stop when you stop it, and at the D-35 if you strum more than you pick.
Dread-Not Guarantee and 23-point inspection
Every D-28 ships under our Dread-Not Guarantee: a full year to trade it in for 90% of the purchase price (pre-tax, less round-trip shipping) in store credit toward anything else we carry, which on a $3,100 Satin is $2,790 back. Add a 30-day in-home trial, our 23-point professional inspection before it ships, and a humidity kit, because solid rosewood is the wood most sensitive to dry Midwest winters.
The D-28 is the center of the Martin Standard Series; see the full brand at Martin & Co., or put it next to every other rosewood dreadnought we carry in our full acoustic guitar selection.
