Martin HD-28 vs Martin D-41

[@victoryatallcost]

I sold my D28 after purchasing a D41. I noticed more clarity and much more volume. Both great guitars though! I would proudly own them both if I could afford too.

[@PotPoet]

I just saw this video AFTER I had already placed my order for an 18 year old D-41. I should get it this week. Yippee!

[@xsamitt]

Did you get it? What was it like?

[@PotPoet]

I got it. It has been well cared for and played in. It is at the luthier right now for a neck reset. I had it for three years before having to do the reset. I also own a 1917 Martin 1350 Koa (like an 0-18 - only two known to survive of the 17 that were made), a 1919 Martin mandolin Style A, and a 2005 Martin Special Edition Figured Koa Special, #25 of 25 (which is a Martin show guitar, for the 2005 NAMM Show, Anaheim CA). I own 26 other high end guitars from other makers.

[@lnugent1000]

The guy playing is really good. I hope you tell him he made me smile!

[@RonBaker456]

Lovely. Thanks for the time. I bought a D41 Amber this year and it is spectacularly different from the dozen or so D28's I've played IMO.

[@jon1914]

All this time I thought the HD28 was the best of the Martin line. Then today I discovered the D41 and am BLOWN away by how good it sounds. I would pick that over the HD 28 w/o question.

[@soofitnsexy]

yeah and 1700 bucks more:)))

[@SAGENATOR1]

Great advice from an asshole who can’t even play a guitar…😊

[@williamrehl6520]

Closed my eyes and hard to tell difference😊

[@jasoncounts8249]

@@williamrehl6520true. Just got a d-41!and it’s so close to my HD-28 I may return it

[@2007rockbl]

That D-41 sounds as great as it looks! After owning several Martin dreads, I wound up with a D-41 about 10 years ago. Now I want the new version! (Mainly for the wider nut and and any other improvements in the reimagined version.) There are many theories about why 40 series Martins sound so great. Several guitar experts have suggested that the abalone actually plays a significant role. The different density of the abalone, the extra routing (to create a space for the abalone) removes more of the top wood, etc. And probably, as the hosts suggest, there is also really a difference caused by the higher grade of wood -- it stands to reason that Martin would know which slabs of spruce are going to have the best sonic qualities and would save those pieces for the 40 series guitars. Many thanks to the hosts for creating such a good comparison video!!

[@jonjeffries3265]

Mee too..wider nut width n fwrd shifted bracing...My newer 18 has them both n nicest sounding guitar I've ever owned.. I must sell my 41 cuz I know I'll never play it once I get the new 41

[@rickeydenler2385]

Taylors relief route on top of the sound board could be !

[@harveycan5820]

I'd vote that it's the wood more than the abalone... To me any 40 series, eg J-40,D-41,D-42, just feel and sound better. Warmer, richer, and somehow more solid. 18s, 28s and 35s are fantastic but those 40s are a different beast.

[@stephensmith799]

This was really useful. The differences are surprisingly clear. these guys would be great to share a beer with and jam.

[@StopAndGetGas]

Thank you for this. I'm shopping around to move from a Taylor Dreadnought back to Martin, and a D-41. (I owned a '94 model many years ago, and both a D-28 and HD-28 at other times - all Standard.) Until very recently I was unaware of the new 'Reimagined' guitars in the Standard 40 Series. This was a great video for me. Thanks again!

[@johnoffutt898]

I like the tonal palette of the HD-28. It has more colours and flavors of each note blends together smoothly and evenly more clarity and sustain.

[@JesseDylanMusic]

Great video. Maybe I should have listened with my eyes closed too, because I think the D-41 has a little more depth to its tone. I suppose this could be due to wood selection and maybe some extra TLC that the D-41 gets. I would imagine that after a year, it might level out. Usually the wood grade is just based on cosmetics. And I suppose two HD-28s could sound just as different from each other.

[@PotPoet]

You are SO wrong about wood grade being based on cosmetics alone. Wood beauty is important of course BUT ONLY in a competition of qualified woods for each job. Mahogany or maple or walnut or rosewood or koa or some other HARDWOOD for back and sides to reflect sound back out the front. Soft woods like spruce for a resonant flexible top that is still strong enough not to warp with time. The single most important factor in wood choice is the speed of sound within that wood. These vary greatly and make the BIG difference. The best woods are rare and costly.

[@capohd28]

@@PotPoet I agree. Although Martin says the difference is only cosmetic, I've always found the 40 series sound better. I actually sold my previous HD-28 and now own a 2018 D-41. It's the one of the best sounding and loudest guitars I've ever played. The sustain is incredible. I think it's the abalone on the edges creating a hard contact surface between the top and sides that makes the difference.

[@loganvaughn6633]

Love the 40 series but it’s something about how the hd28 just kinda punches you with the bass

[@erichutchinson6882]

I own an HD-28 and a D-45 and I had the same observations.

[@jimmycollette9209]

It was a fair comparison. To me it really depends on what type music I play and can I afford the difference in price. The d-41 was out of my price range. I would definitely choose it over my hd-28 any day but would have to keep my hd-28 also.

[@maxwellfan55]

A good comparison. I have owned each of these guitars in the past, but these two certainly sound different. They have lighter, more articulate clarity from what I remember, almost as a nod towards a modern Taylor sound but with more bass. To my memory these guitars demo'd in your comparison sound a lot better. Perhaps this is due to the reimagined upgrade and that they are brand new. Both top notch classy Martin dreadnoughts, great to hear them being played side by side and proving Martin can still give everyone a run for their money.

[@PotPoet]

Classic guitars (wood aged 25 years or more) sound better and vintage guitars (50 years or more) are better still. The wood becomes more resonant, louder, fuller, brighter, more complex, more balanced (all notes sound more equally clear) and holds longer sustain as it ages. NOTHING is a substitute for a properly aged musical instrument. Why do you think a Stradivarius violin costs millions?

[@stephensmith799]

Tell James he has a really great playing touch. Very sympathetic to the guitars...

[@08Barclay]

I have a 1992 version of the HD28, and I can tell you that it sounds and plays quite differently than it did when new. It has matured beautifully. It seems to have become tighter tonally over time. Still has that great bass response. I haven’t played a new 41, but have always enjoyed playing the older ones that my friends owned. Price wise…….hmmmm……..perhaps I’ll have a 41 in heaven…..🤨😉🤭

[@soofitnsexy]

ive owned the d 41 and foolishly sold it...u can easily sell your 28 and get a used 41

[@hkpr-ro6ui]

The HD28 isn't "dull". Its deep resonance is due to forward scalloped X bracing is legendary.

[@adam_michael540]

Both guitars have the same forward shifted x bracing

[@nickunderwood6175]

Beautiful guitars and beautiful playing

[@rogerd9150]

Both guitars sounded great but for me I liked the D41 for the same reasons the player did.

[@anonymousguy7723]

A truly unbiased review. Thanks 🙏🏽...!!!!

[@GTRJohn13]

James is an absolute BEAST!!!

[@danamartinmayo9529]

I think the D41 tends to be a little stiffer than the HD28. Perhaps a bit less scalloped.

[@whosiskid]

I think anyone who prefers a D-28 or HD-28 to a D-41 is deaf, but that is not my problem. I also prefer the D-42 to a D-45, and that isn't a rare opinion. But why do we never get comparisons between the D-41 and D-42? That is what I'm trying to decide, and I've never been in a guitar store that keeps both in stock. I think the D-42 might be the more desirable guitar, but a few online comparisons would help. Cost aside, I suspect that the D-42 might be the Martin I'd most love, but I'd really, really like to hear them side by side to make sure.

[@georgemercer3013]

I don't believe in calling anybody deaf because the D28 has the sound that's been around so long it's hard to change what type of music you play will determine which guitar you like best they all sound good but I guess I'm from the old school D 28

[@SpaceJunkie12]

The 40 series are just fancier 28s.

[@jonjeffries3265]

It's a slightly "different" sound.. not necessarily better or worse.. what u do with it is what counts..

[@Ziraffe2]

Thought 'xactly the same as the tester - before hearing his verdict. Guess most people would hear it that way. Those HD-28s - earlier called HD-28V - are great, but can be a little muchy. If the bling compensates for that is uncertain, but maybe a combination of woods (as you say) and abelone. Could also be a coincidence couldn't it.I had 2 HD-28Vs (2000 and 2005) - highly different. Keep the mill runnin'. .

[@jjiacobucci]

D41 vs D42 ?

[@telboy1966manu]

Great video guys, thank you 👍🙏🙏

[@jbertrand5959]

Honestly, I prefer the sound of the HD 28

[@shawnsnow6413]

That's funny because I heard the exact opposite of what he said. Maury's music has a review comparing the two as well and the HD 28 sounds much clearer. (I closed my eyes on that one)

[@midwaymonster30]

I think at least some of you will always choose the "flashier" guitar right away and assume it's better. lol In person, these guitars sound nearly identical. With that said, each acoustic has it's own voice. Some good, some great, some...not so good.

[@NicholasANappiNick]

I’ll take a D 42 thank you

[@federicoines1848]

I wish the D41 came. With Lr baggs pick up now it feels like I want to trade my My Hd28 E for the D41

[@Kingepticon]

Just put an Anthem in a D41. A simple install that any lutheran can do for $300-$400.

[@midwaymonster30]

"You don't know which one you're holding at the moment." Uh...he looked down. He knows. lol

[@G_Demolished]

Uh.. he’s blind.

[@torontolarrivee7965]

Wouldn’t a blind man, whose touch sensitivity allows him to read Braille, be able to detect the difference in inlays?

[@orteu9263]

1:34, 3:28

[@orteu9263]

4:08, 2:18

[@bogarbill6331]

HD 28 all day long

[@poltad]

I’ve found D41 plays much better.

[@danhutchinson8649]

Speaking to the blind guy he says "looking at the braces"......then "look at the specs" I know it wasn't on purpose, just odd and a little strange....I wish James had said "I see what you mean"....but that is my sense of humor.

[@joshgilliam]

I mean he is wearing a watch too. Made me laugh

[@rickeydenler2385]

Definately the wood not the bling !!

[@SimoneOrtisi]

Should be better with a guitar player. This is not.

[@hoodedman07]

HD28 was better

[@vladi7441]

I love how he's trying to hold his accent back!