HD23/D35 Scalloped Bracing!!!!!!
Dave Render
All this talk about the differences between a Martin HD 28 and D35. No one
has hit the true, main differences. Here's what I think to be true...
The HD series has SCALLOPED BRACING. Parts of the braces are carved out to
"tune" the guitar. My experience is that scalloped-braced guitars sound
sweeter & better that non-scolloped (this doesn't included older guitars who
have aged and sound sweeter ).
The Martin D 35 has a THREE PIECE BACK AND BINDING ALONG THE NECK. The
Difference between the D28 and 35 are purely cosmetic. It's the same guitar
as a D 28.
As one person mentioned, you can buy an HD 35, which has S bracing AND the
above cosmetic additions.
I own an HD 28 and swear by it. It sounded much sweeter than a regular D28
or D35. I wish I could have afforded the HD 35 cause it looks "prettier."
But I couldn't, and the HD 28 is the same guitar without the cosmetic frills.
Many of the other brands (Taylor, etc.) sell Scalloped braced guitars.
Dave R
MarkM63391
In article <rended.11...@usenet.rpi.edu>, ren...@rpi.edu (Dave
Render) writes:
One other BIG difference between the D-28 and the D-35 is the width of the
bracing. The D-28 series uses 5/16 inch wide top braces while the D-35
series uses 1/4 inch wide top braces. Both the HD-28 and HD-35 are
scalloped while the D-28 and D-35 are non-scalloped braces. The three
piece back is what most people attibute to the tonal difference between
the two models but I am sure that the difference in bracing must play an
important role also.
Cheers,
Mark MIddleton
JOHNPEARSE
The D-28 and the D-35 have quite a different bracing set-up. The D-35,
because of its three-piece back, has a much lighter top bracing, to
compensate. This has the effect of "sweetening" the tone, somewhat.
However, you can run into difficulties when you try to record a D-35,
because the slacker top can tend to make for a rather bottom-heavy sound
and a slightly mushier mid-range than you would get using a D-28. I,
personally, would stay away from a scalloped-braced D-35. Scalloping just
loosens the top still more, adding to the already obtrusive low-end
booming.
John.
Charles Tauber
John,
With all due respect, this is nonsense. Can you substantiate ANY of these
claims?
Charles
.
Chuck DeHart
In article <4vqiar$8...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, johnp...@aol.com says...
>
>The D-28 and the D-35 have quite a different bracing set-up. The D-35,
>because of its three-piece back, has a much lighter top bracing, to
>compensate.
I would be curious to know, from a Martin designer, how the three piece
back drove the design to have a lighter top bracing.
>This has the effect of "sweetening" the tone, somewhat.
Can you expand on the term "sweetening", perhaps by talking about the
signal generated? Otherwise, I tend to assume that you mean people like
it more and we dump our conversation into the subjective abyss.
Thanks,
Chuck
JOHNPEARSE
Charles.
I can, indeed, substantiate what I wrote.
I was brought over from England to work on product design for Martin in
the late seventies. Shortly after arriving, I became a good friend of the
designer of the D-35, Martin VP Bob Johnson and his wife, Joan, who also
worked at Martin. We all left Martin around the same time and, together
with another ex-Martinite, sales manager Jay Wenborg, subsequently
started a musical wholesale company. After about eighteen months I
decided to leave the new company and relocate the string business that I
had been running for some time in England, to Pennsylvania. Before I left,
Bob and Jay bequeathed me their Martin specifications blueprints.
I still have them in my files and you are welcome to contact me, after I
return from Europe at the beginning of October, and make arrangements to
come and see them.
However, I would expect you to show better manners than you did in your
posting.
John.
Charles Tauber
JOHNPEARSE wrote:
>
> Charles.
> I can, indeed, substantiate what I wrote.
> Bob and Jay bequeathed me their Martin specifications blueprints.
> I still have them in my files and you are welcome to contact me, after I
> return from Europe at the beginning of October, and make arrangements to
> come and see them.
> However, I would expect you to show better manners than you did in your
> posting.
> John.
John,
My sincerest apologies. Obviously, sometimes I can't tell the difference
between the rampant mythology and misinformation - outrages stuff like
reducing the per cent nickel in the composition of frets by .2 % changes
the tone of the instrument, etc. - and true insight. I had mistaken one
for the other. Also obvious is the fact that you know more about the
design of the Martin Dreadnaught than I: I'd be grateful for any insight
that you can provide.
Thank you
Charles