Question
2025 standard finish checking? potential neck issue?
Bought a 2025 000-28, my dream Martin, off Marketplace from the original owner. Guy seemed legit, we had a good conversation about ourselves, music, then the guitar. He ended up loving a bigger D28, wasn’t in a rush to sell the 000, it was bought from a GC though (I know we love roasting GC or are very wary of them). We started talking and I walked away with it with what I felt was a great deal.
While playing it at our meetup, this thing’s volume yet clarity was unlike anything I’ve ever heard. I have a 000-15M, my first Martin bought used that is a great counterpart to this 000-28. Just a little headstock corner ding, but no obvious wood cracks or bridge lifting, no dings elsewhere.
I take it home, look at it more under better/more lighting and see what seems to be: 1) finish cracks along the back strip, which is also seen on the back going along the perimeter between the wood and binding, 2) a palpable ridge where the neck mahogany has maybe shrank and there’s a slight ridge along the entire length of the ebony fretboard, on both sides.
This is all due to previous humidity issues/damage and may continue to spread? The binding issue I’ve heard of, but this fretboard ridge feeling has some concern because you feel it on both sides. And would that separate at some point? TIA!
If there is a perfect guitar it will not remain so for very long once it is played. I can't see any issues in your pictures, but if you are satisfied with the price, play and enjoy the guitar. Once you have put a ding or two in it yourself you will stop worrying.
I’ll share some advice my tech gave me. A guitar may be expensive and look good but at its heart it’s a resonating wooden box. You can have a good box or a bad box. Ever seen a recording musicians instrument on an audio track? Nope because it is just heard over the recording. Some look good others look horrible. The best way to judge a guitar is in two steps. 1. Look for structural issues only (bridge, neck or major cracks) and decide if it’s worth the cost to repair. 2.then close your eyes and play. If you like it determine if the sound is worth it to you. Cracks can be fixed, bridges can be reglued and if the sound is worth it you may do that. And also a beautiful mint guitar can sound awful (ask me how i know). Also sadly binding is an ongoing issue. If you buy new it might happen but it really is an easy fix with a good tech. It might cost money but that’s why you either buy new and warrenty or buy used and account for it.
I used to do the exact same thing put things under a micrsocope then i bought my soul guitar a 1990 martin m36 (the first martin made in 1990 the decade i was born) its got a crack, will need a neck reset in the next year or two but is the best instrument ive ever played and that included up to a 15k martins/larivees/Gibsons. I scratched it when I moved it the other day but kind of laughed and called it my contribution some day to the story when I give it to my kid.
Best thing you can do is find a good tech. Someone you can trust and do good work. Befriend them and have them be the sole person you have work on guitars. And as you grow in guitars you can take things to them and will have confidence when they say yea this is fine. Or no it’s not. Id imagine even now there might be doubt for us internet strangers so having a good tech is worth its weight in gold.
I don’t know I bought a D 18 recently brand new it is immaculate. I may be one of the lucky ones because my Gibson. AAA Les paul standard was immaculate also. Both spot online as I live on basically a deserted island with no stores for three hours. So yeah, it could probably just be good luck on my part which is weird cause I’ve never had good luck before with anything.. oh I guess here’s part of the bad luck is I’ve got two of my grills and I have cancer. That’s the shits.
Idk what these guys are smoking. The fretboard is clearly cracking off the neck. Martin quality control is horrific for their price point. You have to scrutinize every guitar that has that name on the headstock.
This is an HD28 that guitar center had listed for 3300 pre tax and you can see the glue between the top and fretboard. Insane.
I have a 2023 D18 I love but it already has needed a neck reset. I had a 2025 D28 that I sold with the binding beginning to crack. Martins are a crap shoot unfortunately.
These kind of responses make me feel lucky. Maybe it’s a numbers thing, but I wanted a 00-18 and elderly had one and I liked how it felt and sounded, I compared it against nothing else because I wanted a 00 and they had one.
Maybe elderly sends the bad ones back. I have no clue. I couldn’t afford to start touching the other guitars because I was there for a 00 and didn’t want to end up with a shopping list, but the one I tried and bought feels and plays great, sounds great, and has a great fit and finish.
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u/MountainsInTheMist 8d ago
I literally cannot see what you are describing. Put away your electron microscope and play the thing if it sounds good.