Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought Guitar Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

When looking for a high-quality acoustic guitar, you can’t go wrong with Martin. They make some of the best acoustic guitars in the world. This Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought review has a look at one you might want to consider.

When I worked in a music warehouse, I was able to play many different Martin guitars. The HD-35 is one of the instruments that I got a chance to play. It’s an exceptional acoustic guitar for today’s player.

This dreadnought is perfect for all styles of music. It has the tone and projection that you need for any playing situation. Here is what you can expect when you purchase this outstanding guitar.

About the Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought

The Martin HD-35 is a standard size dreadnought acoustic guitar. It’s an upgrade from the D-35, which is one of Martin’s original guitars.

This instrument has an excellent tone, thanks to its solid construction and attention to detail.

Body

The body of the Martin HD-35 features a sitka spruce top. This wood is standard in a lot of high-end acoustic guitars because it has an excellent tone. The back and sides are made with East Indian rosewood.

If you’re looking for an instrument with a loud and dependable tone, you’ll get it from the body of this Martin guitar. The scalloped bracing inside the interior of the guitar also helps to improve the tone.

Neck

There’s a 20 fret neck with a radius of 16″. The scale length is 25.4″, and the neck wood is select hardwood with an ebony fingerboard. The frets are plek’d, so they have a smooth consistency at all positions.

This “pleking” process ensures that all frets have great action, no loss of sustain, and minimal fret buzz. As a result, you’ll get an incredibly smooth and comfortable neck for any guitar style.

Pickup

The Martin HD-35 doesn’t ship with a pickup or preamp system. However, it’s easy to place one in the soundhole or to have a professional strap-button style jack and saddle pickup installed on your instrument.

I’d leave this sort of process up to a professional, as you don’t want to damage the expensive wood of your guitar. You shouldn’t put an under-saddle pickup on your guitar unless you know what you’re doing.

See more: Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups Buyer’s Guide

Other Parts

There’s a high-quality bone nut and saddle as well as an ebony bridge. It comes with standard Martin machine heads and two strap buttons. You will receive a hardshell case to protect your guitar.

Pros & Cons

My Experience with the Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought

The first thing you’ll notice when playing the Martin HD-35 is that it has an unbelievable tone. Of course, you’ll pay an expensive price for this guitar, but you’ll get a professional sound far above many other acoustic guitars.

I had a lot of fun playing this guitar in the warehouse when I was checking it. I didn’t find any flaws, it tuned up perfectly, and whenever I played anything, I was impressed by the sound I got out of this instrument.

The Sound

You can expect a rich and robust tone from this guitar. The standard dreadnought body means that it has excellent projection. It works great for strumming chords, soloing, fingerpicking, and many other guitar styles.

You won’t find any weak areas in terms of the tone with his guitar. Of course, some instruments sound better strummed than they do fingerpicked, but this instrument sounds good no matter what you play.

Both the highs and the lows on this guitar sound amazing. It’s got excellent treble as well as bass response. These notes sound great no matter where you play them up and down the neck.

The Body

This guitar has a standard dreadnought style body, but it’s built to a high quality. You won’t find any finish imperfections on the guitar, and it’s got extras such as a multi-stripe rosette for an attractive look.

The Neck

This instrument features plek’d frets. In the factory, these frets are precision made, so they’re smooth no matter where you play on the guitar. You won’t have a loss of sustain, and the guitar will have excellent action.

Martin HD-35 Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions that people ask about this Martin guitar. This will help you decide whether or not you want to buy it.

Is the Guitar Worth the Price?

This guitar is an expensive instrument. This is a huge investment, and the guitar isn’t for everyone. If you have the money to spend on this guitar, it’s well worth the price.

Martin has created an exceptional guitar, and it’s one of the better dreadnoughts that I’ve played. It has a professional tone that you’ll want for any recording or performance. It’s not a beginner instrument.

Will I Need a Setup?

Most players won’t need a setup on their instrument. It sounds exceptional right out of the box. However, professionals may prefer a certain playing style, so they may still want to set it up for their own preferences.

What Are the Advantages of the Martin HD-35 Guitar?

The advantage to this guitar is the fact that it’s a top-quality professional instrument. It’s got the sound that you want for recording and live performances. It’ll work for anyone that wants a superior tone out of their guitar.

There’s not a lot that this instrument can’t do. It’s suitable for multiple guitar styles such as country, blues, rock, jazz, and so on. It’s got a loud and dependable tone that you can rely on night after night.

What Are the Disadvantages of the Martin HD-35 Guitar?

The main disadvantage to this guitar is that you have to shell out a ton of money to purchase it. Thus, the instrument might be out of most people’s price range unless you’re a professional player or have that extra cash lying around.

The other disadvantage to the guitar is that it doesn’t come with a pickup or preamp system. This means that you’ll probably want to install a pickup if you plan to play live or do any recording.

Do I Get a Case?

You’ll get a high-quality Martin hardshell case when you purchase this guitar. This case is a lot better than the standard big bags you get with a lot of guitars. It’ll protect your valuable investment.

Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought Warranty

The best place to find out about your warranty is the Martin guitar site. You can also contact the store where you bought your guitar to see if there’s a warranty there that applies to your instrument.

Where to Buy the Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought

There are several locations where you can pick up this amazing guitar. Here is a little bit about each of them and what you can expect before ordering.

Amazon

One of the better locations to pick up an amazing Martin guitar is Amazon. They have excellent customer service, fast shipping, a wide range of products, and you can read reviews.

Order Online

Sweetwater and Guitarcenter are two other locations where you can pick up musical instruments. These online stores have a wide selection of products, fast shipping, and excellent customer service to serve your needs.

Your Local Store

You can also check your local music store to see if they have a Martin HD-35 Dreadnought in stock. They may or may not have this guitar, so you might have to have it specially ordered.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my Martin HD-35 Standard Dreadnought review. This is an excellent high-quality professional dreadnought acoustic guitar. You’ll get an exceptional sound that you can rely on and smooth playability.

Please comment, like, and share this article. I look forward to speaking to you about Martin guitars or other musical instruments. Enjoy your new Martin, as you’ve purchased a guitar that will be with you for a lifetime.