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One of the unforeseen results of Eric Clapton's enormously successful Unplugged ventures - both the program and the album - has been a marked upswing in the popularity of small, steel-string acoustic guitars. Of course, Clapton's use of his pre-war Martin 000-42 on Unplugged is not necessarily the only reason for this ressurgence...
Martin's new 000-28EC Eric Clapton signature model ($3,500 with case) is based on the original pre-war size, but with some important modifications initiated by Clapton. The guitar manages to strike a happy balance between collector appeal and player utility. (Clapton himself called it 'the best- sounding acoustic guitar I've ever played') In many ways, the 000-28EC appears more like a gracefully preserved antique than an off-the-shelf new instrument. The solid spruce top is richly finished in a "vintage" caramel honey lacquer, highlighted by a fine pattern of heringbone trim and "ivoroid" binding. The sides and two-piece back are made of East Indian rosewood. The unbound neck carries an ebony fingerboard adorned by simple abalone diamonds and squares, with an inlay of Clapton's signature between the 19th and 20th frets.
The hardware is simple, too. The traditional Martin open-geared tuners are surprisingly easy to operate. The nut is made of corian, a synthetic that mimics traditional ivory. The ebony bridge looks vintage, too but differs from the original pre-war design in one very practical way: older vintage Martins had a longer or "through" saddle, while newer Martins typically have a shorter saddle that drops into a routed slot. Clapton opted for the newer style, which makes the installation of under-the-saddle piezo pick-up easier. The test guitar wasn't electrified.
The EC's looks are as sweet as honey, yet it's visual appeal is only a foreshadowing of the guitar's tone and playability. Like most concert-sized guitars, the 000-28EC is a pleasure to hold. The body is only 15 inches wide and 4 1/8 inches deep. Even when shod with medium guage strings, the short scale (24.9 inches), modified V-shaped neck is easy to navigate, thanks in part, to the impeccable finishing details you'd expect from a guitar in this price range. The neck width is slightly wider than standard, measuring 1 3/4" at the nut with 2 1/2" width bridge spacing (the distance between the two outer bridge pin holes). Clapton chose this slightly wider neck to accomodate his unique blend of fingerstyle and blues technique. "Martin's attention to such carefully chosen details helps make the 000-28EC a real "players" guitar: responsive, balanced, and adaptable to a wide range of techniques, from speedy flatpicking to hard edged blues fingerstyle to complex jazz compling. Fortunately, the instrument has the tone to supprt this wide variety of playing styles. I found the Martin particularily copacetic when I dug into it hard. A heavy attack that might have sent other small boxes squawking produced toothy, punchy music from the Martin. The overall roundness of the tone when the guitar was fingerpicked gave way to a biting - but never harsh - timbre when I snapped the strings. The 000-28EC likewise kept it's cool - but didn't lose it's bite - when played with a flatpick for both blues and country. Chords, even dense ones, come across like butter, with each note heard clearly and un-smeared. Solo performers will appreciate this intrument's presence. Sustain is good but not endless. Held notes have a sweetly progressive and natural decay, with a slight shadow of resonance filling out the tone but not overpowering the notes that follow.
I spent a couple of hours recording a Latin-jazz tune with the EC, and was especially impressed with it's dynamic range and ability to respond to radical changes in my playing approach. I was even more impressed by how comfortable the instrument was to play. The tune called for several intense and demanding takes, and after I was done, I wasn't ready to put the guitar down.
Martin calls the 000-28EC production guitar the "poor-boy" EC model. If that makes you gulp, consider that the limited edition 000-42EC, designed and marketed just a year ago, tilted the cash register at over eight grand and sold out almost immediately. Signature guitars might demand higher prices because of name recognition and star appeal, but in the end, a truly successful one transcends artist tribute and stands as a fine instrument in it's own right. The beautifully designed and executed 000-28EC - a "poor-boy" to be proud of - does that.
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