“Ideal for players who love the dreadnought tone in a more comfortable size”: Martin debuts all-new body size and salutes Hawaiian influence on steel-string acoustics with the koa-backed O’ahu HG-28

Martin has unveiled an all-new acoustic guitar body shape with the launch of the O’ahu HG-28, a guitar that honours the pre-Golden Era early acoustic designs inspired by the popularity of Hawaiian music.

The brainchild of executive chairman Chris Martin IV, the O’ahu HG-28 features a 14-fret slope-shouldered dreadnought shape but with a shallower 000 depth, making for one very approachable instrument. 

And while this is very much a guitar for today’s player (c’mon, who among us doesn’t like the idea of a slightly more compact dreadnought with a similarly assertive set of lungs on it?), the inspiration for its design – and the O’ahu series – goes way back to the early acoustic designs of the 1920s and ‘30s.

This was a time when the craze for Hawaiian music saw luthiers pioneer new steel string instruments for slide, and for volume as players performed for larger audiences.

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The O’ahu HG-28 is constructed of a solid spruce top with scalloped X-bracing, and solid flamed Hawaiian koa on the back and sides. “This choice of tonewoods not only delivers a stunning aesthetic but also ensures a rich, balanced tone with articulate highs and warm lows,” says Martin.

The series also introduces the “O’ahu” name to the headstock, and Martin promises that “anyone who picks up this guitar will instantly notice how comfortable it is” with a short 24.9” scale length and a Golden Era modified low oval neck profile to accommodate the fretting hand. This neck has left Martin’s Nazareth, PA facility with a satin-smooth finish. 

Hawaiian Guitars: The Making of the Martin O'ahu HG-28 - YouTube

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We’re clearly in for a tactile, super-smooth playing experience here, and unlike the early Hawaiian-spec’d acoustics, on which you might find nut extenders to set them up for slide, the O’ahu HG-28 is built for low-action and a easy ride.

It is not without vintage details. The herringbone trim and antique white binding is a nod to Martin’s earliest Hawaiian guitar designs, the faux tortoiseshell pickguard an evergreen brand signifier. And the nickel open-gear tuners look reassuringly 20th century.

As for the other essential details, the neck, as per Martin’s style, is “select hardwood.” The fingerboard is inlaid with Old Style 18 fret markers, and is ebony just like the bridge. A compensated bone saddle should be a guarantor of on-point intonation.

And while the neck might be satin, Martin has given the body a lick of glass lacquer to reveal that Hawaiian koa out in all its glory. The guitar ships in a soft-shell hemp guitar case to keep that finish pristine. 

The O’ahu HG-28 is a sibling to the Custom K-1 Major Kealakai, which was launched in February and named for the great Hawaiian musician Major Kealakai, who was the guitarist and composer for the Royal Hawaiian Band.

The Custom K-1 Major Kealakai is a modern-day replica of the custom acoustic that Martin made him in 1916, which featured a longer body than the 000 and was an evolutionary step toward the design of the dreadnought.

Available now, the O’ahu HG-28 is priced $3,599. See Martin for more details, and check out the video above in which Chris Martin IV shares the historical perspective behind the guitar's design, and why this febrile moment in acoustic guitar design caught his imagination.