A compact Dreadnought acoustic? Martin's new O’ahu HG-28 is a game-changing hybrid that pays tribute to the steel-string's Hawaiian heritage

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Described as a smaller 14-fret Dreadnought with the depth of a 000, it’s fitted with premium appointments to make it more than just a tribute to the past

Martin O'ahu HG-28
(Image credit: Martin)

The Hawaiian music craze of the 1920s and early '30s was a pivotal era that helped shape the modern steel-string acoustic guitar.

Now Martin Guitar pays tribute to that time with the O’ahu HG-28, the guitar maker's newest acoustic. It joins the Custom K-1 Major Kealakai in the new Martin O’ahu family of instruments.

At the heart of the O’ahu HG-28's design is a new approachable body size Martin describes as "a smaller 14-fret sloped-shoulder Dreadnought with the depth of a 000.” Keeping its tonewoods close to home, the HG-28 marries solid flamed Hawaiian koa back and sides to a solid spruce top.

Martin, which teamed up with apparel firm Life is Good for a special edition version of its LX1 model last month, ensures the tonewood combination extends beyond aesthetics by delivering “a balanced tone with articulate highs and warm lows.”

Reminiscent of Martin’s early Hawaiian-style guitars, the spruce top is framed with a herringbone inlay and Antique White binding,. The guitar's construction is rounded out with a short-scale 24.9-inch neck with a low oval neck profile and an ebony fingerboard and bridge. Martin says it all adds up to easy-to-play low action, resulting in an instrument that is equally at home in standard tuning and the Hawaiian-favored open G.

Other visual appointments include a tortoise pattern pickguard and a gold O'hau Martin logo that sits atop its headstock.

“This guitar is not just a tribute to the past,” the guitar maker adds, “but a testament to Martin's ongoing commitment to musical innovation.”

Available in right- and left-handed versions, the O’ahu HG-28 comes with a softshell case and is priced at $3,599.

Head to Martin to learn more.

Martin O'ahu HG-28

(Image credit: Martin)
Hawaiian Guitars: The Making of the Martin O'ahu HG-28 - YouTube Hawaiian Guitars: The Making of the Martin O'ahu HG-28 - YouTube
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Phil Weller
Phil Weller

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.