2018 Martin 00-15M Flattop Guitar
A Martin-crazy consignor of mine brought in his herd for setup work the other day. This is one he's letting go as he's making way for fancier fare. Oh well -- his loss!
This particular guitar model (and the modern 15-series) has been very popular with traveling/road guitarists that pass through the shop. I've adjusted and setup so many of them and put pickups in so many of them that I'm starting to lose track.
Compared to a vintage 00-15 there are some distinct changes -- these have a long scale length and so "snap" their notes with more punch and power and handle more like an OM or dreadnought in the way the left-hand feels it. The bracing is also thus a little stiffer to deal with the extra tension and, of course, it has a truss rod in the neck and bridge pins that follow the line of the saddle. The neck is bolted and glued, too, rather than simply dovetailed/glued.
The overall feel is thus more modern and suited to more modern playing styles. It'll handle a heavy-handed approach better than the old guys and so I'm typically seeing this with singer-songwriter/folk-strummer types. At the same time, fingerpickers will enjoy the headroom and punch these guitars have -- especially if they're into country-blues or styles that need more snap and growl.
Repairs included: a very minor level/dress of the frets to remove just the slightest wear on them, a little cleaning, and a setup.
Setup notes: it plays perfectly with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret. The neck is straight, the truss rod works, and it's strung with 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12 gauges in phosphor bronze.
Condition notes: it's basically as-new except for a tiny little bit of rubbing to the finish on the back of the neck in first position. It's super-de-duper clean.
It comes with: its original Martin hard case.
This particular guitar model (and the modern 15-series) has been very popular with traveling/road guitarists that pass through the shop. I've adjusted and setup so many of them and put pickups in so many of them that I'm starting to lose track.
Compared to a vintage 00-15 there are some distinct changes -- these have a long scale length and so "snap" their notes with more punch and power and handle more like an OM or dreadnought in the way the left-hand feels it. The bracing is also thus a little stiffer to deal with the extra tension and, of course, it has a truss rod in the neck and bridge pins that follow the line of the saddle. The neck is bolted and glued, too, rather than simply dovetailed/glued.
The overall feel is thus more modern and suited to more modern playing styles. It'll handle a heavy-handed approach better than the old guys and so I'm typically seeing this with singer-songwriter/folk-strummer types. At the same time, fingerpickers will enjoy the headroom and punch these guitars have -- especially if they're into country-blues or styles that need more snap and growl.
Repairs included: a very minor level/dress of the frets to remove just the slightest wear on them, a little cleaning, and a setup.
Setup notes: it plays perfectly with 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret. The neck is straight, the truss rod works, and it's strung with 54w, 42w, 32w, 24w, 16, 12 gauges in phosphor bronze.
Scale length: 25 3/8"
Nut width: 1 11/16"
String spacing at nut: 1 1/2"
String spacing at bridge: 2 1/8"
Body length: 18 3/4"
Lower bout width: 14 1/4"
Waist width: 8 7/8"
Upper bout width: 10 3/4"
Side depth at endpin: 4"
Top wood: solid mahogany
Back/sides wood: solid mahogany
Neck wood: mahogany
Bracing type: x-braced
Fretboard: rosewood, bone nut
Bridge: rosewood, bone saddle
Neck feel: slim C/soft V-shape, ~14-16" board radius
Condition notes: it's basically as-new except for a tiny little bit of rubbing to the finish on the back of the neck in first position. It's super-de-duper clean.
It comes with: its original Martin hard case.
The saddle and nut are bone and the pins are ebony all-around. I approve!
I love seeing Grover 18:1 openback tuners on these -- they're lighter, look better, and are more accurate than the Rotomatics which have "graced" Martin headstocks so often since the late '60s...
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