2015 Martin 00-15M Flattop Guitar

Martin's newer all-mahogany series of guitars have been super-popular up here in Vermont. I work on at least a half-dozen in for setups or whatnot each year. They're well-built, stable, reliable, sound great, and perform easily above their monetary value.

This one is on consignment from a local fellow and it arrived in good shape -- though needing cleaning and glorified setup work. These newer Martins "settle in" over a few years, but once you've adjusted them after that, they tend to mostly stay put setup-wise. That's why so many of these tend to be "road warrior" gigging machines. A lot of the ones I see are random touring guitars in for adjustment before the next show.

Unlike the old 00-15 models from the '50s/'60s, these new ones have a long scale length (25 3/8" vs 24 7/8") which gives them a little more snap and bite and drives the top a little harder. It's a more-familiar attack for folks who are used to Martin's dreadnoughts and OMs. Still, the mahogany top and light bracing give these guitars a woody, warm sound that's very retro.

Repairs included: a light fret level/dress, string ramps behind the saddle for better back-angle (and thus more power), cleaning, and setup.

Setup notes: the neck is straight, the truss rod works, and it's playing spot-on at 3/32" bass and 1/16" treble at the 12th fret.

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 7/8"

Lower bout width: 14 1/4"

Waist width: 8 3/4"

Upper bout width: 10 3/4"

Side depth at endpin: 4"

Top wood: solid mahogany

Back/sides wood: solid mahogay

Neck wood: mahogany

Bracing type: x-braced

Fretboard: rosewood, bone nut

Bridge: rosewood, bone saddle

Neck feel: slim C-shape, ~14" board radius

Condition notes: there's some wear to the fretboard in first position and minor scuffs/handling use throughout the body (not obvious), but overall it's in great shape. The nickel plating on the tuners has tarnished a bit, however, and the "point" of the pickguard is slightly raised from the top, though I did stick it back down.

It comes with: its original, hard, TKL-made, Martin-branded hard case.