Martin 00-16DBR

usa made, 00 size rosewood body solid sitka top. 14 fret to body, sloted headstock. gloss finish on body, satin finish on neck. martin hardshell case included.

i play and record a wide variety of music, it handles all types well. i find myself using it on all but the most critical struming, (for this i use my tried and true D-28). its just plain fun to play. i like the deep rich sound, it does seem to lack a little in the mids though.

the set-up was just fine when i purchased it, i did change to the martin sp lights (strings) though. the guitar is very well put together, i am very much a die-hard fan of dovetail neck joints, i will NEVER own a bolt on neck on an acoustic again, period! the satin finish on the neck was milky at first, but after playing it awhile it cleared up well. the gloss finish on the body was perfect.

this is a very well built guitar that i'm sure would hold up in live gigging.

i have dealt with martin in the past on other issues and have always been pleased.

i have been playing off and on most of my life (started at age 9). if the guitar were lost or stolen i would seek out one just like it if i could. the things i love about the guitar is first, the sound, second, the way it was built, and of course, the sloted headstock on the 14 fret neck. there is nothing i hate about this guitar, i would have prefered a tkl style case. i owned a taylor in the om size, this guitar is a much better built instrument. and after all, its not a factory built, over priced, bolt on neck, guitar.

This was the first Women in Music model, built in 1998(which was when I bought it). It is constructed of Indian Rosewood and Sitka spruce. It has a classic style inlaid wooden rosette and "half-herringbone" purfling around the top. The back inly strip matckes the rosette. There mother of pearl "diamond and squares" possition markers at the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets only in the ebony fingerboard. It has black binding and came with black plastic bridge pins w/white dots. I replaces the bridge pins with ebony ones with abalone dots. The guitar had a slotted head and Waverly Vintage style tuning machines with what Waverly calls "scalloped" buttons. Martin calls the same type of buttons "butterbean" style. I have added a Fishman Matrix 1 bridge saddle pick-up, lowered the saddle a little bit and use Martin SP3200(Medium) strings.

It has that "fat" punchy sound that small-bodied Martins are famous for but with stronger bass(thanks to the deeper body and medium strings, no doubt). It sounds awesome when played through my California Blonde but I like it even more unplugged. I'm mainly a fingerpicker from the 60's/70's folk era but in recent years I've added other types of music, my favorites of which are Parrothead tunes(mostly the ballads, though). It's comfortable size makes it a favorite for sitting and playing around the house but on stage, I still feel more comfortable with the power of one of my Martin Dreadnaughts or one of my home built guitars(I'm a hobby guitar builder)

The set-up straight from the factory was fine for the SP Lights that came on it but I adjusted the action when I went to heavier strings. The fit and finish were flawless. The only imperfections are one's I've added, accidently.

I have no doubt that this guitar would hold up in a live playing situation but I really don't want to expose it to the bar scene. I want to be able to give it to a granddaughter who has not yet been born.

I am the original purchaser so I have the Lifetime Warranty. I Haven't had to deal with Martin on this one but I wouldn't expect any problems, they replaced my cracked bridge and repaired my pickguard crack on my 1976 HD-28 with no problem.

I have been playing for 40 years and have probably had 50 or 60 guitars; A bunch of Yamaha's, several Takamines, a couple of Alvarezes, 1 Gibson, 1 Kalamazoo, 1 Epiphone, 1 Kay, 1 Washburn, 8 guitars that I built myself(using mostly Martin parts) and 5 Martins(2- D-35's, 1 HD-28, 1 J12-16, and this 00-16DBR)If this guitar was lost or stolen, I don't know what I would do since they don't make it any more. I guess I would try to find one to replace it. I bought this guitar with money from my mother's estate. Since she was the one who instilled in me my passion for music I though it would be a great use for the money with the idea of someday leaving it to her great-granddaughter.Still seems like a good idea to me.

This is a 1998 Limited Edition (Women and Music Series) of 500, signed by C.F. Martin. Spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and bridge, slotted headstock, Waverly tuners, soundhole rosette (similar to a classical guitar), diamond fret markers, herringbone trim. Gloss finish. A small-body guitar but deeper bodied than a regular 00. All solid woods. With original hard plastic case.

This is a really beautiful guitar, in that style of subtle elegance Martin is famous for. It has a nice balanced sound, not too bassy like a dreadnaught. I use silk and steel strings on it which sound much better than the brassy, metallic sound of phosphor bronze strings. I use the guitar mainly for fingerpicking (jazz, folk, blues). It doesn't seem suited to heavy flatpicking despite the added body depth. Actually, this guitar forced me into learning fingerpicking style, I was mainly a flatpicker up until I bought it. I haven't used a pick in a long time.
It's almost premature talking about the sound of a 3 yr. old Martin. I feel Martins don't start attaining their full sound until at least 5 yrs old. That seems to be about the time the lacquer finish on the body starts to age and loosen up a bit, making the top vibrate better. So I'm giving it a 9 for now, but I am positive it will attain a 10 rank in a couple more years.

Materials and workmanship were generally excellent, as one would expect from C.F. Martin. The spruce top is beautiful straight-even grained and the rosewood also has beautiful figure. Action was excellent, not too low, because I don't like fret buzz on acoustic guitars. The only flaw is one small area of finish flaking along the edge of the fretboard.

I don't ever plan on using this guitar for a live gig even though it seems durable enough to handle it. I use cheaper stage guitars for that kind of work.

Martin has a lifetime warranty for the original owner, so that is tough to beat. I have not had to deal with anyone from Martin yet.

I have been playing for about 20 years. I have had many guitars over the years including a D-28. I really like this guitar, particularly for its fingerpicking qualities. I also like the small body of the guitar. I have had only dreadnaughts in the past and I am starting to get tired of their bass-heavy sound. The small-bodied Martins have a nicer balanced sound. The other nice feature is the Waverly open tuners - the best tuning machines I have ever seen by far. This guitar is reminiscent of the older folk or parlor guitars with its slotted peghead, open tuners, and curvaceous body lines, all of which adds to its elegance in my opinion. The only thing I would add to this guitar is a couple of extra position markers at the 12th fret, which would help me find the harmonic quicker than looking at the side dots. Other than that, I think it will be my main fingerpickin-on-the-couch guitar for some time.