Martin 00-21NY

1959 Martin 00-21
12 frets clear of the body
spruce top/brazillian rosewood back and sides
waverly open gear tuners/slotted headstock
nitro finish
included case and strap

I went down to my local chain music store with the intentions of buying a new Martin D-16 guitar. At the time I had left my rock band and had started doing an acoustic thing. I didn't own an acoustic guitar and was playing on a borrowed Gibson J-45 (1962).

I walked into the room and picked this guitar up and was amazed at the sound. When I saw it was priced several hundred dollars less than the D-16, I bought it.

It is very full sounding. I play it with a pick and also play it fingerstyle. Most of the time, I play with a pick and fingers. It sounds very good and records like a dream. Probably the best acoustic guitar that I have ever recorded with.

The down side - it sounds so big sometimes it gets lost in the mix when playing with a band. Usually I play the aforementioned Gibson (which I own now) when I play with a band. The Martin is tops on its own.

The action is a bit on the high side and the truss rod is non adjustable, personally it doesn't bother me. Some people would probably want to get it lowered, I don't see myself doing that.

The woods are all really pretty and the grains are nice.

There is a slight crack (not all the way through) on the top, this happens on most old Martins becasue they used to finish over the pickguard. When the pickguard shrinks, the laquer causes the top to crack. I have owned this guitar for about 5 or 6 years now and the cracks have not gotten any worse. I keep a humidifier in it.

I always feel that this guitar is delicate becasue it is light. However, it has never had any problems when I bang on it. It stays in tune and sounds great. I rarely have to retune it during a 45 minute set.

I bought a new Martin (Geib style) case to replace the original one and it is very nice and makes me feel better about transporting this guitar. I take it out to gigs a few times a month and have never had a problem with it.

This guitar is 44 years old. I am not the original owner, however I have called Martin with questions and they have always been extremely helpfull. The people there tracked down the geib case for this guitar (which had been made for the reissue 00-21 golden era guitar) when I wanted a new one. This took them several weeks and when I offered to buy a lower end case, they insisted that I have the right one. When the case came, they had included a strap, strings and a t-shirt. This was very nice and the price was lower than the price of TKL's (the manufacturer of the case) special order price from GC for this case (that didn't say Martin).

I have been playing many years and really like this guitar. If it were stolen I would be heartbroken becasue I don't think I could afford another. I would definitley buy another Martin thoguh.

I also own a Gibson J-45 (1962), 1970s Guild D-55, Gibson Gospal (1994), and some electric guitars.

I can honestly say that the 00-21 Golden Era guitar I played some years back felt very much like my original, aside from the fact it wasn't so worn out. It's nice to see one company's reissues are at least close to the original.

1970 USA made. Purchased new for a mere 300 dollars. The spruce top has darkened with age bringing out the beautiful grain in the wood. The rosewood back and sides retain the beauty the had the day it was made. The satin finish complements the contrast between the spruce and rosewood. The inlay on the back give a little dress up to a fairly plain guitar....but dont compete with the beautiful wood. The small body of the 00 series is makes it a comfortable guitar to play. The hardshell case has kept it safe for all these years. It is simple the most comfortable guitar I have ever played...but....of course there are not alot of features on this beautiful but simple guitar.

I use the 00-21 mostly for folk and fingerstyle playing. The bass is warm and the upper strings have a light bright sound. Although it is not know for its loudness...it produces a much larger sound than the small body would suggest. It is a well balanced sound and can handle any type of accoustic music.

Its was setup beautifully the day I bought it in 1970. This guitar has wonderful action...easy to play. It is the standard to which all my subsequent guitars have to TRY and match. So far, my other martins, the guild, the taylor...still are TRYING to match this little sweetheart.

This guitar is 31 years old. It reliable, and sounds better each year, and plays just as well as the day I bought it. I have never had to replace any parts on this guitar. Its been an incredible little trouper.

After having this guitar 20 years...the bridge needed repair. The guitar was sent into the Martin Company. They repaired it and my baby was back within TWO weeks. I didnt pay for ANYTHING. When Martin says LIFETIME...they MEAN LIFETIME

This was my second guitar...replaced the Harmony guitar I got with top value stamps. I have had a number of other nice guitars through the years....but my 0021 is simply my favorite. I was a young girl when i picked this guitar...and really didn't know what I was doing. I was VERY fortunate for I couldn't have found a better guitar to invest the money I earned babysitting. With the small body of this guitar...I was referred to as the girl with the baby martin. Well, they were right this guitar IS my baby.

A 1961 00-21 New York model. Spruce top, brazilian rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck. 12 frets clear, slot-headed, old "OO" body style, which is about the size and similar shape of a classical guitar, although narrower width on the upper bout. The 00-21 was introduced in the early 20th century and was the only martin style unchanged througout the century. The New York model (1961 to 1965) is intended for use with either nylon or silk and steel strings, due to much lighter bracing than standard 00-21. Typically, the NY models if not strung properly over time show a lot of cracks to the sides and top. 10 because of the type and quality of woods.

Being a smaller body guitar, this does not have the boom of a dreadnought, obviously, but it has a beautiful clear,resonant tone across all strings, with the top and bottom strings slightly less loud than the middle four. Still they are there. Also, the guitar sustains for quite a bit of time after being strummed or plucked, and you can feel the top vibrating quite strongly. Each string has a lot of clarity and individuality when played, which is great for fingerpicking either blues or more classical like pieces. Given the small body, the brazilian rosewood gives it a brighter, crisper tone, but not the darker sounds heard in larger bodied brazilian guitars. I use this for fingerstyle and have also found it to be a great bottle-neck guitar. I do a lot of bottle-neck work and have used a koa wood guitar prior but have been gravitating more to the 00-21. It is extremely resonant in open tunings and has a singing clarity but also a wonderful "Robert Johnson" like voice with a bottle-neck. Very versatile with any fingerstyle - Bach, Blind Blake or Kottke.

Hey this is a 40 year old guitar that has been through the wars. Two significant dings on the lower bout (like someone was walking around with it and accidently banged it into a wall) and a crack from the bridge back to the end of the lower bout. So it is not perfect. Also, it could stand a neck reset, although it is actually great for bottleneck the way it is and okay for fingerpicking due to the low tension silk and steel strings. My view on these kind of guitars is that they are like high quality old violins - you need to baby them a bit and take them to the repair person every now and then. They are not for strumming on the beach with your drunk buddies. That's why every guitarist should own at least one Yamaha.

Given that this guitar is still working fine after forty years after some hard living says that it is pretty durable. It also has that old funky honey colored finish. There are a few minor chips to the finish, but it has done very well over the years. Also, the tuners are still in good shape.

Haven't had call to deal with Martin yet.

This is an excellent addition to my other guitars: 1999 Martin D-18V; 2000 Tacoma PK-30; 1993 Taylor 512. I have been playing over 30 years and have come to realize that there is no perfect guitar, simply the right guitar for the right situation - which this one is for fingerstyle and bottleneck. What I like about this one is that it has a distinct muscial personality. I have played a lot of guitars - even had a chance to spend time on 48th street in NYC and play through an ungodly number of high quality flat-tops. For its class, this is about as good as they are going to sound - and that's pretty good. The only thing I wish is that I could snap my fingers and turn it into a 1935 000-45 - then I'd be set from a number of perspectives. One final word: I never thought I would buy anything of this value on E-Bay but I did. The previous owner had a great reputation and was very helpful so the trust was there. Also, current selling price for this at most vintage dealers is $3000 or greater - so in spite of the $1700 and the possible need for a neck reset ($300 - $400) it was a great value. Consider E-Bay but with all the proper precautions.