Martin 00-C16GTAE

2001
solid top Sitka Spruce, USA made.
20 frets
Fishman Prefix Pro (mic-transducer)
Mahogany side/back
Micarta Fingerboard 12" radius

This guitar sounds great, but you need to make your own improvements to better satisfy your taste. I replaced the factory saddle to tusqm (Man-made Ivory) saddle and I experimented with tons of strings before coming to a conclusion that John Pearse Strings (80/20) is the best choice for this guitar. Personally, I like crisp/bright tone, thus above mentioned improvements helped....

I would like to recommend everyone to get your guitar set up by the professional moment you purchase your guitar. This guitar had a very decent(Traditional) set up, but I had mine set up by Joel Grant (Grant Guitar 714-434-1201)to lower the action by a fraction....

This guitar is well built but watch out for extreme humidity or lack of...I had to have my neck serviced by the Martin Warranty center for peeling problems....

Excellent!

I love this guitar and I would like to recommend it to everyone who enjoys the sound of Acoustic guitar with playbility of electric!
You simply cannot find better guitar under $1,000 than this jewel.

2001
solid top Sitka Spruce, USA made.
20 frets
Fishman Prefix Pro (mic-transducer)
Mahogany side/back
Micarta Fingerboard 12" radius

I play a Phil Keaggey/Dave Mathews style.
It plays phenomenally for my style. GREAT action(low)and fast.
I use a Behringer 212 stereo Acoustic amp with T.C.Electronic Gmajor.
Noise control is pretty verstile with the Fishman EQ. I have owned many preamp guitars and never seemed to grasp the frequency/notch filter stuff... either way the guitar sounds terrific at mid settings.
The Fishman Pro has a blend between the mic and the pickup that is pretty sensitive however. Not much mic tends to throw it into some pretty low frequencies and therefore could need a frequency/notch tweaking that I am not skilled at.

The SOUND of this instrument is astonishing. EVERY person that I have played it for is amazed at the ful spectrum of tone. VERY voice balanced. LOUD as heck and keeps up with anything twice it's body depth. BELIEVE me here... I have played and owned a Taylor 510 a Martin D-18, Takamine 2003LTD and they are all LESS in the quality of full tonal attributes. I can't get over how crisp and sharp the tone is with this 3" deep body. As they say, sometimes you just come acrossed real good one. I did for sure.

Only thing I would change is the Mic/transducer setup. Maybe relocate the mic to compensate for the low end rumbles.

Action is real low and was a bit higher as new. I had it lowered a tad a maybe could have been a bit overdone.... but it suits my style. It has some fret wear now so it needs to be readjusted or needs new frets... but I play it everyday.
As new it was buzz free and the fit and form was perfect. I love the satin finish and the joinery is FLAWLESS. A true work of art.

I beat the heck out of my Martin 00c-gtae because first, it is MINE and second because it can take the punishment. I am into deck slaps as well as harmonic slaps... it is rugged for sure. Watch Phil Keaggey beat his guitars and you will get an idea of what I do on mine.
It is my primary guitar.

VeRy good people at Martin. Super informative and they have the best tech support around in the way of their high end stuff.

It has been a guitar that I am constantly as excited about it as the day I first got it delivered to me. I bought it online on eBay.
I see that these are pretty rare to find now. I think the Grand Concert model has changed a bit, but if I ever see another, I would consider selling a few other guitars to replace it... for sure.

IF it was stolen I would probably quit my job, become full time in researching the crime and criminal and inevitably do some prison time when I found the perpetrator. This instrument is a part of my body when I play it. I'd rather have my left leg stolen.

Made in USA, 2003. Twenty frets w/cutaway, thin-body style. Solid spruce top (gloss finish), solid mahogany back & sides (satin finish), cedar neck, Micarta fretboard and bridge. Fishman Prefix Pro Blend, hardshell case.

This rating is for the unamplified sound only. Acoustic tone is deep and rich, with just a bit of sparkle in the high end. Generally a "dark," singing sound that's especially nice up the neck. Despite the thin body style, there's a great, tight bass (and I tune down to a C on the low end). I prefer it to a boomy dreadnought tone. It's not super loud, but I haven't had a problem playing in a "modern classical" trio (for lack of a better description) with 2 other guitars. I mostly flatpick, and this guitar works perfectly for this technique. The notes are all balanced and defined anywhere on the neck, and the dynamic range and responsiveness are wonderful. Strumming ans fingerpicking sound very good as well. Nice sustain.
Unfortunately Martin butchers their beautiful guitars by installing horrible Fishman pickups, so the amplified sound leaves a great deal to be desired.

Action was unplayably high despite the "setup" from the dealer. I had it re-set up for medium strings, and now it plays like a dream. The thin body is so light and comfortable I can play for hours (I use a strap) and not even feel it, and the neck (after new setup) is comfortable and very fast. The fretboard is fairly narrow, so be warned. All aspects of the finish and construction are top-notch; I'm really impressed by the quality of the guitar. Smooth frets, perfect intonation. Only deducting a point for the high initial action

Everything seems very solid; I think this is intended as a "stage" guitar. Hardware is very nice. The only bummer is the stupid Fishman strap-button jack, which is so wide I needed to modify my strap hole to fit. Despite that, the fit is so tight the end of the jack keeps working loose, and once the jack came unscrewed on the INSIDE, which took me hours to fix with a long-nose pliers (in a very tight space, too, with the thin body). I have to deduct major points for that, although everything else is very solid.

Never dealt with Martin, although I like the terms of their lifetime warranty.

I've been playing for 16 years, but very seriously for the last 2. I've had Ovations, an Alvarez and a Big Baby Taylor, and I've played some "big name" guitars as well. This particular instrument just suits me like it was made for me. The perfect combination of comfort, playability and sound, and I like it more every time I play it. My guitar trio plays some original compositions, improv and classical music (Faure, Stravinsky), and I play some Bach and Irish traditional music as well. This guitar is great for all of these styles. I would definitely buy another if anything happened to this one. Don't be fooled by the small body size; it's really an excellent, serious instrument.