Martin 000-1 Auditorium

As below, made in the USA with solid sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and laminate sides. Most builders will tell you what the back and sides are made of doesn't make a whole lots of difference to the sound, compared to the top, but it's nice to have a solid back anyway. The newer 000X1 and 000M in the same price range have laminate backs.

My top is stained, possibly from the previous owner's cigarette smoke, a lovely brown, which what attracted me to it. The finish is satin (can't stand gloss, unlike the guy below!), holds up very well. Mine has a few knocks and so on, but the top doesn't damage easily.

Amazing! I fingerpick, and it's perfect. Any larger and the body would be uncomfortable, any smaller and you'd lose the bass. Sounds fine but not great strummed, and at time I'd like a bit more bass, but overall it's so well balanced.

The action was actually a bit low when I got it, though it seems to have settled down comfortable now, with .011 gauge strings. The bass strings are just a touch too high, though bear in mind I did buy this used. The end pin is missing, though whether or not that was from the previous owner or it just fell out, I don't know.

It will certainly outlast my lifetime.

As I said before, with the solid back it might be worth picking up one of these second hand if you can... not that I see many for sale - a great Martin at this price, it's no wonder!

Mine is the Rosewood model 000-1R. Basically the same, except it has rosewood back and sides. It smells great! Tortoise shell binding on the body, which adds a nice, modest touch.

I love the sound. I found that if you use a thinner pick, you get a much warmer and balanced sound. Although it can be strummed rather vigorously, it doesn't respond the same as a D-28, and after all, it isn't a D-28. Play an auditorium hard, and it sounds good, but if you nurse it a little bit, it sounds great. I played a lot of Martins before I bought this one, and I don't know why I was playing a lot of them, because I wasn't thinking of buying one at the time. After I played this one, I left the store. It kept calling me back, and the next day, I returned and bought it.

This guitar must have been pre-owned for a very short time, because it was in perfect condition, and was set-up to perfection. It may have been set up by the owner, and then sold right away, probably because he already had a dozen Martins, and decided he had lost his mind and he didn't need another one. The case contained a letter of authentication signed by CF Martin IV, and addressed to the original owner.

I don't take this guitar out of the house much. I know it is not that expensive, but I love it so much, I would hate if something happened to it.

I have been playing for 27 years. I have a Heritage H-157, and a Seagull acoustic, a fat Mexi Strat, and generally a slew of other cheaper guitars. If it were lost or stolen, I don't know if I would buy it again because they have been discontinued. I guess I would be searching the world over for another perfect Martin.

The Martin 000-1 is a 14 fret to the body, solid spruce top guitar. It is made in Nazareth, PA. It has a solid mohogany back and laminate mahogany sides although I can't see how the back on mine is solid, it is so cheap looking. It has a natural, satin finish which looks almost like no finish at all, but it is growing on me. It does not have a factory PU but I've added a Martin thin-line. It has, of course, the 000 body which suits me just fine - I was looking for something less sizable than a dread. It has a 25.4" scale which I wish was shorter but to get a smaller scale from Martin you have to buy one of their much higher priced signature type guitars like the Eric Clapton 000-28 which has a 24.9" scale. It has chrome Martin tuners. Included in the purchase was a Martin hard shell case.

This guitar suits me just fine for my country-rock, roots, church worship type playing. I have been very impressed with this guitar's ability. It has a very clear sound representing the bass less powerfully than a dread but suprisingly good, and the mids and treble just nice, crisp and even. The volume produced by this 000 body was surprising to me when I first got it. With the exception of strong sustaining bass I know it produces just as much volume as any other guitars that are in the room when I play with folks and that includes 2 Taylor dreads and a Guild D-40. Stong and clear pretty much sum it up.

The guitar came to me with that typical high factory action. I had a local store adjust the relief and this has helped alot. Other than a cheap looking mahogany on the laminated sides and solid mahogany back, I have got no complaints. There are no finish flaws - very clean. One small note is that I bought this guitar from Musician's Friend as a blemish model and the blemish was that it had no end pin when it arrived. However, since I intended to put a pick-up in it anyway, the endpin from the Martin thin-line took care of the hole- so all is well.

This guitar has withstood the little live playing that I have done. I can't imagine this satin finish being very durable , but it has stood up for the 8-9 months I've had it so far. This guitar also does not come with a strap button which I have taken care of and it is quite solid ( put in on the underside of the heel as many are). I certainly can depend on this guitar to do everything I need it to do, but that is not very strenuous. I do NOT think it would make a good hardcore road guitar with alot of loading and unloading and a wise person would have a backup handy. Overall it has done well so far in this area ,but it just looks fragile and I handle it gently, unlike the bruising I have put some dreadnoughts through in the past.

Even as a blemish it has the limited lifetime warranty from Martin. I have not had to contact them.

I have been playing for around 22 years. The only other instrument I have at the moment is a Gold Tone open-back banjo. I have had approximately 10 other guitars - the last one I sold about 2 months ago was a Guild D 35 from the late 70's (ok sound, but my small hands and that 25.5" scale and thick neck just wouldn't allow for me to use my thumb to help with those Merle Travis chords). Although I like the sound this guitar brings to the table, I probably would not buy another if stolen or lost - but only for personal reasons. I want a shorter scale guitar and so that will definitely be my next purchase
(something like those 24.75" Gibsons OO body type, or Epiphone elite J45). I do think for the sound, this Martin guitar is worth the money I paid.

This guitar is a back to the basics acoustic. It is nothing really fancy, but it has a nice satin finish that holds up VERY well, very clean looking guitar, the inside and out side are immaculate...

What can I say, its just a great acoustic guitar, perfect for fingerpicking and struming...I love it

It also came with a nice black case with a plush green interior.

This guitar perfectly fits my acoustic style. It has a really nice mellow, yet even sound.

The creamy lows are balanced perfectly with the mids and highs, it sounds better than any Gibson/Taylor guitars I played.
The only dislike I have, and it is very small b/c it is mainly do to ME...the guitar does not project hammerons and pulloffs as well as some other more expensive guitars...but this should not worry you at all.

The guitar was set-up perfectly from Martin, the action could not have been better.

the guitar had no flaws whatsoever, and looks absolutly gorgeous.

This guitar is my main acoustic on stage, it seems as if it will last a lifetime, infact, it is guarenteed for life by Martin.

You can definetly depend on it.

I've been playing for only 5 years, but I know good quality instruments when I see them. I also own a 1959 Gretsch Semi-hollow body electric, and a Gibson Sg.

If it were stolen or lost, I would hunt the person down and get my friggen guitar back right away!

I have a 0001 Martin,it was made in 2000 it is made in USA ,with 14 frets.It has a solid Spruce top,solid Mahogany back and laminated Mahogany sides.It had a satin finish,which I buffed out by hand to a pretty high gloss shine.It has a rosewood fingerboard and bridge,and a hardshell case.It sounds great played fingerstyle or strummed.I don`t have the problem the first guy that reviewed it had,he says his goes blatt when strummed to hard and I believe he said it was because of the scalloped braces.He must have scalloped them himself if that is the case seeing as the 0001 doesn`t come with scalloped bracing.Anyways I can strum as hard as I like and there is no blatt sound ,it sounds really clear and fine.I used to have a D28 Martin and it did sound better than the 0001 ,but it cost a whole lot more ,so it should sound better.The 0001 sounds damn near as good as my D28 sounded,I think it sounds really close to some D18`s I have played.For the money the 0001 is a great guitar ,I would be really upset if I was to have it stolen or if it burned up in a fire.If you want a really great Martin for under $1,000.00 get a 0001 you won`t be disappointed

this guitar suits my musical styles just fine,I play finger style and I do alot of flat picking.It has a surprisingly rich full sound,I took it to a friends house to jam recently and he had a D sized Takamine and my Martin was just as loud,he commented on how he thought it would have a small voice being such a smaller body style.He was really impressed with the sound and volume of the 0001 .I love this guitar

I hated the satin finish,I feel satin finishes are ugly.They make the guitar look like they are made of plastic.So I rubbed it out by hand to a high gloss ,and it looks great.The top is bookmatched so well you can`t see a line where it was joined together,like you can with so many other guitar brands.Most guitars ,you can not only see a line where they were the top was joined together ,but the top is 2 different colors.My 0001 is the same color on both sides and you can`t see any line .My D28 was like that too,most Gibson`s ,Takamine`s,Guild`s,Ovation`s,Taylor`s and many other manufacturers just can`t join a guitar top like Martin,where you can`t spot where they were joined.I have see one or two Martin`s where you could tell ,but they are few and far between .

this guitar would have no problem withstanding live playing.The hardware is excellent.The finish is excellent after buffing it out.Strap button is solid.You can depend on it 100% I would definately use it without a backup.

the best there is.I never need to have warrantee work done,but I didn`t get paperwork with the guitar,called Martin,andthey told me send a copy of my receipt and they would take care of it.Not to many companies will do that,if you didn`t get the paperwork with the guitar .I had had the guitar for about 4 months when I called and talked to someone at Martin and they took great care of me.

I have been playing over 25 years,have a Epiphone EJ200, Bradley Ric copy ,an Epiphone Ace Frehley Les Paul.If this guitar was lost or stolen I would buy another.I love everything about it.My favorite feature is the sound.I compared it to alot of other guitars,Guilds Ovations,Taylors,and Gibsons as well as a couple other Matin models.I choose the 0001 for the tone and feel.

1997-98 US made (Nazareth, Pa) 000(Auditorium) sized acoustic with laminated wood case, plush green interior. 20 fret (14 clear); 25.4" scale; 1 11/16" at nut; solid spruce top, 2 piece solid mahogany back w/thin black center strip; laminated mahogany sides. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge; tortise colored pickguard and body binding (very classy). Unbound fingerboard; satin finish; black and white rosette. Scallopped bracing, Martin tuners. White (plastic?) side position markers, 2 size mother of pearl position markers (at 5th, 7th, and 9th frets, smaller from octave up). 1 piece, non-compensated bridge; plastic Martin style bridge pins with tortise color "eye." "Care $ Feeding Of Your Martin Guitar" manual and ownership record.

Not a ton of features, but everything you really need.

This is really a fingerstyle guitar, plain and simple. This is not a "big-sound"strumming guitar like the D-28. That said, it does sound nice with a pick. If attacked too hard, the strings do have a tendency to go "blaat" as the top compresses (scallopped bracing). It also responds well to slide blues, though the action is a tad low, and the strings a bit thin for that. This guitar is also a great choice for jazz and fusion. Chords are nice and balanced, and single string work is round , warm, and very quick.

Right now, I have a RareEarth humbucker soundhole pickup installed, and get a very warm, midrange-strong sound that works better for fusion than fingerstyle (I will probably change that to some kind of piezo/mic combination in the future).

The first impression I get from this guitar is "warm and buttery" as opposed to "deep and rich," (my Larrivee C-09 to be reviewed soon)or "bright and bell like" (like my Taylor 612C reviewed here previously).

While this guitar is very resonant and responsive (saying "hello" into the soundhole, made the body vibrate noticeably in my hands, though it didn't "tremble" like my Taylor) it is not "bass rich."

String to string balance is excellent, and the tone has a pronounced midrange that is very easy on the ears. At the same time, the tone is not muffled, and while the guitar is not big and loud, it projects way out in front of the guitar, giving the impression that it is louder than it is. It's got a pretty wide dynamic range, sounding clear and warm from whisper to moderately loud.

When I bought it, there was a second one out, and one of the salesmen and I played the two guitars back and forth and together for over an hour just comparing notes and impressions. I definitely walked out with the sweeter sounding one! There is pretty good seperation between the strings, but enough blending to keep things warm.

Last little things, open tunings like DADGAD, and DGDGBD(open G), and the like remain balanced and full sounding. Drop the 6th string much below D, and volume begins to drop off rather quickly.

Also, the more varied sounds you are able to get from your fingers and pick, the more you will like this one. It can get everything from rather strident to almost "classical guitar" sounding (with D'Andrea 1.52mm Ultra Plecs).

One thing, while I really enjoy the sound I get from this guitar, I haven't been able to successfuly translate it's warmth to recording yet. Still looking for that right microphone/placement combination. This is not a detraction from the guitar's tone, just a project for me to find it's "recording voice."

One off for the drop in volume when tuning down the 6th string.

Of the two I tried, the action on this one was a touch higher than the other, but still so close as to be almost a duplicate of the action on my Taylor! I haven't had the setup changed. It's as it was when I first picked it up in the store. It's a very fast, pretty modern feeling neck. The fingerboard is on the narrower side. While it's perfect for using a pick, you have to be on top of things with your fingers as things tend fo feel a bit crowded for the right hand, and down on the lowest frets.

The back and top are both properly bookmatched. The satin finish (rubbed smooth now on the neck) has a nice, warm look to it, ahd I actually prefer it to the gloss. The top is not "creamy clear" as on the higher grades of wood, but have some slightly pronounced grain that is atractive to the eye. The Rosewood fingerboard is very tightly pored.

The guitar's assembly looks flawless. The frets are well set with none sticking out. The frets were smoothly polished, and there is no filler apparent on the guitar at all. The work inside the body looks crisp with no "glue globs," and the moment you stick your face in the soundhole, that SMELL overpowers you! The guitar stays in the case mostly so I can keep that new guitar smell!

That satin finish, while pretty, is not the sturdiest. There are a few marks in the top already. They do add character.

The tuners are sturdy feeling. I've used this guitar as my only acoustic and even my only guitar live.

This one's sturdy enough to be my knock about guitar, though I don't "knock about" with it.

One off for the durability of the finish.

Don't know. Never dealt with them.

Been playing over 26 years. I have (as mentioned above) a Taylor 612C, and a new Larrivee C-09 for acoustics as well as a Martin Backpacker, a classical guitar, a bunch of electrics, a bass and various other stringed things both electric and acoustic.

If lost or stolen, I would consider buying this one again, but I would definitely have to look at the Larrivee OM guitars first. When buying this one, I'd compared it to the Taylor 312C, all of the Takamines and Guilds in that price range, as well as the other 0001, and the Martin DM which had been relased that week. The Taylor was in the running, but it's scooped mid tone sounded thin and hollow next to the warmth of the 0001. I am still curious to hear this one with a different pickup system installed.

I keep coming back to the tone of this guitar. I changed out the bottom 4 bridge pins for brass EZ-pins, and the tone got a bit more "piano like," and string seperation increased a bit. Also, volume increased a bit. I kept the plastic pins for the E and B strings to keep them sounding warmer.

Sizewise, this one is nice and small. It's easy to play, and is the "comfort" guitar I'm more likely to pick up at 2 in the morning.

An important note. You have to keep on top of the tuning. When perfectly in tune, things are fine. If not, it's really noticeable, and open tunings (especially detuning the 5th and 6th strings) can be merciless. My Taylor is a 25.5" scale, while the Martin is 25.4" scale. I don't know how much of a difference that 10th of an inch makes, but I may experiment with bridges with a compensated B string.

While the Larrivee OM seems to be giving stiff competition, this one is a joy to play and to listen to.

20-fret acoustic, 14 frets clear, solid spruce top, satin finish, fat hardshell case with green plush. simple rosette, little fancy trim aside from pearl-type dots on fingerboard

Given skinny strings (i use .10s now) it is clear and responsive, neither too bright nor muffled. it's ideal for fingerpicking -- the best in the store, i'm delighted i could afford it :) -- and great with strumming, although the clarity of the individual strings works somewhat against the ideal unified sound you may want. it's particularly responsive to strumming with the strings muted near the bridge; the bass comes out just like you'd want it to.

The action is fairly low, but there is no buzzing anywhere. it is an easy guitar to play, you never need to fight it. moreover, since it's so loud and clear you can work as delicately as you need to and get good results. it came in great alignment and appears to be of fine quality. There was a tiny dent about .25" from the edge of the body, above the pickguard, when i got it. doesn't affect sound :)

A small and rather delicate-seeming guitar, i'm treating it carefully. It seems like it will last, it's well joined and pretty solid, but doesn't give me the impression that it'd respond well to a beating. since accidents may happen, and this may not rebound gracefully, consider a 000-1 against a 000-18 or another standard series auditorium; if the sound suits you there's no point paying more for finish that may get busted anyway.

I've never dealt with Martin. I heard they were more than happy to fix Steve Howe's broken 00-18 for him, but then again he's probably done right by them with his endorsement!

I've been playing a little over a year, and also have a fender stratocaster and a cordoba classical. Since I could play well enough to not be embarassed in the store i've been playing the fancy guitars when i go to get new strings, and found my very niche in a used 000-18 almost a year ago. When my initial guitar's fretboard separated and frets wore deep grooves i went to get a new one, and was delighted to find that the very one i'd have chosen was at the extreme upper end of my ability to purchase. i'd get the same kind again in a second, provided the feel was the same, and would eschew the more expensive and more decorated martins in favour of this. i'm particularly pleased with how easy this guitar is to play.
ALSO:
check out my chord programme on the web. it'll find chords of whatever patterns you choose, generate dozens of different scales in any key, for any fretted and stringed instrument you choose, and any tuning you like. it's at http://www.utdallas.edu/~hamster and click on the 'try the new chord programme' link to proceed.