Martin 000-16SGT

i've had this guitar for on 6 months now, and like most other 12 fret owners, like both the sound and vibe. in terms of features.. well.. it's a 12 fret neck, rosewood fretboard with a traditional dreadnaught neck (more or less) with a 1 3/4 inch spacing. it's a 000..

in terms of sound- it's a great fingerstyle guitar AND it works well with a pick. i play mostly old timey music- whether that be country, country blues, or string band music... it fits in well with banjos and fiddles where a dreadnaught is too loud and boomy.. on it's own it hums like a marshall amp- but in 30 years... oh my.. i can't wait til then.
originally, i'd purchased the 00015s- the mahogany version of this guitar with less polished finish.. i LOVED it.. but the low E was just too dead. it thunked. this guitar SNAPS in the bottom, which is great for travis picking. like i said- it's got 'new guitar nasality' which i reckon will open up as it ages, but in the grander scheme of things.. i can wait a while.
besidedly- it's louder than most would think, and i think riley puckett would play one..

i had problems much like the first reviewer.. just kinda sloppily set up. it WORKED, and was adequate to give you the right idea, but to really get it right it's best to have it set up to your specs. but so are most guitars lest they're built by a really really expensive luthier. not that martin isn't- but for 900 bucks? it's still a production guitar, and why would you expect it NOT to be.. jeez.. it's practically free at that price.. especially next to the 5000 bucks you'd have to shell out to get a vintage 12 fret 000..
likewise.. i'm not sure about the SGT thing either.. if i built it, i'd just've lacquered the whole thing.. but i didn't. obviously.. i still bought it though! it's still clean as a whistle, and i think that martin mixed a lot of tasteful finishes together- the herringbone soundhole, black purfling, plain old dots.. very much the working guitar and thankfully, not too flash.

it will and has stood up to lots of live playing at silly volumes. it stays in tune (now that i've had the nut filed.. it DID NOT at first..), and god if it isn't the most comfortable guitar for 12 hour old time stints.. the finish is bulletproof. nary a problem yet, and i don't really expect any!

well.. i've been playing for over 10 years, and i have a 74 martin d18s, an early teens b&j parlor guitar, and a '36 gibson 00 12 fret. it sits right in there as a quick chord changer, a good fingerstyler with just enough sustain, and lotsa volume. i wish it had a wider string spacing and maybe a v neck.. but i really like the FATTY necks (my others have nigh on 2" nuts). by and large though- it's such a good mix of 'modern' guitar and old styling that there's not much room for complaint.
like i said- i actually bought a 000-15s first for its really open sound- but the bass definition made me bring it back for this one. it does just about everything right- but DON'T expect a dreadnaught for volume or for sheer bass.. you'll be disappointed, but it'll be your own fault. but if you're looking for a solid small bodied guitar that records beautifully, is comfortable, has a really sweet bell like tone, and has major 30's mojo, this is your instrument.

Here are the specs on this brand new model from Martin:
-000 12 fret auditorium (elongated old-style body, slot head (rosewood
overlay with old-style small Martin decal)
-top wood is sitka spruce (narrow grain with a few "bear scratches")
-rosette is bold herringbone with black fiber rings
-dark tortoise pickguard (not the pepperoni pizza style)
-hybrid X style with A-frame supporting fretboard extension
-back and sides are mahogany with satin light red mahogany toner
-bridge and fretboard are striped ebony (more chocolate brown than
black in color)
-Pearl dots and 19 frets on fretboard
-single ply black binding on body
-nut is 1&3/4" and scale length is 25.4 inches
-tuners are open Waverly slot head design (very classy and precise)
-Finish is satin with gloss top
-new mortise and tenon neck attachment technology
-Martin SP+ coated strings
-hard shell case with flat lid

This guitar is a modern recreation of the old Martin slot head design in an affordable price range. While from the outside it looks authentically old, it is crafted with the new neck technology and bracing pattern which are computer machined and shaped and require much less hand work than the old dove-tail joint and hand shaped bracing. Nevertheless, Martin seems to have their act together and the whole instrument is well done.

I have always been partial to Martin 12 fret slotheads. The best sounding guitar I ever had was an old 1969 D-18S in this design which I let a pretty girl buy off me. When I saw Martin was offering this model I ordered one through a dealer sign unseen. Although the guitar wasn't set up well (the D and G string lots at the nut needed chasing with a file to clear up annoying raspyness), this guitar lived up to my tonal expectations once it was set up. Despite it's relative inexpensiveness, it's a very responsive and expressive instrument, especially for fingerstyle. Since it's spruce topped and solid mahogany back and sided, it tends to be on the bright side with somewhat thin and "airy" trebles. The balance is awesome, with no discernable difference in volume between any of the strings. As typical of most quality mahogany guitars, there is a distinct separation from string to string. Volume is comparable to a dreadnought although the bass notes are less powerful (they don't rumble through you in the same way).
I play old time and Celtic music in both flatpick and fingerstyles, and this guitar offers exceptional versatility, unlike my dreadnought which prefers to be flatpicked. This Martin is a great all-purpose
guitar for a variety of styles, although a person would be better served by a dreadnought if he were playing bluegrass rhythm. This guitar really shines in alternate tunings, and is probably the best I have ever played in DADGAD.

As I mentioned, the nut was not set up well and the strings creaked and groaned during tuning and the D and G were raspy. I refiled all the slots because Martin sets them up too high for my tastes and that took care of that.
Otherwise, the fit and finish are excellent, especially the tightness and cleanliness of the inside work, which is remarkable.
I am still undecided on the satin/gloss combination. I think everything should be one way or the other.
The top wood is fairly narrow grained, but has several "bear scratches" in the grain (I really can't call it bear clawed). What was once considered undesirable in wood is now all the rage.
I should mention that the Waverly tuners are way classy and are usually only seen on "boutique" guitars. But they're on this guitar and much nicer than the sealed gotahs found on the 000-15S.
After setting up the nut, I found the action to be extremely smooth and fast. It almost feels like it plays itself. The light gauge strings feel like extra lights.
on the other hand, I was not so impressed with the rather cheap looking plastic bridge pins and endpin and will replace them with ebony as soon as feasible.

This is a Martin and the history of this company speaks for itself in this regard. I actually think the machined mortise neck design and hybrid X design are improvements over the traditional and more expenseive dovetail and should stand up to the test of time without need for a neck set. I think I'll keep this guitar for awhile and I see no reason why it won't hold up.

I've never had a problem with Martin and I've owned several.

I love this guitar because it's good execution of my favorite design at a reasonable price. Martin 12 fret models simply offer a sound and vibe you can't get anywhere else. Collings and Santa Cruz both offer similar guitars but at much higher prices.
I've been playing old time country music and Celtic fingerstyle for more years than I care to remember and I've owned many acoustics over the years, but I keep coming back to the 12 fret.
I have currently been playing Tacoma guitars (a DG21E2 maple/sitka)
and an ER22C (rosewood/cedar) which are excellent guitars in their own right. But this Martin gives me something special for my old-time playing and contest performances. It simply has an old-time vibe the others don't have (they sound and look like "modern" guitars)
The only improvement I can think of is that I wish the whole body was finished in gloss. But then they would have to charge more.