Martin 0000-16RGT Adirondack

Custom 0000-16RGT Adirondack from Gruhn Guitars. The body is M-sized (Grand Auditorium), which is 16" wide like a jumbo but 4 1/8" deep like a 000. Adirondack spruce top, although not particularly tightly or evenly grained, adds exclusivity. Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides.

Modified V neck with 1 3/4" nut unlike standard series M-36 and M-38 which have 1 11/16" nuts. Vintage style open back tuners, badly mounted unfortunately. Bone nut and saddle are a nice touch.

White bound body and fretboard like D-16RGT. Otherwise plain jane 16 series appointments - gloss top with satin back and sides and bold herringbone rosette, not giving full score here. Could have looked like the new standard HD-16R Adirondack with gloss finish and 28-style rosette!

I play folk and country, both finger picking and strumming. This guitar is an excellent compromise doing both finger style and light to medium strumming quite well, although it haven't got the bass response and rhythmic drive of a dreadnought when strumming.

It's very balanced, with just the slightest hint of favouring the bass over the midrange and treble. Typical Martin sound, round and warm but not as smooth as a Gibson which can be too smooth sometimes. Some interesting overtones in the midrange, but no great depth or complexity. Ample volume when fingerpicking.

This is a typical good quality midrange guitar and cannot quite compare to real high-end guitars in richness and depth of sound despite the Adirondack top.

The guitar was set up with a bit high action. I had an experienced repair man lower the saddle slightly. It's now the most playable guitar I ever had.

The finish is good and typical Martin. No flaws to speak of. Maybe some very tiny gaps between body and binding, but that's nitpicking.

A serious problem was that there was a metallic, rattling noise from the guitar when playing the open G string. Two experienced repairmen looked bewildered at the guitar and tried adjusting the action, to no avail. The third one couldn't even hear it. It was not fret buzz.

I finally asked the guys at Gruhn Guitars, who suggested there could be a mismatch between the tuners and their holes, and indeed one tuner was loose. I got the tuners replaced, which solved the problem. The guitar now sounds excellent, with no problems at all. This shouldn't have happened!

I'm a porch player and don't play on stage, but the satin finish is not very durable. It gets scratched easily. I would use another guitar.

The new (expensive) vintage Gotoh tuners I put on should last forever.

There is only one plastic strap button. Doesn't look too solid.

The guitar itself looks very solid and well built.

Martin's warranty is only valid in the US and Canada. When they sell their guitars through an official dealer in my country they are forced by law to give one year warranty. Since I bought it online from the US none of these apply, so I had to pay for replacing the useless tuners myself. (I was aware of this, so it's a calculated risk.)

Gruhn Guitars, on the other hand, were helful in pointing out what could be wrong. They were very friendly.

I've been playing for a few years now and have a Gibson Advanced Jumbo, a Larrivee OM-05, a Seagull and an Alhambra (classical).

Before I bought this guitar I should have asked whether the tuners would inexplicably come loose and produce a rattling sound.

If it were stolen or lost I would rather buy a custom 0000-28H from Elderly Instruments. It's gloss finished and might sound even better. I like to try new gear.

I love the sound it makes when I'm fingerpicking. It sounds terrific. No particular dislikes after I got the tuners replaced, except the humble 16-series rosette and satin finish.

I give it an 8 for the sound, which is what counts.