Martin 000C-16

I own this guitar. Air bubbles began grow underneath the finish after a few years. I had them filled but more bubbles appeared, eventually spreading to become very large - three to five inches long. Soon the finish began to crack and flake off.

According to the Martin's claims department, their "limited lifetime warranty" doesn't apply to manufacturing defects in the finish after three years. Refinishing the guitar would cost almost as much as I paid for it in the first place, and I wouldn't be able to sell the guitar for enough to replace it with a guitar of similar quality, so I'm stuck with it.

Don't buy this guitar. I have never seen finish just fall off a guitar before in 15 years of playing, so I'm confident that ANY other make of high-end guitar would be a safer investment than a new Martin.

The customer service representatives are very, very friendly and helpful. They replied to my queries quickly and cheerfully, despite the fact the bad news they bore was that Martin will not pay to refinish my peeling guitar.

The warranty is 3 years. They still use the word "lifetime" in name of the warranty, but that doesn't apply to the finish, which falls off the minute the warranty expires.

I loved this guitar. It was beautiful. If Martin had accepted responsibility for the flaw in the finish and agreed to repair it, I would be in here raving about how happy I am with it, and how I hope to one day pass it on to my great, great grandchildren with pride.

Also it still sounds just fine with a rain of flaking finish littering the stage all around me. It's just embarassing, and I'm nervous about playing because I'm afraid I'll get the parts where the finish is completely gone dirty, or wet, leaving a stain if I one day win the lottery and have two grand to throw away to restore my defective Martin to its original beauty.

1995 model w/ standard features as far as I can tell. This model has the round (not oval) soundhole, and came with Gold-Plus active pickup. Venetian (round) cutaway, solid mahogany back and sides, sitka spruce top. Satin finish all around. Nice inlay in the rosewood fretboard (small abalone diamonds and squares) and on the bridge. No micarta! Has the newer mortise and tenon neck joint and modified A-bracing.

Sweet, clear sound unamplified; amplified it holds up very well w/ little to no feedback. Not particularly rich but this is a small body mahogany model.

Bought it used so I can't comment on factory set-up. Elderly did a fine job setting it up for me.

so far, so good. Used on one gig so far.

Haven't dealt with Martin directly. Elderly has excellent customer service, despite its size.

I have always loved Martin's 000 models. This is a great example of the genre.

1994 model with no electronics. The newer 000-C16 is offered only with
electronics. Thin neck, vintage colored lacquer finish, cut away (that's what C stands for) solid spruce top and solid mohogany back and sides. Well made with no glue over-runs showing inside. Of course the tuners are quality. What other features are there on an acoustic?
By the way, there is no 10 rating on a guitar as far as I am concerned.

Good quality sound. 9th chords especially come out sweet. Good guitar for fingerstyle or possibly jazz. However individual notes are not as identifiable on a chord as with my D18. This can be good if your style is jazz. Much louder than you would expect for a smaller body guitar.Great sustain. Bass not bad, but it is not a dreadnaught or jumbo.Don't even come close to believing those with various Samick models (which includes half of every brand of guitar out there)that their sound matches Martin. They must have put them up against a Martin Sigma or a Martin with dead strings. Compared to Martin, most of them sound dead. A plywood guitar does not match a solid top with solid back. The laminated guitars are okay for playing a crowded bar where the background overpowers the undertones and where a drunk might spill his beer on you axe, but when you really listen, there is a difference between a high quality instrument and a mid price one.

I bought this guitar used at a pawn shop. Amazingly, it was still very well setup and playable. In most reviews I've read, action is judged by setup. Get real folks, there is no way that any guitar manufacturer can set up a guitar to fit all playing styles. What a guitar manufacturer can do is set the frets well and file and polish them where there are no burrs or sharp corners are available. You should be able to then set the guitar up to your individual style. This was done well on the 000-C16. The grain on the top was nice and tight and the binding and wood was finished well.The original finish was in good shape after living a rough life. Good wood, good frets, good finish. What else can you say?

This guitar belonged to a local country band called "The Tone Deaf Cowboys". It shows evidence of having been played hard and treated rough on occasion. Basically, the only problems it has are cosmetic and fretwear.Of course it is an acoustic and is not a tank.

N/A Never dealt with them.

I've played guitar for about 36 years. Never professionally although I did play in my college studio band. Style? Whatever I feel like, finger picking, jazz chords, bluegrass, movie music, Beatles or Hank Williams. I've owned a Gibson J-200 circa 1968 (went for a car transmission-felt like crying), an Applause roundback (decent cheaper guitar-kept me playing for 10 years), an old Epiphone archtop, three or four cheap electrics (currently a Les Paul knock-off from Aria-not bad) a Washburn DS12S 12 string (decent guitar), and presently a Martin D-18 as well as the 000-C16.
I played several guitars before and after I bought this one and the D-18. This one sounded better than the D-18 when I bought both of them. In fact, I just bought the D-18 because I got a package deal. The D-18 sounded almost dead, which I found out was a humidity problem. It now sounds better than the 000-C16. However, the 000-C16 is a high quality instrument with great sound. The newer models have a pickup, and I may have one installed on this or I might trade it in on a jumbo Gibson (I still miss my old J-200)

This is a solid wood guitar-all mahogany. The markers on it are simple, traditional markers, and it comes with an aged finish. Very old-fashioned looking. It has an unbounded fretboard, which I prefer, and a rather thin neck. This is intended to match the classic OM models that Martin introduced to entice banjo players to try their instruments. The result is the OM series, or certain OOO models

the sound of this guitar is really quite amazing. it needs only a slight touch to make it seem "alive," and the thing sustains forever. It's quite a lightly built instrument, but also quite well made-the braces on my particular model (a '91) are scalloped, which I think adds to the overall sound. I've tried quite a few Martins-I lived near a music store in Albany, NY, and played them there as often as I could for quite some time before choosing this instrument. A few songs on this one, and I was sold. Sounds very "pre-war," and keeps getting better.

Finish here is another issue. I prefer a satin finish, which this guitar has, but there was a little "flaking" around the tuning pegs. I promptly called Martin, and the problem was remedied. However, my guitar now has a glossy headstock. I personally like this combo, but from Martin, you expect everything to be perfect. The set-up was excellent, the finish of the guitar body was excellent, and everything else was great. Just the headstock. I've never had to adjust the action, and use light-guage strings with good results.

This thing is made like a tank. Although very lightly built, I have travelled extensively with the instrument, and it has endured air travel, bus, and train travel. Very solid, and keeps getting better soundwise.
The case (I have the older style Martin case-not the thermoplastic case that comes with them now) is well-made, and fits snugly. I have a climate case cover to fit over the case, and I think this makes all the difference in the world. I hightly recommend that product for any fine instrument.

Excellent customer support. I contacted them about the headstock, they located a dealer near me (then then called him, and he called ME before I even got home-very impressive) and the work was completed without any cost to me. However, it did take 3 weeks, (I guess finish work takes a bit of time to do) and the headstock was glossy-I could have had this corrected, but I didn't, as I explained above)
Martin explained that my guitar must have had the tuners put on before the finish was quite dry, and that's why the finish flaked. I was very satisfied with them, and recommend Martin highly.

I've been playing for about 11 years. I play mostly fingerstyle blues, but also more contemporary stuff like Dave Matthews. I have more recently begun playing bluegrass, as I've relocated to NC, where there is a lot of this kind of music.
I wish that I had a pickup in the instrument, but I think I will end up adding one. Other than that, I've replaced the pins for more "asthetically pleasing" ones, but overall, I love the guitar's simplicity. You can always add abalone inlays if you really want them. I love the fret markers, and the tuners. I had an Alvarexz Yairi once with wood binding-I would'nt mind seeing that on a Martin.
If this guitar were stolen, I'd look for another one that was pre-'92, as some of the features and bracing changed then. It's a wonderful instrument.

Small body acoustic guitar w/soft cutaway at 14th fret. 1994 USA. 22 frets. Solid spruce top. 332 Martin thinline passive xducer p'up (installed upon purchase). Neck, back, sides solid Mahogany. Gloss nitro-lacquer finish. Rosewood bridge and fingerboard. Slimish neck, standard Martin fretwire -- 25.4" scale (I think). HS chipbaord case included.

Play pop, rock, country mostly. Suits my needs fine as I mostly just play for fun and occasional songwriting (stuck in "fragment" writing mode these days). Very refined acoustic sound, very even across typical acoustic guitar spectrum except mid-range/top end are noticabley richer compared to the moderately compressed bass response (this is a compliment as to the materials/design, NOT a complaint). Will stand up to aggressive strumming and flat picking (more my style when I bought it nearly 5 years ago) but really excells playing/soundwise w/more gentle approach. Due to its quality of response I've probably modified my technique to use a softer touch...too many years of playing cheap acoustic guitars and idolizing Pete Townshend I guess. Minor dislikes: sometimes think I could get by w/out cutaway and get a little extra tone. Sometimes I wish body wasn't as deep since I am of small stature causing my strumming arm/right shoulder blade muscle some fatigued over time (more often when standing up w/guitar strap attached).

Off the rack set-up is critical to me in making a guitar purchase -- here it was very good. Martin are one of the few major manufacturers who seem to be consistent here. Bookmatched spruce top has two slight but naturally appealing flaws. (I've heard of people who won't buy an instrument because there's a bit of natural varience in wood grain pattern. This is kooky to me. It's like rejecting a potential mate because of some inconsequential imperfection). The fretwire was evenly finished but a little too for rough bending wound strings (of course string bending are not really what Martins are designed for). Took it back to dealer and had them buff out fretwire and cleared up this problem.

Have played this guitar at open mics and the odd solo coffee house gig. No problems in these situations BUT it is a very light weight, delicately constructed instrument (contributing to its beatiful sound) others and I'm always a little insecure about its well-being when I have it around strangers (especially in a bar).
Nitro-lacquer finish has stood up fine over five years despite a few minor dings (that first one is always a heartbreaker) and ONE BIG ONE (too many beers with a friend resulting in -- I think -- an over-enthusiatic dash to turn up some now forgotten tune on the stereo).
IF I gigged regularly I'd probably leave this at home and get a cheaper, more heftily constructed instrument (probably something in Martin's new X line -- I'm pretty much sold on what seems to be Martin's dedication to consistency in quality of their entire domestic range).

Never dealt w/them (I guess that's a GOOD sign).
Limited lifetime warranty to original purchaser.

Been playing 25 years. If you're really interested see my Gibson LP Jr. Lite review for other gear.
Compared it to plenty other instruments: Gibson (insconsistent off the rack quality); Takamine (all too thin sounding -- work on your bracing Tak'!); Ovation (fine playing wise but don't like the weight, sound or that plastic rosette thing they put around the soundhole); Guild (close but not quite there); Yamaha, Seagull, Washburn, Fender, Epi etc (some models being O.K. at best but none in particular bowled me over); and enough "boutique" lines (Lowden, Collings, Breedlove etc) that met or exceeded the qualities of the Martin but at nearly twice the price.
Try out just about every new model/line released (always willing for a change or addition to my collection) and have yet to find an equal in its category.
Have been gravitating towards steel string acoustics w/slotted pegheads and neck joined @ 12th fret (no cutaway) for some reason. Not sure why I like these features but sometimes wish my Martin had them. Strong possiblity such an instrument will be in my credit card's future...that and a reasonabley priced, domestically made archtop (want to check out Tacoma's new one).