Review of the Martin 000-15 Auditorium Acoustic Guitar

19 Jul 2010

Features of the Martin 000-15 Auditorium Acoustic Guitar

Tuners - The sealed mini-tuners with small tuning knobs are branded with the Martin name. They work smoothly and efficiently.

Headstock - The simple Martin paddle-style headstock speaks elequently of the company's long and prestigeous pedigree as a maker of instruments since 1833 rather than the designer of fashion statements since 1950. The headstock is faced in East Indian rosewood and the Martin logo is printed in gold.

Nut - The white corian nut abuts the fretboard and is perfectly cut.

Neck - The mahogany neck is extraordinarily slim and has a flattened profile that Martin call a "modified low oval". It is amongst the most comfortable acoustic necks that I've played and the satin finish gives it a luxurious feel. The trussrod is accessible via the soundhole at the body end. 

Fretboard - The fretboard is made from East Indian rosewood that matches the headstock veneer. This is quite a dark brown with an attractive stripey grain. The fret-markers are slightly unusual, the 5th 7th and 9th frets are marked with large pearloid dots with the 7th bearing two dots. The 12th, 15th and 17th frets are marked with smaller dots with the 12th fret bearing two dots. There are small white dots on the player's side of the neck that follow the more traditional format.

Frets - The thin frets have an ever-so-slightly high profile which give, combined with the very slim neck, make for a good positive playing experience.

Action - The Martin comes with the perfect acoustic action, which is a balance between good playability and ample space for string vibration.

Body - The Auditorium style body is nice and compact making it a comfortable guitar to sit and play. The neck end is slightly less deep than the bridge end, which means the back tapers to fit snugly against your belly. The back, sides and top are mahogany which is stained a lovely dark cocoa colour and finished in a luxurious satin sheen. There's no binding on the body which gives the guitar a solid and unfussy appearance. The soundhole has a simple rosette with a discreet gold and black herringbone design.

Bridge - The simple rectangular bridge is made from the same East Indian Rosewood as the fretboard. The white plastic saddle is compensated at the first and second string. Traditional bridge-pins retain the strings.

Pickguard - The teardrop scratchplate is single-ply faux tortoise-shell.

Strap-buttons - There's one strap-button on the base of the body. This is not fixed when the guitar arrives but is to be found in the storage compartment in the case. This is done to prevent transit damage.

Finish - This lovely little guitar comes from a well-established American factory and is consequently beautifully finished.

Accessories - The Martin Auditorium comes with a substantial hard-shell case.

Sound of the Martin 000-15 Auditorium Acoustic Guitar

The 000-15 has a sweet and warm tone that belies its body size. The all mahogany construction coaxes out a depth in the lows and mids that give the guitar's voice a particularly pleasing authority. The balance of tone across the strings is excellent. It's a real pleasure to play and listen to these tones.

Overall Impressions of the Martin 000-15 Auditorium Acoustic Guitar

I'm becoming quite a fan of Martin acoustics, this company simply doesn't do anything average. The 000-15 Auditorium is an instrument of supreme quality with a a soulful, toneful voice. It's certainly not cheap, but nothing of any quality is cheap, especially if it's American made. But once you buy this thing you'll play it every day until it falls to pieces. So if you own it for 30 years that's only 10p a day. Bargain!

Reviewed by The Man in the Jar