Martin OOO15 Guitar

My local Guitar Center has a wide array of guitars of all types. I recently spent some time looking for a companion piece to my Alvarez-Yairi dreadnought. Sometimes you just want to play something that sounds different. Anyway, I tried several Martin guitars, among them the OOO15 Model.

Martin guitars that you see generally follow the squarish Dreadnought pattern but this one follows the curvy Jumbo style. These two body styles make up the vast majority of full-sized high quality guitars, with variations like cutaways to reach the higher frets.

Martin has long been recognized as THE acoustic guitar company but most of their models are priced out of the range of a casual player or one who is just beginning. The 15 Series is Martin’s attempt to reach this market segment.

The way Martin defines their guitars is through the Model number - OOO refers to the body size and style and 15 refers to the trim level. In this case OOO means Auditorium or a smaller sized guitar and 15 is Martin’s entry level trim (appearance) category, which means, basically, no frills. This is a step down in size from the dreadnought or jumbo guitars, although this is shaped like a jumbo, it's a little smaller.

This Martin guitar is made out of solid wood; when I mention solid wood, we should understand that this means no laminates, plywood, veneer, or simulated wood, but actual thin pieces of solid wood. Solid wood guitars are more expensive than those that are not, simply because they use better materials and are usually made by hand, which is a slower process than machine built, which is the case with most instruments manufactured today.

The benefit of solid wood construction is better sound which is what we musicians are looking for as our ultimate goal, although feel and appearance are also important. Solid wood guitars also get even better sounding through the years as the wood seasons, however, they require more care and should not be stored in places where temperatures or humidity swings widely, like in unheated areas.

Construction: The body and sides of the OOO15 are made out of African Mahogany or Sapele, as Martin calls it. The top, or soundboard, is also Mahogany and the bracing is spruce. The neck is solid genuine Mahogany also. Like all Martins I’ve personally examined, the craftsmanship is professionally done. No buzzes or rattles when you check the joints and the guitar plays well as it comes from the factory.

Appearance: The position markers are simple pearl dots in keeping with Martin’s usual understated appearance. A rosewood bridge, a herringbone rosette, a tortoise shell pick guard, and a gold CF Martin logo decal finish off the rather plain appearance factors. The guitar is finished with Martin’s soft matte varnish for a satin finish.

Playability: The 20 fret neck joins the body at the 14th fret and the fingerboard is Indian Rosewood, which makes for a nice feel. The neck is 1 11/16” wide at the nut and has a 25.4” scale so it is easy to play for those who like and are used to a large guitar. The neck has plenty of room for either flat picking or finger picking, as you desire.

The Mahogany soundboard and body of the OOO15 makes for a dark bassy sound with good midrange overtones and thin treble. If you are wanting a more sparkly sound, you might want to look into a model with a spruce top which will add to the treble response.

Like all Martin hand built guitars, the OOO15 comes with a lifetime warranty and a hard shell case. This is a nice guitar, for a hand built guitar at this price point, however, the more expensive Martins are worth the difference. For a beginner or casual player, the OOO15 is recommendable.

Thanks for reading!

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