Martin 000-15SM Mahogany
There are guitars that try to impress you with fancy woods, elaborate appointments, and enough pearl to signal an aircraft from space. And then there’s the Martin 000-15SM. This is a wonderfully straightforward, all-solid mahogany Martin that gets right to the point. The 000 body, 12-fret neck joint, slotted headstock, and satin finish give it an unmistakably vintage personality, while the combination of a 1 3/4" nut and Martin’s Modified Low Oval neck makes it an exceptionally comfortable guitar to actually play. It also comes with a Martin softshell case, so you're ready to go.
The 000-15SM is a particularly interesting member of Martin's 15 Series because of that 12-fret 000 design. Moving the neck joint back to the 12th fret changes the relationship between the bridge and the body, giving this guitar a voice that is noticeably different from a typical 14-fret 000. There's a certain depth and intimacy to it, but don't mistake "000" for "small and delicate." The 000-15SM can put out a surprisingly substantial amount of sound, particularly when you dig into it. It's a fantastic strummer, a terrific fingerstyle guitar, and an especially good choice for players who like an acoustic with a strong fundamental and a woody, immediate character.
And then Martin goes all mahogany. Solid mahogany top, solid mahogany back, solid mahogany sides. No spruce top here to give you the familiar glassy Martin thing—instead, you've got that wonderfully direct mahogany character: warm, dry, focused, and rich through the middle, with a sweetness on top that gets especially rewarding as you dig in. The satin finish keeps things simple and lets the wood look like wood. It's a very old-school approach, and that's exactly why the 000-15SM has developed such a devoted following.
The neck is another big part of the appeal. Martin uses a Modified Low Oval profile with Standard Taper, a 1 3/4" nut, and a full 25.4" scale length. That combination gives you plenty of room for fingerstyle work without making the neck feel like a baseball bat. The 12-fret body joint also puts the bridge in a different spot on the top than you'd find on a standard 14-fret 000, and that's a major part of the guitar's personality. The East Indian rosewood fingerboard carries Martin's short-pattern Diamonds & Squares abalone inlays, while the slotted headstock and open-gear tuners complete the vintage look.
The rest of the guitar follows the same philosophy: simple, functional, and very cool. You've got an East Indian rosewood bridge, compensated bone saddle, bone nut, ebony bridge pins, a multi-stripe rosette, and nickel side-mount tuners with ivoroid buttons. There is no binding, no unnecessary decoration, and no attempt to hide the fact that this is an all-mahogany guitar. The dark mahogany satin finish ties the whole thing together beautifully. Martin currently offers the 000-15SM without onboard electronics, although factory-installed pickup options are available separately.
The 000-15SM is one of those Martins that makes a lot more sense when you stop thinking about what it isn't. It's not a spruce-topped dreadnought. It's not covered in pearl. It's not trying to recreate a modern acoustic guitar. It's an old-school, all-mahogany, 12-fret Martin with a killer voice and a ton of personality. If you've never spent time with one, this is absolutely a model worth getting your hands on.
