“For me, Martin is the songwriter’s guitar,” says British folk-rock phenom Jake Bugg, knocking out a few cool voicings backstage on one of Martin’s new 00L-16E models. “Maybe it’s the warmth, or the midrange quality, but if you just hold a chord and really listen, it’s like the guitar is trying to tell you where to go.”
That’s as good a description of the magic of a good guitar as you’re likely to hear, and it’s the unspoken philosophy behind Martin’s latest “refresh” of one of their less storied guitar lines, the oft under-the-radar 16 Series. Indeed, Martin launched five brand new 16 models on September 15 with much fanfare, cocktails, hot chicken, and buzz aplenty at SoBro’s uber-hip InDo event space during Nashville’s annual AmericanaFest celebrations.
Packed to the gills, the afternoon bash included excellent solo performances by Bugg, acclaimed songstress Brandy Clark, Canadian country star Tenille Townes, as well as Gunnar and Matthew Nelson and rising American acoustic duet Marfa. Notable attendees sipping bevvies included YouTube guitar instruction powerhouse Marty Schwartz, vintage guitar authority George Gruhn, Martin CEO Thomas Ripsam, roots rock legend Webb Wilder, and a small fleet of local pickers adorned with silver clothing and silver head-to-toe makeup. (And, uh, did I mention the hot chicken?)
Why the silver, you ask? Well, it’s a nod to the adventurous spirit of the revamped 16 line, and their cool cast of custom colors, the type of thing literally no one wants to see on a D-28 or D-18.
“That’s what so fun about the 16 line for us,” says Martin’s Director of Product Management, Joey Osisek, a.k.a. Joey O. “With the 28 and 18s, we’re very aware of maintaining a certain tradition there—in a way, we’re almost shadow boxing with that legacy, and even those materials and finishes.
“But the 16s never had that consistent identity, so it’s much more open-ended, and we’re able to really have fun with it. I’m telling ya,” Osisek laughs, “we’re going to get weird with it, brother.”
Weird is good! But a little history first. Martin’s style 16 dates back to 1961, when the company introduced it as an affordable, understated alternative to its more ornately appointed instruments. It offered mahogany guitars built to style 18 construction standards, but with simpler trim. The 16s briefly resurfaced in the 1980s as a catch-all designation for trade show specials that were not for wider sale, but allowed Martin to experiment with outside-the-box designs.
Soon after, the first D-16s reached general release in mahogany, ash, walnut, and koa, and by the early ’90s, the D-16 was featuring scalloped, forward-shifted bracing, along with tortoise binding and pickguards. In the decade to follow, the 16 Series became Martin’s outlet to explore more “outside” tonewoods, construction methods and body configurations, eventually settling into the acoustic-electric, all-solid-wood niche most players know today.
In a sense, then, the 16 series was the perfect line for a funky refresh, and that was certainly the impression the Nashville launch was intended to convey. The lineup comprises five new models, and marks a genuine departure in body-shape terms. The range now comprises three very rarely seen body shapes in the Martin canon, from intimate, responsive 00Ls and warm, punchy sloped-shoulder dreads to powerful Jumbos, a balanced Grand Performance cutaway, and a room-filling Grand Jumbo 12-string.
The new DSS-16E is Martin’s first-ever short-scale slope-shoulder Dreadnought, with a 24.9-inch scale, akin to a certain other noted maker’s best-known acoustic. (“Keep in mind,” notes Osisek, “the first dreadnought Martin ever built was a slope-shouldered dread for Gibson, so that’s part of our legacy, too.”) The built-in electronics have shifted, too. The outgoing generation used Martin’s in-house E1 preamp, while the new models switch to an L.R. Baggs Element preamp (a sonic upgrade that trades away the E1’s built-in tuner).
Where the refresh really announces itself, though, is in its finishes. Bold gloss-top finish options including Blue Denim, Cherry Cola, Cream, Black Smoke and 1935 Burst sit alongside more traditional natural tops with a vintage tint. While the price tag on the 16s is typically less than the Standard series, it’s worth noting that this is decidedly not a “budget line.” Each guitar is still handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, with all-solid-wood construction.
As the afternoon strummed on, Martin set up a Wheel-of-Fortune-style prize wheel somewhere near the bar (sorry, details get hazy at this point…) and a clutch of lucky winners wobbled off with a small run of Series 16 accessories and lifestyle merchandise, including Blue Denim and Cherry Cola steins, a Cherry Cola ringer T-shirt, a Blue Denim corduroy hat, and a Blue Fade leather strap. (Hey, how come I didn’t walk away with any swag!).
For those of you who missed this one-of-a-kind Martin Sweet 16 party, here are the salient details of each of the new Style 16 models.
00L-16E (1935 Burst, Black Smoke, Blue Denim. $2,499.99 each)
A slope-shoulder 00 body pairs a gloss spruce top with satin solid mahogany back and sides for a warm, woody voice with punchy mids and controlled lows. It runs the short 24.9″ scale with scalloped X-bracing, built for fingerstyle players and songwriters who want touch and response from a compact body.
DSS-16E (1935 Burst, Black Smoke, Cherry Cola. $2,499.99 each)
Martin’s first-ever short-scale slope-shoulder Dreadnought, also on the 24.9″ scale. Solid spruce top over solid mahogany back and sides, ebony fingerboard and bridge, 20 frets, open-gear nickel tuners. A warm, punchy dreadnought voice in a more compact-feeling package.
J-16E (1935 Burst, Cream, Black Smoke. $2,599.99 each)
The Jumbo body in the lineup, aimed at players who want bold volume and deep bass for stage work. The Cream finish is built with a solid spruce top over solid East Indian rosewood back-and-sides—the one rosewood guitar among the three Jumbo finishes—giving it extra low-end depth and shimmer compared to its mahogany siblings.
GPC-16E ($2,599.99)
A Grand Performance cutaway with 000 depth, finished in a more traditional natural top with vintage tint rather than the bold gloss colors. It’s pitched as the balanced, comfortable option in the range, a stage-ready cutaway for easy upper-fret access.
Grand J-16E 12-String ($2,599.99)
A Grand Jumbo 12-string, also in natural top with vintage tint, built for lush shimmer, rich overtones, and room-filling sound. The big, chorus-textured option for broad strummed chords or layered accompaniment in a live set.
