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Solid sapele back, sides, and top with the Martin StreetMaster styling, the 000C-Jr StreetMaster is a fully-realized acoustic-electric guitar in a travel-friendly size that has a warm, mellow tone.
000CJR-10E StreetMaster list price $749
List price: $749.
Full Review Coming Soon
CEO-10 specs include: Solid tonewoods throughout, 14-fret 000 body size; figured Guatemalan rosewood back and sides, FSC certified European spruce top with 1933 Ambertone shading and Style 42 abalone purling and rosette; 1/4″ scalloped FSC certified European spruce bracing with Golden Era scalloping, composite carbon fiber/torrefied Adirondack spruce bridge plate; solid South American mahogany short-scale neck with Vintage Deluxe profile and two-way adjustable titanium alloy support rod; ebony fingerboard with Higher Performance taper, 1-3/4″ width at the bone nut, 2-/8″ width at the 12th fret, abalone fret position markers in circa 1917 William Foden pattern; ebony belly bridge with bone drop-in saddle and 2-5/32″ string spacing, and Style 42 snowflake inlays; wood fiber accents and back strip; flamed European maple binding on the body, neck, and headstock; Guatemalan rosewood headstock face plate with abalone 1932 C. F. Martin & Co. script logo over 1930 Style 45 Deluxe abalone torch inlay; Waverly open-back butter bean tuning machines; Guatemalan rosewood pickguard with abalone Style 45 Deluxe floral inlay. Limited to 100 instruments.
“The Martin CEO-10 has a full-bodied voice with impressive bass response and an expansive, ethereal projection that sounds much more like a long-scale OM to my ear, than the typical gathered and punchy sound of a short-scale 000. Yet it offers the playability of the shorter string scale, made all the more comfortable thanks to the asymmetrical Vintage Deluxe neck profile.”
C. F. Martin & Company breaks with the tradition and offers six new models in the venerable Standard Series made with a matte satin finish. The D-28 Satin and D-18 Satin replicate the classic D-28 and D-18 but with a satiny matte finish instead of the high-gloss finish used on previous Standard Series models.
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These new dreadnoughts provide the design platform for their sibling models, the D-28 Amberburst, D-18 Amberburst, with the latest burst finish to come from the minds of Martin’s Instrument Design Department, and the visually impressive D-28 Street Legend and D-18 Street Legend, with spruce soundboards that have the appearance of some serious playing wear that is an optical illusion of sorts.
Like the darker and well-loved Ambertone finish used on various Martin models, this new Amberburst is inspired by 1930s Martins made with a shaded top similar to Martin’s 1935 Sunburst that has faded over time. More of the grain of the spruce shows through this new burst and the center of the burst has is basically the same color as an unshaded spruce top.
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The new Street Legend models have the same satin finish but the spruce soundboards have received a realistic-looking digital painting replicating the playing wear on vintage Martins found in the collection of the Martin Museum. It looks similar to Martin’s Aged models in the Authentic Series, but is actually under the finish and a 2D painting rather than being achieved by someone physically distressing the lacquer and wood.
The D-18 Street Legend’s top features the wear actually received by the famous 1953 D-18 nicknamed “Grandpa” and formally owned by the late Kurt Cobain of the grunge band Nirvana. The D-28 Street Legend replicates the wear from a vintage D-28 with no particular celebrity association and not nearly a as much wear and tear. Both tops look amazingly like the finish has been worn way from decades of hard strumming, but when I ran my hand across the satin finish it was smooth “as a baby’s cheek.”
Pewter-colored nickel tuners add to the impression that these Street Legend models are old Martin guitars. They are otherwise in pristine condition, with no further “aging,” painted or otherwise.
These new dreadnoughts have a lacquer finish on the back, sides, and top that it is not polished and buffed out to the full gloss we are used to seeing on a rosewood D-28 and mahogany D-18. To the touch the body finish is identical to the satin finish that Martin has used for Standard Series necks since the late twentieth century. This may mean fewer layers of lacquer have been applied.
At $400 less than the high-gloss versions, it is wondered just how identical these new models are with the old, other than the finish. When I stopped by the Martin factory on Friday, I was given the impression they are indeed the same in terms of bracing, neck joint, and overall joinery. I expect to get some quotable quotes later today, as I will return to Martin at 9:00 AM to meet up with key designers and sample more of the 2023 Martin models.
Whatever differences may exist between these Satin models and their full-gloss counterparts, the effect on tone is noticeable immediately. Each Satin model has an expressive openness highlighted by clean top notes and a more ethereal undertone.
In direct sound comparisons at Maury’s Music, I found the traditional high-gloss versions to have a thicker, throatier voice. Not only do the new Satin models offer more-affordable Standard Series options, they offer a new kind of tone that will appeal to many players, perhaps more than the traditional full-gloss models.
Martin has used a satin finish on many models outside of the Standard Series and it is used with great success by other builders, most notably Lowden guitars from Northern Ireland, as well as many builders of high-end classical guitars.
NEW! Martin CEO-10 Review
More 2023 Martins to be announced soon!
Specs for D-45 Modern Deluxe include: All solid wood construction; Indian rosewood back and sides; Vintage Tone System torrefied Sitka spruce top with Golden Era scalloped, forward-shifted, VTS torrefied Adirondack spruce bracing attached with natural protein glue; composite bridge plate of carbon fiber/torrefied Adirondack spruce; Genuine mahogany neck with Vintage Deluxe profile, two-way adjustable titanium alloy support rod, hand-fitted dovetail neck joint and solid mahogany neck block; ebony fretboard with High Performance Taper, 1-3/4” width at nut, 2-1/8” at 12th fret, abalone fret position markers, EVO Gold frets, solid bone nut; ebony bridge with Liquidmetal bridge pins, compensated solid bone saddle and 2-5/32” string spacing; European flamed maple binding; high gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish on the body, satin neck finish; ebony headstock faceplate with polished gloss finish, 1920s-style torch inlay; golden Waverly open back tuners with butter bean knobs.
“The piano-like report of the fundamental notes is solid and immediate, igniting astonishing natural resonance. The voice is huge and rich but never muddy or harsh. Every inch of this guitar earns the right to be called the Martin D-45 Modern Deluxe.”
Specs of the 000-16 StreetMaster include: Auditorium 000 size; all-solid tonewoods including Indian rosewood back and sides, Adirondack spruce soundboard with Vintage Tone System torrefaction, and 5/16″ scalloped braces; short-scale High Performance neck with Modified Low Oval profile; Indian rosewood fingerboard with 1-3/4″ width at nut, 2-1/8th at 12th fret, short pattern Diamond and Squares position markers; Indian rosewood bridge with 2-5/32″ string spacing at the bone saddle; StreetMaster distressed satin finish; open gear Golden Age Relic tuning machines with cream buttons; soft shell case.
“The VTS Adirondack spruce helps make the 000-16 StreetMaster sound bright and expressive to the point of effervescent, yet it has a warm heart, thanks to the rosewood back and sides.”
CS SD specs include: New SD-14 Fret body size; all-solid tonewood construction, choose between high flame koa or Guatemalan rosewood back and sides, Vintage Tone System Sitka spruce top with tri-color wood fiber herringbone purfling; forward 5/6″ scalloped Sitka spruce bracing; Genuine mahogany neck with a traditional full dovetail neck joint, Modified Low Oval profile; ebony fingerboard with High Performance taper, 1-3/4″ width at nut, 2-1/8″ at the 12th fret, long pattern Diamonds & Squares fret position markers; ebony belly bridge with short saddle and 2-5/32″ string spacing; abalone script headstock logo; nickel Grover tuning machines; natural nitrocellulose high gloss body finish and satin neck finish.
D-28 Authentic 1937 specs include: All-solid tonewoods with hot hide glue construction; Guatemalan rosewood back and sides; Vintage Tone System torrefied Adirondack spruce top with scalloped, forward-shifted VTS Adirondack spruce bracing, pre-war style tucked tone bars and tucked maple bridge plate; one-piece mahogany neck with 1937 V shaping unique to this model, T-bar neck reinforcement; 1-3/4″ width at the bone nut and 2-5/16″ string spacing at the long, glued-in bone saddle; ebony fingerboard and 1930s-style belly bridge; ebony bridge pins; faux tortoise body binding and pickguard; open-back Waverly tuning machines; Martin’s Authentic Series thin finish in Vintage Gloss sheen; grained ivoroid body binding
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D-18 Authentic 1937 specs include: All-solid tonewoods with hot hide glue construction; tropical American mahogany back and sides; Vintage Tone System torrefied Adirondack spruce top with scalloped, forward-shifted VTS Adirondack spruce bracing, pre-war style tucked tone bars and tucked maple bridge plate; one-piece mahogany neck with 1937 V shaping unique to this model, T-bar neck reinforcement; 1-3/4″ width at the bone nut and 2-1/4″ string spacing at the long, glued-in bone saddle; ebony fingerboard and 1930s-style belly bridge; ebony bridge pins; faux tortoise body binding and pickguard; open-back Waverly tuning machines; Martin’s Authentic Series thin finish in Vintage Gloss sheen.
Read the Full Review HERE
CS-SC-13 specs include: 13-fret asymmetrical S body size with deep scoop cutaway; solid East Indian rosewood back and sides; solid VTS Sitka spruce top, with newly patented internal soundboard recurve; VTS Adirondack spruce Tone Tension X-bracing with proprietary shaping; heel-less solid Genuine Mahogany neck with Sure Align neck joint system and ergonomic Low Profile Velocity shaping; solid ebony fingerboard with High Performance Taper and EVO Gold frets; solid ebony belly bridge with 1930 profile but smooth contour surface; 2-5/32” string spacing; abalone shell appointments exclusive to this model; faux tortoise asymmetrical teardrop pickguard; gold-colored Waverly high-ratio open back tuners; Fishman Aura VT Blend electronics with Aura HD imaging and onboard anti-feedback technology. Comes with a silver molded hard-shell case with plush lining.
“Unplugged, the CS-SC-22 resonates with a warm harmonic complexity beyond the capability of other SC models. But its maximum potential will be realized during amplified on-stage performances.”
Read the in-depth CS-SC-22 review HERE
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