Martin Guitars 17 Series: Acoustic Guitar Series Overview

Published Categorized as Brand Spotlight, Guitar selection, Martin
Martin Guitars 17 Series

This is a brief overview of Martin Guitars 17 Series acoustic guitars.

There are 6 different models in the 17 series ? plus an alternative finish for each model. Each model has an option to have a ?Black Smoke? finish or a ?Whiskey Sunset? finish, depending on your aesthetic preferences.

Being part of a series they have more similarities than differences ? but the different options will appeal to different people.

The guitars in the 17 series are:

  • 000-17
  • 000-17E
  • 00L-17
  • 00L-17E
  • 00-17S
  • 00-17SE

These names all sound quite similar but they?re fairly simple to decipher.

  • 000 stands for Martin?s 000 body type
  • The 00 for the 17 series stands for Martin?s 00-12 fret body type
  • The 00L stands for Martin?s 00-14 fret slope shouldered body type
  • The 17 stands for 17 series
  • Those with an ?E? in the name are acoustic-electrics
  • I’m actually not entirely sure what the ?S? stands for in the 2 12-fret models ? but the only difference I can see (apart from being 12-fret and a different shape) is that they don?t have pickguards and the other models do.

You could also say that there are only really 3 different models ? each one has the option of electronics or no electronics, in addition to the color option.

Prices

Prices in the series range between $1,999 and $2,549.

All prices mentioned are in US Dollars and are the MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price).

Alright let’s take a look at each guitar individually.


Martin 000-17: MSRP $1,999


The 000-17 features:

  • Body Shape/Size: 000 (Auditorium in other nomenclature)
  • Solid Sitka Spruce Top
  • Solid Mahogany Back and Sides
  • Scalloped, X bracing – Sitka Spruce Bracing
  • Modified low oval neck shape with high performance taper
  • Rosewood Fingerboard
  • 9? (632mm) scale length
  • 1 3/4? (44mm) nut width
  • Bone Nut
  • Rosewood Bridge with Compensated Bone saddle
  • Black Plastic bridge pins
  • Cutaway: No cutaway (no models in this series have cutaways)
  • Electronics: None for this model but there is an option that’s identical except that it has electronics

The 000-17 comes in 2 color options ? Black Smoke and Whiskey sunset. It features a shortened 24.9? (632mm) scale length (as do all the guitars in this series) for ease of play.

This model is in Martin?s 000 size ? aka Auditorium, which is a little smaller than a Grand Auditorium but a little bigger than a Grand Concert.


Martin 000-17: MSRP $2,549


The only difference between this and the 000-17 is that it has built in electronics (Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT1).

It also comes in the two different finish options ? Black Smoke and Whiskey Sunset.


Martin 00L-17: MSRP $1,999


The main difference between this and the 000-17 is that it is in Martin?s 00 Slope Shoulder size ? this is a grand concert sized guitar and is smaller than the 000-17.

All other specs mentioned above for the 000-17 are the same.

The table below shows the difference in size for the guitars in this series.

 00000L (sloped shoulder)00 (12 fret)
Overall Length39 13/16? (1011mm)39 9/16? (1005mm)37 3/4? (959mm)
Body Length19 3/8? (492mm)19 7/16? (494mm)19 5/8? (498mm)
Lower Bout Width15? (381mm)14 3/4? (375mm)14 1/8? (359mm)
Body depth4 1/8? (105mm)4 1/8? (105mm)4 1/16? (103mm)

Martin 00L-17E: MSRP $2,549


This is the 00L-17 with built in electronics ? the ?Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT1 electronics like on the 000-17E model. This naturally raises the price too.


Martin 00-17S: MSRP $1,999


There are a couple of difference between this and the first guitar we looked at above. Compared to the 000-17 the main differences are:

  • This is a 12-Fret model (meaning that the neck joins the body at the 12th fret as opposed to the 14th Most modern guitars join at the 14th fret).
  • It is in Martin?s 00 12-fret shape/size (which is a little smaller again to the 00L models above)
  • It doesn’t feature a pick guard as the other models do

Everything else, like the tonewoods, scale length etc are the same as on the other models.


Martin 00-17SE: MSRP $2,549


You guessed it! This is the acoustic-electric version of the 00-17SE.


In short

Martin Guitars 17 series features 3 main models ? each with an option of electronics and without. The electric-acoustic models expectedly come at a higher price.

Each model, including the electric-acoustic models, come with the option of either a ?Black Smoke? finish or a ?Whiskey Sunset? finish. So all in all, there are 12 options.

There are 3 different shapes/sizes:

  • 000 (Auditorium)
  • 00L (sloped shouldered Grand Concert)
  • 00 12-Fret (12-Fret Grand Concert)

The history behind the name Martin is justifying this brand positioning as one of the top ten acoustic guitar brands, so I don’t think you will have any problem visualising the work and dedication behind the Martin’s 17 Series guitars.

By Nate

Nate is just your average (above average) guitar player. He's no Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page - wait this site is about acoustic guitars (sorry) He's no Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins, or Michael Hedges, wait? who!? He's no Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton or Ben Harper - more familiar? Anyway you get the point :-)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *