Martin Guitars 17 Series: Acoustic Guitar Series Overview

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.

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 12^th fret as opposed to the 14^th Most modern guitars join at the 14^th 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.