Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

About the Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

The 000-15SM shares its all-solid-mahogany top, back and sides with the standard 000-15M, but is built to the older 12-fret-to-the-body specification rather than the more common modern 14-fret design. Moving the body join two frets earlier shifts the bridge position relative to the guitar's overall length, which players and builders generally associate with a slightly bassier, more resonant voice - a tradeoff against the reduced upper-fret access that comes with the shorter neck-to-body distance.

The 12-fret design pairs naturally with a slotted headstock, styled after pre-war designs, with a square-taper peghead and script-logo overlay in East Indian rosewood. Bracing is non-scalloped spruce X-bracing in a satin finish, the fingerboard is East Indian rosewood at 25.4-inch scale with a 1 3/4-inch nut, and tuners are Golden Age-style bright nickel side-mount units rather than the more common modern sealed tuners - hardware chosen to match the guitar's vintage-inspired overall design.

Where to buy

• Reverb 1.710 EUR Best price View details
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Source: https://reverb.com/item/93108663-martin-000-15sm-12-fret-with-original-hardcase

Sound character of the Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

Like the 000-15M, the all-mahogany 000-15SM keeps a warm, dry, midrange-focused voice, but its 12-fret neck joint moves the bridge closer to the center of the lower bout, coupling it to a larger vibrating area of the top for a slightly rounder, more complex overtone response than the otherwise similar 14-fret 000-15M.

Technical data for the Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

Price history for the Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

Cheapest seen: 1.710 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 2.100 EUR

The history of the Martin 000-15SM 12-Fret

Twelve-fret body construction was standard on Martin guitars before the mid-1930s, when the company began shifting most production to the now-standard 14-fret design at the request of players wanting more upper-fret access. Martin has periodically reintroduced 12-fret variants of its models, including this version of the 15 Series, for players who specifically want the tonal character and vintage aesthetic associated with the older body join.