Martin started building 14-fret 00-size guitars in the '30s, but the less-common slope-shoulder 00L offers a different take on the compact body size than the square-shouldered 00 Martins. Both designs offer a comfortable footprint and a focused voice, but the 00L’s slope shoulders give it a broader, rounder outline and a slightly different tonal character. The result is warm, woody response with punchy midrange, clear trebles, and controlled low end, along with a surprising amount of projection for its size.
Part of Martin’s all-new 16 Series, the 00L-16E offers the slope-shoulder 00 body with a Spruce top with Mahogany back and sides. Underneath, scalloped X-bracing helps optimize response and widen the dynamic range. The 24.9" scale length gives it a comfortable feel, and the 1935 Burst finish adds the appropriate vintage-inspired aesthetic. The new 16-Series have gloss top finishes, and on this 00L-16E, that lets the Spruce grain flash through the burst. The satin-finished back and sides provide a nice contrast, and the Antique White binding is the perfect contrast.
The 00L-16E features a 1-3/4" nut width and a Modified Low Oval neck profile with Martin’s High-Performance Taper. In your hands, this guitar feels comfortable and manageable, and the approachable scale feels relaxes and accessible across the Ebony fingerboard. The Ebony Straightline bridge looks appropriate with the 1935 Burst finish, but it also helps response and resonance because it's lighter than a bigger belly bridge. Factory-installed L.R. Baggs Element electronics make this guitar ready to plug in for live performance, and open-gear Grover tuning machines keep everything honest.
In practice, the 00L-16E proves a formidable alternative to the traditional square-shoulder 00. Its sloped-shoulder body brings a different visual character but also a woody, responsive voice with midrange presence. An excellent choice for finger picking, the mellow, mid-focused voice accompanies voice nicely as well. For lead work, it has a more direct sound that bites and growls when you dig in. The 1935 Burst finish brings a classic look to a modern 16 Series design, making this a versatile instrument that feels equally at home on the couch, in the studio, or on stage.
- Body Size: Slope Shoulder 00 14-Fret
- Top Material: Spruce Top
- Color: 1935 Burst
- Top Finish: Gloss
- Back & Sides: Mahogany
- Back & Sides Finish: Satin
- Back & Sides Color: Dark Mahogany
- Bracing: Forward Shifted X, Scalloped
- Neck Material: Select Hardwood
- Neck Shape: Modified Low Oval
- Neck Taper: High-Performance Taper
- Scale Length: 24.9"
- Fingerboard Material: Ebony Fingerboard
- Width at Nut: 1 3/4" Fingerboard
- Width at 12th Fret: 2 1/8"
- Fingerboard Inlay: 1955 Style-18, Mother of Pearl
- Neck Joint: Simple Dovetail
- Bridge Material: Ebony
- Bridge Style: Modern Straightline, Drop-in Saddle
- Bridge String Spacing: 2 5/32"
- Saddle: TUSQ, 16" Radius
- Bridge Pins: Black Polymer with Abalone Dots
- Pickguard: Grained Ivoroid
- Rosette: Custom Multi-Stripe
- Binding: Antique White
- Headplate: East Indian Rosewood
- Tuning Machines: Nickel Open Gear, Butterbean Knobs
- Nut: Bone
- Scale Length: 24.9"
- Electronics: L.R. Baggs Element