Martin 15 And 17 Guide

The number before the hyphen identifies size. It is part of the model, so an 0-17 and a 00-17 need separate identification. The Martin size decoder explains the numbering and measurements. Count the zeros carefully when reading a worn stamp; a faint impression can disappear under direct glare.

All-mahogany describes the body’s top, back and sides. It doesn’t mean that the fingerboard, bridge, binding or internal components are mahogany. Examine the soundboard’s grain separately from its color. Stain and an amber finish can make spruce and mahogany appear closer in a phone photograph than they do in person.

This list follows the original model descriptions and price groups in the 2026 annual guide, with early construction context from the illustrated Style 15 and 17 archive. It is a list of versions to distinguish, not a claim that every model ran continuously through every intervening year. Rare examples need their own records.

Style 17 existed before the familiar all-mahogany guitars. Early versions can have spruce tops and, in some periods, rosewood backs and sides. The illustrated Style 17 archive traces the later all-mahogany 2-17 from 1922. The early Martin guide provides the broader construction checks for older instruments.

That distinction matters with an early 0-17, 2-17 or 000-17. A dark finish doesn’t convert a spruce top into mahogany, and a reused model name doesn’t establish identical construction. Document the top from several angles and include the soundhole edge where it can be photographed without disturbing the instrument.

Earlier 00-17 values remain with the early value guide. The all-mahogany chart paired with this page excludes those earlier versions. It also keeps a spruce-top 0-17S separate from an ordinary all-mahogany 0-17, even though the numerical part of the stamp looks familiar.

Before putting heavier strings on an early guitar, establish its construction and condition with a qualified repairer. Existing strings show how the guitar is currently set up. They don’t supply a repair history or establish the tension it was designed to support.

The 0-16NY is a twelve-fret guitar with a spruce soundboard and mahogany back and sides. Its slotted headstock, plain fingerboard and rectangular bridge distinguish the familiar original configuration. The New Yorker history dates the model’s introduction to 1961 alongside the rosewood 00-21NY.

The clean 1962 guitar below shows those visible features without a pickguard. Photograph the entire top, because a later guard can cover wear or repairs. The presence of a guard calls for an explanation and supporting evidence; it doesn’t automatically establish when the guitar was made.

New Yorker stringing deserves an individual assessment. Historical descriptions discuss nylon and silk-and-steel use on these lightly built guitars. That history is not a blanket recommendation for an arbitrary modern string set. Ask a repairer to evaluate the actual top, bridge, neck and current setup before changing tension.

Don’t confuse the 0-16NY with the 00-21NY. The latter is a larger rosewood model with its own identification and value groups. Nor should a 00-16C classical guitar be absorbed into this category; it belongs with the classical Martins.

Joe’s 1962 0-16NY description records a clean guitar with checking and good action. The photo set supplies a readable serial as well as a bridge view. Even on a preserved example, the saddle height, heel joint and interior remain useful inspection points.

Use Martin’s factory serial table for the year range and the neck-block reference for period markings. The model line and serial line answer different questions. A number can date an instrument without establishing that all its current parts are original.

Earlier instruments can lack a model stamp, especially before routine stamping began around October 1930. Record body dimensions, top wood, trim and neck joint rather than inventing a missing model line. Show the wood around a stamp so that sanding, damage or unusual impressions remain visible to the reviewer.

This 1954 00-17 interior view is a dated comparison from Joe’s archive. Obtain similarly useful photographs of the guitar being assessed: the X intersection, brace profiles, bridge plate and surrounding top. An exterior picture of a mahogany soundboard cannot establish any of those hidden details.

Keep X position separate from scalloping. The first describes layout; the second describes brace shape. Later carving may change a brace’s profile while leaving its location intact. Look for altered edges and joints, then ask for repair documentation where the photographs raise questions. The prewar guide supplies the broader inspection method.

A bridge-plate cap can conceal worn pin holes. A larger replacement can hide damaged wood or alter the original interior. Record the full plate outline and any added pieces. The appraisal needs that information even if the exterior bridge appears tidy and the guitar plays comfortably.

Hidden neck reinforcement is another reason to avoid certainty from a few exterior pictures. A nonadjustable rod’s cross-section isn’t visible through the soundhole. Repair records and an appropriate in-hand examination can resolve questions that a serial number and the absence of an adjustment nut cannot.

An H suffix identifies a Hawaiian version in the vintage rows used here. Examine the nut, saddle, frets, neck relief and any conversion work before describing it as an ordinary Spanish-playing guitar. A converted instrument needs an account of what changed and how well the resulting geometry works.

T suffix models, including 0-17T and 5-17T, belong with the tenor Martins. Plectrum instruments have a separate guide. The body’s resemblance to a six-string model doesn’t make its market or construction interchangeable.

Modern 000-15, 000-15M, 00-15M, 5-15 and current 000-17 instruments require their actual serial date and complete designation. Later 00-17 revivals also need separate treatment. The model guide explains why a familiar number can return on a different production version.

Custom Shop twelve-fret guitars and signature models, including the 00-DB Jeff Tweedy, need their factory specifications. Don’t assign a prewar date from dark wood, simple trim or a slotted headstock. A CUSTOM stamp should prompt a request for the build sheet or factory confirmation.

For suspected counterfeits, follow the fake Martin guide: compare the complete instrument, block, logo, materials and internal construction. An altered original and an incorrectly branded instrument raise different questions. Keep the maker, date, original model and current modifications as separate findings.