While I agree that the relicing isn't overly realistic, it was the look of this model that made me buy it. I compared a lot of guitars before buying this one and most of the other guitars looked exactly like each other. This has a unique look about it that was the clincher for me, though I've always preferred the sound of Mahogany to Spruce/Rosewood for standalone singer/songwriter or folk styles.
Almost every guitarist has some kind of a sunburst guitar somewhere. I never hear anyone complain about that. Because I've never seen a sunburst guitar where you say: 'yes, that guitar looks like it's done by the sun'. Sunburst is also a kind of relic, that you can clearly see is not real but done by people. This Martin is very nicely done, so don't complain.
Took one of these down right before leaving a music store's acoustic guitar room. I'd played almost every Martin/Gibson/Guild acoustic they had in there looking for one that felt/sounded super right. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded. (Next I picked up its dreadnought sibling, another solid sleeper. Luckily both guitars were set up nicely too. A pair of good hogs!) I personally dig the 1-11/16" for my smaller hands. Yes, the "side-of-a-barn"-looking finish isn't to everyone's liking but as a gigging guitar it's less for me to be precious about if it gets dinged or scratched. If they made the dread version with a cutaway I'd own it already. It's a great guitar. Now if only they made the series with a gentle cutaway for those upper chords...c'mon Martin!
I got this last February and man I’m addicted to it, sounds great, slapped on a black angel pickup and tone wood amp for some fun and it’s amazing…..then again considering I love all things vintage and used looking I was attracted to the relic look from the getgo. From what I read, the finish was intended to pay homage to the street buskers of the world so of course it’s not as realistic as it would be but I feel like the finish complements the sound of it. Couldnt be happier almost a year later.
Is the back of this guitar flat enough for the TWA? I had a GS mini a couple years back and it didn’t connect the way I wanted it to because of the shape on the backside..
I bought a used OOO-15M with the good gig bag and I love it!! This bright even sound booms out of it. I have not put a pick up in it to try to keep the sound pure and true. Did I say that I love it? I love it.
I bought one of these from a shop on Reverb and couldn’t be happier. My first entry into more expensive guitars (and Martin in particular), and I fell in love with the dark wood. Sure, the “wear” may not look realistic, but it really sounds (and smells, my goodness) so good. I’m just someone who plays at home, so I’m not gigging with it. Perfect size for me, and very comfortable.
Some of my favs are the Pre-war guitar co. guitars. Their level 3 distress is like pulling it from behind your car for a week. The street master is visually a strong cup of coffee to be sure but even espresso has an audience. It's cheap and sounds good and some will love the faux distress. It's a midline solid top hog built for a certain consumer who wants something different aesthetically. Agreed the 12-fret slotty is cooler yet.
Purchased one a year ago used. Now I’m a devoted Strat player, ( been playing em for over 40yrs )so no great virtuoso on an acoustic, but I’m also a blues man & l love this guitar. I can’t put it down. Aesthetically you’ve made it clear you don’t like what Martin have created…… I think we get that, so why not close your eyes,open your ears & play. 🇬🇧
It's way nicer than the regular model. Something magical about it. #1 flaw is string spacing. #1 positive feel and tone. I recommend this guitar. Got mine in a trade and thought I was gonna flip it. It's my main acoustic now. I would rather have OM
I've played one of these and it's truly magically, HOWEVER, just get the 000-15m. It's $100 less, it comes with a hard case, Waverly tuners, and a regular finish. It really feels like a Standard Series guitar.
How can it be a "streetmaster" if I doesn't have electronics in it? Seems a little counterintuitive. It sounds good when played but the functionality is a bit limited without electronics? And $1,600 sounds like a lot without electronics. have I mentioned the missing electronics yet?
I bought this guitar about two years ago and love it. I just installed a k and k pickup in it, so I can’t wait to play out with it. It’s such a different voice than my J-15 or my Breedlove Oregon Concerto with myrtlewood b&s.
Just my opinions, I like the look of it and love a 1-11/16 nut width. In this video, I thought it sounded a little "thin" in places and that it may be a little over priced. I think I would have to personally play one to see if I can vibe with it.
I have one of these and yes the front of the body under my strumming arm is worn to a high gloss. I think it looks great though! Sounds amazing and ages really well.
I just got the 000-16 about a week ago. the adi top and sitka bracing is really surprisingly nice, among other things. Don’t worry, in my hands, the streetmaster finish becomes real authentic real quick. I’ve already got a home made soundport lol. Not rich, just stupid. But I’ll keep the guitar in perfect playing condition. This is what I call my last wife
Nice review. I scratched my last name in the heel of my ooo15….tastefully of course. It’s the one that’s always out and available if I need a quick strum sesh. And always in tune !
IMO, this is a very good and overall positive review. Jeremy’s “Whats bad about it” statements covering the looks and some of you in the comments are nothing more than personal preference. I like the look of the street master series (I also like the worn jeans look ;-). Martin likely knows it’s not for everyone but it appeals to enough people to make it a viable product. I actually have a standing search for a Martin GPC15ME Street Master. When the right one at the right price comes up I will buy it.
I spent hours in the guitar shop when I bought my 000-15M Streetmaster. I tried and tried to convince myself that the cheaper, more attractive, plain 000-15M sounded just as good, but it didn’t. The Streetmaster sounded better than every guitar I compared it against. Not sure if the finish makes a difference in the sound, or if this one is just exceptional. I’ve come to accept the finish because it sounds so stinking good.
For me, in my humble opinion, Mahogany is the king of tones. & the Martin 000-15 line is the best and some of the vintage pre war Martins that cost $40,000 sounds like it. That beefy, round, warm, sweet sound. The only downside to it is its only 11/16 width of the neck at the nut. Should be 1 & 3/4 width.
@@Dub1281 which I actually got already but I wanted to also have the 00 version or even a 0 version if they make one avail retail. But I want it in a 1 3/4 neck width.
I love your honesty and I agree totally. I would love the SM with the wider nut and 12 fret style that it is. As regarding the 16 Streetmaster, it is a terrified Adirondack top over rosewood. I know that they use mismatched parts and leftovers that didn't make the grade, but for $1600 with the VTS? Get one if you can, they sell themselves . Cheesy yes, but you get one and I will buy it! I will offer $800 for this (first offer).I have a friend who really needs a decent guitar for me sanitary and I think I want to help, but...
Great sound - don’t mind the relic look as it keeps me from over babying and freaking out when it gets that first mark ! Agreed on the Martin gig bags too ! Picked up a sweet little HPL back and sides 00L-X2e for the upcoming usual nasty dry indoor heated winter while my d-18 hides in her case. The gig bag it came with is awesome !
Love ya Jeremy, but ur missing the mark on the Streetmaster series. 1st, All major acoustic brands are now offering relic and worn models with a huge upcharge including martin with thier Stage 1 againg and so on. Streetmasters have a well worn in feel to them like a great pair of old comfy blue jeans and that super thin finish allows the guitar to resonate above its pay grade. I hope you warm up to them because I think they will be around for awhile. They are alot of guitar for the money plain and simple. Still love the videos...Rock on👍
I understand the relic resistance, but that guitar sounds great. I can see that as one to take out and play at places you wouldn't dare take a high end or boutique instrument. You could definitely travel with that one. Slap a K&K in there and you're ready to go.
looking for a small body to go along with my jumbo Taylor 415. have been looking into Martin's. Someone is selling one of these for 1k in town. It's at the TOP of my budget, but if it's a guitar that will keep it's value...i might be willing to pull the trigger. will the novelty of a model like this keep it from holding it's value?
I bought the 000-16 Street master yesterday. Not a big fan of the finish, but love everything thing else about the guitar. The 1 3/4 nut works a little better for my sausage fingers, and I like the brighter sound. I think the thin finish would look better if it was evenly applied over the whole guitar.
Dang. Where did my post go? I wrote to back your comment that the real question is Streetmaster vs. a USED 000-15. That's an easy question for me. Of course, I have a 000-15S and want the wider nut. So bizarre to do narrow on a fingerstyle instrument (I understand on the D-15).
I spent a while trying to decide between this one and the non reliced one as well as the 12 fret 000~15SM. Since my other Martin is a GPC-28E with the cutaway I finally decided to go with a 12 fret and I love it. The slotted headstock also looks kind of old school and the strings are not difficult to change but you need to wrap them correctly too. Thanks for you review.
I have the standard 15m and I LOVE it. I tried this SM with that relic finish and honestly I didn’t think it sounded better. The 15m had a magical quality to it and I think it simply looks better, too.
I have a chance to trade my D-15 for a 000-15m ... thoughts? I love the D-15 but my hand tends to find the smaller Taylor 214ce ... thinking the 000-15m would give me that smaller body with the Martin sound.
I am a beginner but when I bought my guitar I looked at Martin and Taylor mostly, I bought a gs mini koa, because I didn’t realize that the nut width would matter, for these 70 plus years old hands it does, like the 000-15 as it is to bad it doesn’t come with electronics and a 1 3/4 nut width but I will probably buy it or another Martin for my birthday next year. Love your reviews
“Old Navy Jeans” - this has become the household mantra for everything cheesy. Big smile from me when I heard it. i have this guitar. i agree with everything you say - good and bad. I love my Old Navy Jeans Guitar - oh my, how I do.
I agree man. I just got this exact guitar today, and frankly, the old Navy jeans caught my attention immediately when I walked into GC into the Martin/Taylor room. As soon as I saw it, I had to have a 'pair's of those! 🤣
The visuals might not be your cup of tea, but I like it, even though I agree on the fact that it doesn't look 'properly aged'. But I don't care, I think it looks cool. About the 000-16 Streetmaster...., if that guitar would have had a normal high gloss finish and some binding, it would be twice as expensive! I mean, the thing has rosewood back and sides, it's got an adirondack VTS top, scalloped bracing (again adirondack, if I'm not mistaken). That's basically an updated OM-28, if you disregard the finish. That's pretty insane!!! I just bought a 00-15m when the 000-16 Streetmaster came out. If I knew it would come out, I'm not sure what I would've done. I love the 00-15m and I had very good reasons why I chose that guitar. But knowing what I could have gotten for a little extra money..., that would've been a hard decision to make. 😊
I disagree, I don’t like gig-bags. My bias. I just bought Les Paul Tribute from Sweetwater, again, gig bag. I want a classic hard shell case with Gibson label. But, Jeremy remains a great guy! Happy new year Jeremy!
Jeremy, I love your reviews and usually agree with your comments but think you were a little hard on this guitar. I personally prefer the finish on this guitar as it does not stick to your hand like a gloss does. I have been playing Martin guitars since 1955 when I started playing my fathers 1945 D-18. I also have around 10 Martin guitars now, mostly vintage. My oldest is a 1870s 0-28 with nylon strings and the coffin case it was new in. My favorite now is the 1969 D-35 as it has such a wonderful tone and action. I have been playing in a live café off and on for the last 6 years and became tired of carrying my guitars and banjo on the bus every evening. I went to many guitar shops and finally purchased a Martin D-10E-02 (Sitka Top) guitar. I believe it is also a street master series guitar. It is solid wood and has great action and tone too. I never thought I would purchase a Mexican Made Martin guitar but the tone and action convinced me. I now am playing it evenings on the cafe’s stage and love it. Cannot believe the tone. Please sometime do a show on this model because out of the hundred or so guitars I looked at and played, it was the best. As I said it was a gift to the proprietor of the café so I wished to limit my spending to under $1500. I also like the electronics and inboard tuner that automatically disconnected you from the amp! A nice feature too. By the way I have lived in South Korea for 20 years and love it.❤ as I love your weekly reviews!
I have the basic d16e and been playing it for a year in my band and it just is awesome! It’s my baby I play it every single day… that soft case came with mine and I freaking love it and I. A hard case guy
The 15 series are awesome guitars. The only things I don’t love is that the small bodies are long scale and the really narrow string spacing at the bridge.
I have 4 Martins and 1 Guild, all different wood combinations, and while I do not have a 000-15M, my all mahogany is a D15M with K&Ks, and it is my go-to gig guitar for folk and Americana, and I often get great comments on how good an all mahogany guitar sounds at open mics. As a side note - I prefer 1 & 11/16 for finger picking. No wrong answers. I think what keeps the 000-15M Streetmaster price down is the finish. I also do not like slotted head stocks, so guitars like the D15M and 00015M Streetmaster fit the bill nicely.
Completely agree about the hardcase comments. I bought a 000-15m last year and the hardcase is useless for me as the guitar doesn’t leave my apartment. The hardcase is so damn hard to find a spot for lol
That was a really thoughtful review, Jeremy. I am a fan of the StreetMaster and own a dred jr. version. Your critique made me smile because of the detail you brought to it.
Curiously, how does the nut width impact a finger style player? I would think what your left hand is doing which, would seem to be impacted by the nut with, is independent of what your right hand is doing, finger style or flat picking.
Beautiful sounding guitar! As for gig bags, I recently bought a RainSong carbon fiber Jumbo, and love it! (Obviously still looking at wooden guitars though)… anyways, the ONLY disappointment was that the retailer forgot to swap out the hard case for a gig bag😢… now I have a 20 lb. behemoth of a case that it so heavy and cumbersome, that I hate schlepping it to a gig. I have ordered a gig bag…
I have this exact guitar and personally love the finish and relic look. Not many people buy this because of that and that's another reason I bought it. Very good guitar and sound is excellent. But I'm no snob.
What is the list price of this guitar? May your Thanksgiving be filled with delicious food and time spent with loved ones. In celebration of the holiday
That’s a cool Model! My first higher end guitar was a Martin 0015m that I ended up selling a few years back and I miss it. That mahogany smells amazing Everytime you open the case and had such a rich warm woody sounds similar to this one. Great guitars for the money. Later this week I’m picking up my second ever Martin and dream guitar, the CEO-7! After a year and a half wait (I’m a lefty) it’s here!!!
I have been eyeing this guitar for some time now i may pull the trigger?... Even the streetmaster jr seems nice! I kinda like mid to parlor sized acoustic guitars. Did the jumbo thing for a bit and they are nice too but... Rock on!!
I feel the same about the finish! It just looks silly for the most part. I have the newish Streetmaster tenor ukulele and had to search for one that didn’t have insensible relic/finish designs. It was almost like the wear marks were backwards on most I saw. I finally found one that didn’t look wonky at Elderly Instruments. It’s a great uke and I’m sure the guitar version is just as great…it’s just hard to get over one that is so cosmetically flawed. Call me shallow…I don’t care! I want an instrument that is inspiring and the look of it is a big part of it. Not to mention if you’re paying a paycheck or more you want something pretty.
They were going for an attractive worn look more than an actual used guitar in your hands fake used type. I like it, i like the regular model better subjectively, but tons of people love this guitar purely on that look (they sound the same minus variances guitar to guitar in any guitar). Great review!! liked
They’re both great sounding tires the street master and the regular one I got the Street master and the be honest I wish I just got the regular one because it comes with a hard shell case. This one comes with a soft shell case which doesn’t make sense to me. But still an amazing guitar it’s a Martin
I have the GPC 16e Rosewood Martin that comes with the same gig bag. While it might be useful for short trips in a car, I would never trust it for an airplane flight. My guitar is a $2000 guitar. I'm not going to use a gig bag case very often. The guitar itself is hands down the best guitar I have ever played. The action is excellent, and the tone accuracy is incomparable. The overall sound is superb. A dreadnought would produce more volume and bass, but then you sacrifice the cutaway fingering that provides access to the highest ranges. The tuning is also very accurate, though not quite perfect. But then I have never played a guitar with perfect tuning. I'm not sure they exist. I returned a $5000 Taylor 914ce because it buzzed and was very difficult to tune, and this Martin is superior in every way to the Taylor. My $2000 Martin incredibly has as much volume and a much more accurate sound than the vaunted Taylor 914ce. I was stunned. I would not have believed it had I not ordered them both and played them extensively. The GPC 16e Rosewood is a great alternative to this guitar and has a beautiful finish.
I don’t think it’s totally fair to call this a relic guitar. I HATE relics with a passion (unless I know it’s truly genuine wear) but love the looks of these. It seems more like a finish style to me than artificially wearing a regular guitar. 🤷🏻♂️ Either way, I just got one and it’s amazing. 🙌
Very weird that Martin still has, on almost all their 15 series models other than the slot, the narrower neck. The hogs, given who they are being marketed to, should especially have the 1 3/4 inch neck. Even the 000-10 has that.
the regular 000-15M is one of the greatest guitars I've owned in 40+ years of playing. Have owned other Martins. I don't get the artificial aging thing in any guitar but whatever floats your boat.
I have to disagree with you on the hard case gig bag situation. I have had kids run through my house and step on a hard case and no damage to the guitar but I guarantee that if that same kid stepped on that soft case that the Martin is in that would be a useless guitar. Way better than a bag but not close to a good hard case. If I could afford it I would have Anvil flight cases for my axes cause you can drop it down the stairs and it's still good. That's why the famous musicians use good cases. Plus they have rodies lol. I enjoy your channel, Thanks!
they definitely have a very unique sound to compared to even other mahogany top guitars. that warm bassy and punchy martin sound, but super smooth with the mahogany top while also clear and very open and wide which other manufacturers are missing. very hard to put into words but imo the standard for mahogany guitars. most other ones just sound muffled or too much like spruce from what I have seen.
Completely doesn't get the reason why Martin makes this guitar to look the way it does....Martin was aiming towards a certain genre.. You can just look at this guitar and hear it before you play it....Good job Martin....first guitar in years that drew my attention...
For Martin recompensing you with that guitar in exchange for the review I got to say is it crappy deal on Martin's behalf. This was not a really good review and didn't really speak to the guitar's essence. Maybe talk more about what other mahogany guitars have in comparison like the 0015. There's a lot of stuff in the background, too flashy for an honest review. Definitely yourself out to Martin; an honest reviewer would say don't buy this guitar and it's better to invest in other Martin instruments. However you said "Martin gave this to me so you can over pay for it just like I did!"
The tone is nice but the 🧀factor would turn me away. That said, I have to respect their commitment to innovating relic'ing by added some wear and tear to the top left shoulder. Legendary.
Another great video. I'm not in the camp of people who like a guitar to be distressed by The manufacturer (to look like it's old and used). If I buy a new guitar, I want it to look new. The finish on that one looks like an amateur did it, messed it up, and they are calling it distressed, or vintage look...lol . I think it sounds good, for an all mahogany guitar though. It's just not my "cup of tea".
I got the 000-15m. Absolutely love it! I ordered it & had to wait a full year for it, because I wanted it with no pick-guard. People kept telling me the Streetmaster version came with no pick-guard standard… but I couldn’t get over the ‘cheese factor” of the finish. I am happy I waited, it’s beautiful & feels great to play. Https://youtube.com/@michaelsongs
