Martin Custom 000-MMV Review – Small Package Packs A Punch

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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Guitarists who want a Martin, but don’t want to break the bank, will often go for the Custom MMV, which – 12 years after its conception – has become a true modern-day classic.

For those guitarists who love the style, sound and affordability, but aren’t keen on the big dreadnought body shape, the Custom 000-MMV may appeal more. This acoustic guitar delivers everything its bigger brother does, but in a smaller package. So is it worth the extra cash?

Body And Neck

As mentioned in the introduction, the construction of the Custom 000-MMV is pretty much identical to that of the Custom MMV. It features an auditorium body shape with a scale length of 25.4”, but with a tighter waist, lower bout, and a slightly narrower body, which makes it excellent for beginners or players with smaller hands.

Made at the factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the 000-MMV’s construction is an all-solid affair – the ‘tone engine’ (as Martin refer to it) top is made of Sitka spruce, with East Indian rosewood back and sides, all finished in a breathable nitrocellulose lacquer that allows the wood to resonate and age naturally.

The neck on the 000-MMV is joined to the guitar at the 14th fret with Martin’s ‘Simple Dovetail’ joint, which gives great wood-to-wood contact, resulting in more sustain. The neck itself is made from satin-finished tropical mahogany with a modified low oval profile, along with an ebony fretboard featuring 20 frets and a nut width of 1.69”. Very fast, and feels smooth in the hands.

Hardware

This is a solely acoustic guitar, so there are no electronics to talk about. However the minimal hardware the 000-MMV comes with is all quality.

At the headstock – which boasts the classic Martin & Co. logo – you’ll find six luxurious gold-plated Gotoh tuners, with small tuning keys that offer fine tuning stability. The nut is made of White Corian – as is the saddle, which sits on a black ebony bridge, to match the fretboard.

Finally, the guitar comes shipped with a good Martin hardshell case, which is an essential extra – and no less than you’d expect at this price.

Sound

So how does it fare sound-wise? The guitar resonates very well, and the materials combine to deliver plenty of tone and projection, although it’s not quite as booming as the bigger Custom MMV – as you’d expect thanks to the smaller body.

It’s very well-balanced across the tonal spectrum and, as such, is a great all-rounder. Perfect for any genre of music, from fingerstyle to blues, with bags of sustain for the latter thanks to that dovetail joint. It’s also a good accompaniment to vocalists.

Conclusion

As a personal opinion, I prefer the look of this cuter 000-MMV to the bigger dreadnought style MMV. And while it is substantially more expensive than its bigger brother, the extra playability is probably worth it.

The guitar is very attractive, feels perfect in its build quality (what else would you expect from a Martin in this $2000 price range?!), has solid components, a good factory set-up, and sounds very, very sweet. Unless you need the extra boom, this 000-MMV is well worth considering for any guitarist, whatever your level.

For more info about the Martin Custom 000-MMV, click here.
For more acoustic guitar under $2000 you might like, click here.