Fun li'l NGD! 00L-17

Guitars+gems · #1 07-27-2017, 05:41 PM

So this is my new, to me, Martin 00L-17! I bought it from forum member madhat, very nice person to deal with; the price was very fair, guitar was exactly as described, was well packed, was shipped and arrived promptly.

I had been wanting one of these ever since I first saw one. First time I've been attracted to a guitar purely by its looks. I knew the specs and had listened to several YT recordings, so I had some idea what to expect, but had never played one myself. They don't come up often, so I decided to take a chance.

The color I would say is more deep, deep, brown than black. You can see that in the photo of the back, which is blasted out with sun. I think it's beautiful. The weight is just 3 pounds, and the finish is thin. The whole thing looks and feels very old-timey, even the case, which was a nice surprise. To me this guitar is like...if you were a teen in the 1950's (I wasn't), your friend's older brother would have had one and he'd have played Blue Suede Shoes on it!

The sound is actually very much like Spoon Phillip's demo of it at Maury's.
I'm not accomplished at discerning nuances of sound, let alone describing them, but at first it hit me as kind of, I don't know...clear? Sort of metallic (strung with monels). But with looong sustain. After I played it for a while, it seemed more complex. Like, there's more to it than you think at first listen. I can play it softly and it still sounds clear and pretty. If I hit it hard, it sounds loud and clear and dynamic. My HD28v has a sound that is utterly thrilling to me. I would say this guitar's sound is not thrilling but delightful. And its light weight, comfy size, shorter scale, make it a delight to play! The action is not extremely low, but it feels good. My fingers played for an hour without discomfort. My flat picked Cold, Frosty Morning sounds perfect on it! On my dread, it's almost a different song. Still good though!

Yeah, I'm happy with it. I think it's a very fun little guitar to have.

2017-07-27_03-30-34 by onlythismoment, on Flickr

2017-07-27_03-17-52 by onlythismoment, on Flickr

2017-07-27_04-05-05 by onlythismoment, on Flickr

2017-07-27_03-34-59 by

[/url]2017-07-27_03-31-02 by onlythismoment, on Flickr

arwhite · #2 07-27-2017, 05:59 PM

Very cool. This one is on my short list right now. Enjoy!

BrunoBlack · #3 07-27-2017, 06:02 PM

Very nice. Happy NGD!

llew · #4 07-27-2017, 06:26 PM

Congrats! Got one myself...same color. Yep, they are a ton of fun. Dry, woody, vintage sounding and a big bang for the buck. Enjoy it Denise!

Guitars+gems · #5 07-27-2017, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llew

Congrats! Got one myself...same color. Yep, they are a ton of fun. Dry, woody, vintage sounding and a big bang for the buck. Enjoy it Denise!

Jim, I think I'd like to be let loose on your collection!

Organic Sounds Select Guitars · #6 07-27-2017, 06:43 PM

I love the black (or dark, dark brown) and white! And this is a great compliment to your HD-28V. Your description of the difference, "thrilling" versus "delightful" is right on. Cool little guitar - have a great time with it

llew · #7 07-27-2017, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guitars+gems

Jim, I think I'd like to be let loose on your collection!

You're welcome to come on by anytime! I'd sure enjoy some guitar playing company!

Brick is Red · #8 07-27-2017, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arwhite

Very cool. This one is on my short list right now. Enjoy!

Same here. I love the looks and liked the two that I played

billyfamilyvide · #9 07-27-2017, 08:19 PM

Bloody gorgeous! Hear hear!

Enjoy.

TBman · #10 07-27-2017, 08:22 PM

Congrats! They have a great bluesy tone those guitars.

Guitars+gems · #11 07-27-2017, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guitars+gems

Jim, I think I'd like to be let loose on your collection!

Too bad So California is so far from South Carolina

tippy5 · #12 07-27-2017, 09:24 PM

Gorgeous off white tuner buttons, FB dots, binding and pick guard.
Very easy on the eyes. Nice Martin compliment to the lush Martin dread.

madhat · #13 07-27-2017, 10:37 PM

So glad you are diggin' this guitar Denise!! I think now you can see why the indecisiveness

wonderful guitar for sure.

All the best
madhat.

lastingimage · #14 07-27-2017, 11:06 PM

I liked my 00L-17 so much that I purchased the 000-17 a week later. I own higher end Martins with a slightly more refined tone but none are more fun or comfortable to play as my pair of 17's

Guitars+gems · #15 07-28-2017, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LWSog

I love the black (or dark, dark brown) and white! And this is a great compliment to your HD-28V. Your description of the difference, "thrilling" versus "delightful" is right on. Cool little guitar - have a great time with it

Thank you, Larry! I love having these 2 guitars!

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastingimage

I liked my 00L-17 so much that I purchased the 000-17 a week later. I own higher end Martins with a slightly more refined tone but none are more fun or comfortable to play as my pair of 17's

Wow, that's a great endorsement for this 17 series. Whiskey Burst is pretty too!