POTW - Martin 000-17SM

You might think I just sit back all day running through the litany of cool gear suitable for POTW but, let me assure you... well, you're right. I do. We've got a lot of cool gear here at PMC @ Broadway and, sooner or later, we're going to tell you about all of it. 

A few weeks back, Carrie (our Manager) went to Anaheim, California for the annual NAMM Show. She went shopping, and we're beginning to see some of the things she bought coming through the doors of our store.

I'd had another instrument picked out for this installment. I was all ready to start taking photos, and then I planned on sitting down at the computer and writing all about it. It was right about that time when Nick, our driver, brought through our door a guitar I've been dying to get my hands on. When I saw the box, I knew the previously selected little POTW nugget was just gonna' have to wait another week.

You see, this week, I decided I would bestow POTW honors on the Martin 000-17SM:

The Martin 000-17SM...

A couple of things about this guitar just jump out at you when you first see it. First, the finish on the gloss top (the back and sides are satin) is just silly. It's a subtle, yet striking example of understated beauty. Second, you notice the slotted headstock. It gives this instrument a distinctively vintage vibe and fits in very well with the whole motif. This is a 12-fret guitar, so this 000 body size is a bit smaller, particularly in the upper bout, than, say, a 000-28.

The body sports tortoise shell binding, as well as a tortoise shell pickguard. The bridge and fingerboard are Morado (think Pao Ferro), and the headstock overlay is East Indian Rosewood.

Small diamond inlays on the Morado fingerboard...

The solid Morado bridge with solid Ebony bridge pins...

Flipping the guitar over, you get a good look at the solid Mahogany back and sides. The "select hardwood" neck (I'm thinking it's something similar to Mahogany) has a low oval shape, and is very comfortable.

The satin finished Mahogany back and sides of the 000-17SM...

So, how does it play? Well, it plays really well. The 12-fret neck, as you would suspect, affords a bit less string tension than a longer scale neck. I'm not exactly known for multi-fret finger-stretches, but I could probably pull them off a bit easier on this than on, say, my Yairi. The slot headstock increases the break angle over the nut, which seems to reel in a "slack" feel one might otherwise feel in the strings. The fingerboard width is 1-3/4" at the nut, so there's ample space. 

The slotted headstock; a very definite vintage vibe...

 

On a scale of 1 to 10 in the playability department, I'm giving this one a solid 9.

Now, let's talk sound.

Sonically, I've always loved 12-fret guitars. They just sound a bit warmer than their 14-fret counterparts, and the 000-17SM does not disappoint. There's a rich, almost breathy sound to this guitar that I really like, and the bone nut and saddle only enhance this. 

The low end is more prominent than I expected out of a smaller body, but the high end isn't nearly as pronounced as I thought it would be. It's definitely a bit subdued.. Overall, though, it's an amazing sounding instrument. Mahogany and Spruce is one of my favorite guitar combinations, and it takes on a certain quality in a 12-fret that's difficult to describe. It's like a hot cup of coffee on a cold Portland night; it warms you right up. I tuned the guitar to a double drop D and I got all gooey inside. It sounded sooooo freakishly good.

So, looks, playability and sound. This guitar hits the "POTW" trifecta, and in convincing fashion. With a street price of $1,599.00 (which includes the Martin hardshell case), this guitar delivers, and it delivers big. It's not the least expensive guitar you'll ever buy, but it hangs in there, rather handily, for a lot less than the competition.

So give us a call at 503-228-8437 or, better yet, come down to 2502 NE Broadway in Portland, and ask Steve or Carrie for a test drive of this wonderful instrument.

Photos and text by Steve Parr

Staff "POTW"...

By now, you might think that all we like to talk about here at Portland Music Co. is expensive, high-end acoustic guitars. Well, truth be told, we really do like to talk about them. We're also acutely aware, however, that there are a myriad of other fine acoustic instruments out there which deserve the spotlight, as well.

It's in that regard that we bring you the "Pick Of The Week" (hereafter referred to as "POTW"). The POTW isn't always going to be a wildly expensive acoustic guitar (but it may be on occasion). it could be a ukulele, or a mandolin. It could be an accessory that we've decided falls into that "bang for the buck" category. Whatever it is, we're going to tell you all about it.

The POTW is intended to bring you what our staff here at PMC @ Broadway deems to be a good quality product which represents a good, solid value. Sometimes it might be pricey, and sometimes it might be inexpensive, but it'll always be a value-rich selection. 

For our inaugural POTW selection, we've chosen the T100D from Lâg Guitars.

Lâg Guitars is a French company, founded in the Occitania region of France, by master luthier Michel Lâg-Chavarria. Lâg has produced guitars since 1980, starting with the Beast "superstrat" models and, most recently, to the Tramontane line of acoustic guitars.

Lâg Guitars are made in China, in Lâg's own factory. The models we currently have in stock here at the PMC Broadway store are from the Tramontane 100 and 200 series.  They feature solid Red Cedar tops, and laminated Mahogany backs and sides. Headstocks and fingerboards are Indonesian Rosewood. They feature graphite nuts and resin, compensated saddles. Like the fingerboards and headstock overlays, bridges are Indonesian Rosewood, and bindings are Mahogany. All models feature high gloss finishes.

The T100D has a 20 fret neck which meet the body at the 14th fret, and it has a 43mm (1.693") nut width.

My first impression upon unboxing my first Lâg, which was the T100D, was that it was very lightweight; much more so than I'd expected. I grabbed my tuner, got the guitar ready to go, and gave it a strum on a G chord.

The Lâg Tramontane T100D...

 

The Lâg Tramontane T100D...

Nice.

Because the guitar is laminated Mahogany, I expected it to be rather balanced, tonally speaking, and it certainly was, with nothing too overbearing on either end of the tonal spectrum. There was enough high-end clarity to balance out the surprising amount of low-end gusto. The action was set very nicely; not too high and not too low. It was, in my estimation, the right height for a guitar coming out of the box when the end user is yet to be identified.

Examining the fit and finish of the guitar, it's clear that these guitars are a cut above what we've come to expect (unfortunately) with instruments in this price range. The gloss finish is clear and bright, with no lapses or dull areas. The gloss neck was smooth and comfortable.  The binding has beautifully rounded edges, a feature typically found on much more expensive instruments, making it a very comfortable guitar to play.

The graphite nut is something new to me on an acoustic guitar, but it certainly seems to be an attribute. Tuning is effortless, accurate and smooth. The tuners; Lâg's own, are a closed case design which work very well, and turn cleanly with no binding. The T100D is equipped with D'Addario 80/20 light gauge strings.

Lâg headstock and tuners and graphite nut...

So, with all of this said, how does it sound?

Well, it sounds pretty darn good, to be completely honest with you. Don't get me wrong, it's probably not going to give a Brazilian Rosewood Dreadnought a run for its money but, for a guitar in this price range, I'm having a difficult time thinking of the last time I was this impressed. The action was nicely set, and the intonation was pretty spot on all the way up the fingerboard. It has a bright, almost airy quality to it that I really liked.

A solid Cedar top, gloss finish, comfortable playability and a comfortable price? It would take me the better part of a day to even begin to find anything negative to say about this guitar.

Hmmmmm.

It doesn't come with free lessons. There; there's something negative although not really something about the guitar.

I have people asking me all the time what the best "entry level" guitar is. Well, to be frank, there aren't many differences, quality-wise, between Brand X and Brand Y when you're discussing entry level instruments. For $399.95, though, Lâg allows you to add a few more dollars into the equation and, in return, get a guitar that is anything but "entry level".

Simply stated, the Lâg Tramontane T100D is one of the stonger values you're likely to find out there in this price range...

"The One"...

NAMM is fun.  Really, really fun.  It's where the manufacturers pull out the stops, lift the governors off their engines, spin their fancy tires and try to woo your socks off.  Well, this year, there came that special moment when we'd played her, fell instantly in love and knew we just had to have her...

So, without further adieu...

May we please introduce to you...

Our new love...

Our Brazilian beauty...

Our lovely, big bottomed girl...

Taylor PS18.  

(can you hear the angels singing yet?)

Taylor PS18...

It's hard not to gush about this guitar. It really is that special.  So special, in fact, that we did everything we could to make sure that we got this one.  Not one yet to be made.....but the one we fell in love with.  

Gushing aside, we're sure you'd like some details:

 

Brazilian Rosewood has a long and storied history and is, by almost every measure, the "holy grail" of tonewoods. When it's used on a guitar of this stature, it takes on an almost mythical quality. It's difficult to acquire and it's not inexpensive. But it's Brazilian Rosewood, and that matters.

This year, Taylor Guitars introduced their new body style, the Grand Orchestra (designated X18). The idea behind it was to reinvent the Jumbo. In doing so, they actually introduced a guitar which is closer to the Taylor Grand Symphony size than the old Jumbo. Pairing this new body style with this old growth Brazilian Rosewood and a European Spruce top has resulted in an amazing sounding guitar.

Let's just say that the PS18 is an extraordinary guitar in every respect, and definitely falls into the "investment instrument" category. The craftsmanship is exactly what you would expect from Taylor. It's simply impeccable.

For the uninitiated, "PS" stands for "Presentation Series", and represents the pinnacle of the luthier's craft. It's not only an incredible sounding guitar, but the workmanship which goes into the elaborate inlay work is unparalleled:

The exquisite detail of the Paua shell inlay...

The top, back and sides of the PS18 are trimmed in Paua shell...

The ebony armrest on the PS18, trimmed in Paua shell...

The ornate peghead of the PS18, complete with Gotoh 510 tuners...

The inlaid bridge of the PS18...

Let's talk about aesthetics. We think the one word which best describes the PS18 is "spectacular".

Paua shell adorns practically every surface of the guitar; the top, back and sides are all trimmed, as are the neck, bridge and peghead. The Nouveau Paua inlay, standard on the Presentation Series, is along the fretboard. This is one beautiful instrument.

The PS18 also features the Laskin armrest, developed by Canadian luthier Grit Laskin. The Paua trimmed Ebony armrest is perfectly executed and offers the player a level of comfort that allows you to play for hours on end without feeling the typical arm fatigue.The guitar also features a Brazilian Rosewood backstrap and antique gold Gotoh 510 tuners.

Of course, how a guitar looks is only one part of the equation and, it could be argued, not the most important part. Above everything else, the sound of a guitar needs to reach out and smack you around a little bit. Well, the PS18 just isn't that subtle. The PS18 lulls you into submission and mesmerizes you with its beauty right before it reaches out with a gut-punch that knocks the wind out of you.

Brazilian Rosewood enjoys the reputation it does for good reason. In the case of this guitar, it produces a low frequency response that's warm and round, and which seems to take days to decay. There's a quality to the overtones which can only be described as piano-like. The high-end, while subdued when compared to woods like Maple or Koa, has a glass-like quality which almost shimmers when strummed.

The stunning, milk chocolate brown of Brazilian Rosewood makes for a visually striking instrument...

As if the beautiful inlays and remarkable woods weren't enough, there's a level of scarcity with this instrument that's rarely found from a large builder like Taylor Guitars. Only 13 of these guitars are being made for the entire North American market. This example is the first of the Brazilian Rosewood PS18's, and one of only two which have been built thus far.

If you'd like more information about this exquisite guitar, call or visit Carrie. Our phone number is 503-228-8437, and our address is 2502 NE Broadway in Portland.