Martin’s legacy as an acoustic guitar manufacturer is without question, and their reputation for quality also applies to their small bodied instruments, including the all-solid wood 00-17S Whiskey Sunset, which is a premium take on the mail-order parlor guitars of the 1930s.
This small bodied guitar follows Martin’s “Grand Concert” shape, which together with the stripped down look and the Whiskey Sunset finish, give the 00-17S an old school depression era parlor guitar appeal.
The body is crafted following traditional specifications, having a solid Sitka spruce top that is supported by scalloped sitka spruce X bracing. The top is complemented by the back and sides, both of which are built from solid mahogany wood. There’s nothing peculiar about this wood combination, but the parlor guitar style shape of the body gives the instrument a distinct tone with mid-range emphasis that will easily separate it from conventional guitar shapes.
Martin had this to say about the wood combination: “The mahogany, spruce, and rosewood combination used on the 00-17S is exceptionally popular for the way it balances warmth, detail, and a wide frequency response. The solid Sitka spruce top offers great stiffness-to-weight ratio to get maximum volume and power from your strings. The solid mahogany back and sides ensure your tone stays even across the frequency range, while delivering plenty of warmth. And the rosewood fretboard also contributes to the rich harmonic warmth of the guitar.”
Watch the videos below and hear the Martin 00-17S Whiskey Sunset sound for yourself:
Cosmetics on the body is as stripped down as it gets, all it has is the elegant finish, the multi-stripe rosette and the grained ivoroid binding. It doesn’t even sport a pickguard, to ensure that the Martin 00-17S Whiskey Sunset looks like a true vintage parlor guitar.
The neck follows a sleek modified low oval profile and “Performing Artist” taper that make it feel like a modern acoustic guitar, contrasting the body’s old school appeal and tone. It has a shorter scale length of 24.9″, a Performing Artist it has a bone nut that’s 1.75″ wide. Both the fingerboard and the bridge are crafted from rosewood, while the compensated saddle is also made of bone material.
The MSRP for the Martin 00-17S Whiskey Sunset is $2299. You can head over to Martin Guitar for the complete specifications and other details.
