Martin 000-18 vs 000-15M (Spruce vs Mahogany Top Wood Battle)
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
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Which Martin "000" top wood do you think will sound the best? The 000-15M (mahogany) or the 000-18 (spruce). Both have identical backs & sides and body shapes, but will the top make that much of a difference? Leave a comment below and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE for more acoustic goodness!!
I have a 00015m and it sounds like liquid chocolate and plays like butter. Love it.
Mickymillersson I was just thinking about how to describe a hogtop and I came up with snapping dark chocolate.
Bought one a week ago. It sounds and looks amazing.
I have a dark wood guitar, from a brazilian brand (Rozini). Indeed, it plays like 70% cacau chocolate haha.
@@cornellbobby *and smells* amazing
Orkun Kaan Türeyyen Indeed it does!
I have both the 000-15 and 000-18. The hog is great for anything requiring a bit of strumming. Tighter nut width makes it better for chording and can be a bit cramp when playing fingerstyle. The 000-18 shine with single note lines. Honestly love both. Neither is better than the other, just different tools for the job.
The individual guitars can make a big difference too. I played a 00015 that freaking blew me away. I would have bought it if I’d had the money. The ones that I’ve played since were all very nice but not magical like that one. I have a 00018 that sounds great, but it also isn’t one of those magical ones.. Those only seem to randomly pop up when you’re broke.😀
So true lol
Underrated comment. Guitars vary so much even within the same model and the good ones have always popped up when I’m broke😂 played a tele I’ll never forget but couldn’t buy
Picked up the 000-18 earlier this year and I absolutely love it.
Fingerpicking:
000-18: 2:46
000-15: 3:12
A few seconds in so you get a direct back to back:
000-18: 2:49
000-15: 3:16
Strumming:
000-18: 3:38
000-15: 3:59
Back to back:
000-18: 3:43
000-15: 4:04
i honestly love the standard 25"4 scale 000-15m it allows for drop tuning. but my favorite is the 000-15sm
@@Mostly50 to clarify the 12 fret body/neck joint and slotted headstock is what I love about the sm.
The mahogany top sounds good for picking but not strumming. It's a good 2nd guitar for those who already have a dreadnoght
both beautiful instruments - love the little chord progression he played, very bouncy, nicely done
That progression is from the song Sugar Mountain by Neil Young!
Watch this again to make my mind which isn't easy (where I live I can't try either one...). Spruce definitely louder/brighter but as you said it's a matter of taste/feel. I love both.
As they said, it's down to personal preference. The 18 sounded way brighter and more defined, but I personally prefer the 15's mellower and, IMHO, richer sound. I initially bought the 15 over the 18 because of price but hearing them back to back, for what and how I play and my limited volume needs, I'm really glad I got the 15 even if they'd been the same price. Both great, but clearly very different...
I played all the solid top guitars I could get my hands on for half a year and I was out to buy a solid top yamaha but was staggered by how good the 000-15 sounded and how it appealed overall against guitars for quadruple the money! It was a stretch in from the yamaha in price, but for the best acoustic I ever had played, it was totally worth it, certainly since I could choose the very best one out of three that each was from a different guitar shop. Now, I only need a big body alternative, and the sadest of truths are that Gibson J200 is the best, and it's eye-wateringly expensive for a guitar that isn't going to be more of favourite than the reasonably priced 000-15.
I have the OOO-15M with a L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup system and love the tone (plugged and unplugged) and feel. As Paul said, preference is a subjective thing, depending on style and venue. Both guitars are obviously high quality and excellent value for the price.
Thanks for the video guys. Nice job talking us through and fine playing.
I’ve just purchased a 00015M Streetmaster. How is the Braggs pickup? I’ve been looking for a good pickup but can’t decide. lol. Thanks in advance. 👍
Thanks for this comparison. This is exactly what I was looking for because I've boiled down my choice to these 2 guitars! (And I have to say that after watching this video I'm definitely leaning towards the 000-18. I like the mellow sound of the 15M but really like the bite and punch of that 000-18. It just sends chills down my spine.)
To me it's not so much the volume but the snap of the spruce top and the clarity of the mids and treble. I love mahogany guitars but not tops.
yeah - but there's a $500+ price difference. Do you think it's worth the extra $$$?
BabyBoomerChannel $500.?? Try about $1200. Difference
@@BabyBoomerChannel Yes! If that's the guitar with the sound you love the most that you're going to play for decades to come. To me, nothing sounds like that 000-18. I'll do without $500 of whatever for the joy of playing my favorite sounding acoustic guitar.
@@truthof7382 you can get them new under 2 grand if you know who to buy it from
I like all mahogany guitars that has special smell of sound that can't hear out by demo video.
‘Hog can smell soooooo sweet 👍🏻
000-15 Special. Best one out there and cheaper as well.
The 15m was my first Martin,I liked it a lot.Now I settled on a 000-18 and a OM-28 V.I can´t say that I miss it though....what I do miss is a D15S that I let go
Thank you. That was very helpful. I love A.B. comparisons but it would be nice when people do these if they would play a simple three octave chromatic scale slowly so you could hear single notes over the whole range. Thanks again.
Thanks Q. For using a thumb pick. You can really hear the bass differences.
My ooo-15 is way more punchy and jangly than the one you had. It sounded the way mine does with a set of old strings. Big difference between guitars though. I just got rid of my D18 cuz it was a little big for me and so thinking about getting the 000-18 version…. In case anyone was wondering
Have a the Martin 00015 Mahogany - perfect for finger styles and blues for sure ! Sound, tone , sustain. It's all there !
I think you guys are doing Much better demo’s than you used to. Better explanations also of the various guitars. Excellent guitar player, too. Thank you.
My buddy has a sapele and mahogany guitar and to me it sounds more compressed. Like the lows don't boom. I like the controllable feeling it has
Great video guys. Both guitars sounds good, but i prefer the spruce top.
For those considering a used 00-15, know that Martin used both sapele and sipo woods on the 15 series. At times, these woods were used in combinations, ie. Sipo back and sides, mahogany top.
You would be hard pressed to hear a difference with any of these versions. Appearance-wise, sometimes there is a difference which can be seen, other times not, as even within a species there are variations.
Tried both these at guitar center and I liked the 18 much more
Did the same thing today and the 18 has stolen my heart. I would love either one though.
I went the other way hah. But I personally have always liked the mellower guitars.
Mahogany top has a clear definition lacking the spruce’s overtones…the hog actually sound way better strummed…but it’s subjective of course.The thing about mahogany, that spruce seems to be lacking is that bell like ring in the trebles..I hear more of the sharp metallic tone of the strings in the spruce....All hogs have a compressed but penetrating resonance.
You nailed it mate. I have a Guild M-20.
What's not mentioned is the 000-18 has the short scale 24.9" scale length and the 000-15m has the 25.4" scale length. I would imagine that has something to do with the difference in sound as well?
Both tremendous sounding guitars - and I love the mahogany, but the way to describe it is that it sounds almost as if it has a blanket over it, or you're wearing ear muffs when you hear it. The 18 as he says is much more present across the range. No right or wrong, or better or worse - just completely different and I bet most of us would love one of each :D
I have both, (well an OM15m which is custom with a wider neck and wider string spacing and some binding for trim, but basically the same sound) They don't sound as different as this video seems to suggest. There is a bit more projection on the 000-18 and the tone on the mahogany is different in character, but not as different in volume and projection as this video seemed to show. Maybe string differences? Anyway, both are amazing guitars and for me at the moment, the all hog guitar gets more playing time from me.
The 15 sounded better fingerpicked and the 18 sounded better strummed
Sorry, but the M sounds like it's under water compared to the 000-18 with Sitka spruce top. I may be biased due to having had my 1951 000-18 for over 60 years. I left it at the luthier's for fret dressing and they asked if they could keep it an extra day or two just to play it some more. It is a wonderful instrument
Any idea why they haven’t standardized the -15 at 1 3/4 nut like the -18 and -28? Also, why not standardize the scale length? Strange marketing decision.
Agreed. I'd probably have kept my 00015M but the nut was too narrow for my style. Shame as it's a lovely guitar.
Awesome Demo! Thanks
Do a 0X2MAE VS 000-15M comparison, they are similar but solid vs hpl. It would be interesting.
000-18 has shimmer. I need that guitar.
Dude it’s unreal. I got one last week. Traded a Gibson humming bird rosewood ag and a Brad paisley tele. I just have an incredible tele and needed some of that shimmer, myself, and man it hasn’t disappointed. Martin has been making some of their best stuff the last couple of yrs, it seems. The Martin son in charge right now and his ceo, and team , are razor sharp and not resting on their laurels , cus they know hot Comp is everywhere. U could of told me this guitar was 4 grand and I would of believed it. Get one if u can. I literally played it for about 45 seconds before I made the deal. Ebony board feels incredible too and it plays like honey butter
🤘🏻
nice compare and explanation. i would like to hear hog compared to the sapele too. still not a dread sound though that i am addicted to. curious the style and sound preferences of folks that play the 000 shaped guitars?
Just what I wanted to see
I'm watching this because I'm pained with this choice soon. I'm beginning to think this matters especially with the body size. Dreadnaughts and Jumbo need a spruce top. OM, Grand and OOO are flexible for either. OO to parlour benifit from a Hog top. For one it doesn't take much to get that small of a sound board to move. So the denser wood of mahogany is perfect when the top is small. Spruce on that small of a top is too much. Obviously I know there are also cedar and exotic like Koa etc. but that's a whole other discussion.
I just bought 000 15 today, I need the other one now
The 00015M has a sweet mellow tone that I love. A great difference is made anyway by the rosewood fretboard versus the 018's ebony fretboard...a great tonal difference. As important as the top wood difference.
Spruce top is better sound in details! I play on Fender CC-60S Concert Sunburst. Thank God that whole solid Mahogany Fender was broken and local seller ask me to choose another model!
Both great.
Oh, and don’t forget the over $1,000. difference.
in europe its a 1.500€ difference
Volume is biggest difference! That's obvious!
You'd have a better time getting that nick drake sound from the 15m then with the spruce
Nice! I just got this model and over a year after your comment you decided what I learn on it first.
He tracked much his of material on a d28 and a Levin. That guild was used but not as much as one thinks. Cheers!
Love that 000 15 sm
are they both the same in the low end? or does the 18 have a bit more???
What’s the best acoustic guitar Quinten has ever played?
The 15m sounds really bad in this video. I don’t think it’s representative
If Martin made an all mahogany 000-18 it would be a true comparison, or you can compare the older 000-18. These 2 guitars feel different when they are in your hands. Hey guys have you compared the all mahogany J45 to the standard j45? That would be a good comparison. I enjoyed the video, thanks!
Both are even better as 12 fretters with slotted headstocks
Considering the 000-15's strings were obviously quite dead, i don't think it was fair to say the 000-18 had more shimmer and presence. All that could be attributed to its fresher strings. Also since the bracing is different, the scale is different, and the 000-18 is gloss finished, the differences in tone come from much more than just the top wood. A spruce topped 000-15 or a hog-topped 000-18 would have been better comparisons.
I noticed the 15s strings sounded dead as well. They do not usually sound that muffled. Not as bright as an 18, but not a dull as this video sampled.
Strings were not dead. Mahogany is a dark sounding wood, you lose the sparkle spruce prouduces. I prefer the mellowness mahogany guitars have most of the time.
They're brand new guitars. I doubt they put old strings on them.
You're right about mahogany, but in this case you can actually tell by looking at them that the strings on the 15 are old and dead. The 15 is probably a display model and the 18 must be either not a display model or just newer because the string haven't lose their color or tone. In my experience Martin doesn't seem to string their guitars with coated strings like Taylor, so it's normal for a display model to have dead strings within a short amount of time.
Mahogany top is SUPPOSED to sound more muted (or dead if you will) than a spruce top. That way you can bang out chords without drowning out your band. Stupid Martin decided to make the new 000-18 try to compete with the rosewoods by bracing it for more volume. They lose the magic of a nice mellow tone. Making every git a cannon is NOT the answer! Mellow is what makes the 15 worlds better here. You can blend in with a band better. without drowning out the singer.
I realize these are both 000 bodies, and great comparison video. But, to me, you can't really compare them in a financial or money sense. The 000-18 spruce top is nearly $1200 more expensive, and it has a 1 3/4 nut versus the 1 11/16 nut on the 000-15m.
Is there a reason the 000-15M doesn't have the shorter 24.9" scale length as the other 000 models?
I've often wondered about that myself. Sorry but I don't have an answer for that. -Chad
Thanks for the reply Chad, maybe someone else can answer that one for us.
blues players like them because its easier to bend rhe strings
Long scales give more volume and clarity, that balance the warm tone of mahogany top.
@@philmccracken4878 It's easier to bend the strings on the short scale models than on the 000-15m.
Spruce top and dove - tailed neck make a huge difference.
000-18 is nice. I know that 000-18 is a short scale neck compared to the 15's long neck. How does that feel?
scale length wasn't the same?
Peter Bonanno the full scale length of the fretboard, nut to bridge, on the 000-18 is Martin's short scale, 24.9". The 15 however, has a normal scale length at 25.4" which typically translated to higher tension on the strings, whereas the shorter scale has a slinkier feel to it.
I heard the hogs are good for blues and bends, must try one the next time I get to GC
Interestin film .
The 000-18 sounds brighter and the 15 is more thick sounding. Like the difference between Sprite (000-18) and chocolate syrup (000-15).
please compare d15m streetmaster vs d18
The 000-18 is almost twice the price of the 000-15... not a fair comparison. By the way, I have the 000-15 and it sounds incredible with the Martin Retro strings on it.
I have a 0015M, and it sounds fabulous with Retro light gauge strings!
Don't know why it's not fair. I have an OM-15 (same as your 000 but with 25.5" scale and a 1 3/4 nut) and I also have a new 000-18. The OM-15 blows the 000-18 away in just about every category except loudness. TBF, the brand new 000-18 showed up from the retailer (mail order) needing a neck reset, so I'll see how it is after Martin rebuilds it.
It's a comparison of sounds to see the characteristics of each guitar, not to see which one is better... And obviously ur comment is irrelevant because not everything could be measured by price
@@chronicdeist......who did you go through for the warranty claim? Any hassles?
Jobini?
Comparing a mahogany top to a spruce top is like comparing a pizza to a plate of pasta. One is *not* the natural progression of the other, especially with such varying tone woods. This isn't a "vs". It's an "and".
15 sounded dead ...no comparison here
Dead?
The 000-15 is essentially the sound of Colter Wall
Pretty much, although he plays an 1930s 00-17 Martin. Pretty much the same though.
The 18 is like you can hear the pick’s attack on the string. With the 15, only the note it produces. Maybe it’s my hearing aids😉
👍🏻
18 all day long.
Humbucker 😊 single coil 😊
This. Sometimes, single coil does the trick. Other times, humbucking rules
What song is he playing at 2:50?
Maybe Sugar Mountain by Neil Young?
I’ll stick with my “75 D-28S.
Man 000-18 is so much louder. Wow 🤩 shimmer is roight
asz top all the way !
The 000-15M has a Sound that ist for me closer to a Dreadnought...both are great tho!
The 000-15 is a longer scale. All bets are off.
Hi, Barry here, I'm wondering if you guys could order me a 7-28 Martin guitar from the custom shop? I love the sound of a Martin, I would get a full sized, but I have a problem with my left hand, it's fused wrist and smashed pretty bad. But I can play a guitar with a 1-5/8" at the nut.
So hence the 7-28. Thanks Barry
Hi Barry.... Yes, I think we could order something like this for you. Could you send me an email so that we can discuss this further? chad@musicvilla.com. Thanks...... Chad
Both nice. Buy borth ! LOL ! ! !
We need, Less talk, more playing and way more beard.
I will not subscribe because of these two...... just rub me wrong with their personalities and too much dialogue that isn't very engaging.
@@Nooneknows74 😭
mahogany top wood better for people
The M series brought me back to guitar
Me too! Five long years. I would never part with my 000-15M.
In all honesty aside from the neck being a hair different ie 1 & 3/4 (1 & 12 16ths on the 18 vs 1 and 11 16ths on the 000 the "000 has a 25.5 inch scale length while the 18 is a true 000 at 24.9" so a more fair comparison, nut width aside would be to put a capo on the 1st fret of the 15 and tune it back down to standard tuning so the scale length is the same... On the bright side if you own an OM you have both.. just a capo away from a 000 scale ;) whereas if you have a 000.. you only have a 000. you can't lengthen the scale on a 000.. but you can shorten the scale on an orchestra model.. , incidentally defeating the purpose of an orchestra model (to have more tension to increase volume to keep up with mandolin and fiddle orchestra (Perry Bechtel is how the om28 came about) but if you're happy with the 000 and easier bends no reason to upgrade. Just my two cents.
spruce for me
15M clearly needed to be re-stringed
I felt the same
The 000-15M looks like Sapele back and sides.
The 000-15M is built with Mahogany back and sides.
Martin uses "mahogany" as a very loose term. It could mean sipo (utile), sapele, khaya (African mahogany), or Spanish cedar if not stated as "genuine mahogany." In the last couple of years, the 15 series has mainly been genuine mahogany tops with sipo back and sides.
In Martin terms, yes, this is "mahogany." Is it genuine mahogany? Doubt it.
I think they were using sapele for a bit but changed back to mahogany (I am just beginning to be a guitar nerd). But I do see them stating sapele for guitars now. I don't know about before and what they were posted as. However I do still see guitars posted as genuine mahogany and I see them posted as mahogany is that a way. Now either one mahogany is better than the other, they are hyping up the higher end models, or they are using another wood like this other guy thinks might be the case. Genuine mahogany (I'm gonna look into this)
Nope 💯 percent Honduran mahogany, I don't think there is any confusing that spec
000-18 hands down. 00015m is tooo muted.
Sometimes muted or mellow guitars are better for song singing , or certain sound style. Check out nick drakes guitar stuff. The 15m would be better for that style
@@adriannasanchez468 a lot of blues players like that sound too. Also, there is a reason a lot of people who record prefer hog guitars because you don't have frequencies jumping all over the place that you have to even out.
To me they almost have a nylon classical guitar sound to them too.
The hog every day
If I just one store had all these Martins 00018, 00018M, 00015 and a 00015M all under one roof. The answer would always be the same 00018 or 00018M. How about a 00018 with a lower price. Buying a name doesn't make it better. Musicians are never given credit for such a simple answer, learn how to play properly. Take notice everyone wanting what you have. The sad part is no one wants to really learn they just want the guitar.
Where the hell is Tony? I just can’t with these guys...
Funny, love these guys now. I’m such a jerk eh?
Can I make a suggestion? Get somebody more personable to do the videos, Paul is too uncomfortable and business-oriented. The pleasure of music sells when a musician is free to talk and play. Tony was great, and sad he's gone!
micheal o floinn
Quinton is a great player and very honest, which makes things difficult for Paul. He's constantly trying to reel Quinton in to push the sales aspect of the videos. It's very noticeable in the X vs V brace Taylor videos, where the viewers and even Quinton himself seem to prefer the former.
What happened to Tony?
Spruce all the way.