A Martin Rosewood Dreadnought Built for Performance
The Martin D-16E Rosewood acoustic-electric guitar is a wonderful option for the performing guitarist who loves the warm, full tone and robust projection of rosewood topped with spruce. The guitar's quality construction — which includes scalloped, forward-shifted X bracing — elicits a sound that is powerful and balanced, with excellent note definition. It complements the human voice beautifully, yet is perfectly at home as a solo instrument or layered into a track. And the onboard Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT2 pickup system amplifies that gorgeous tone flawlessly when plugged in onstage. You'll also find the large dreadnought body and 25.4" scale length great for fingerpicking. But whether finger- or flatpicked, live or unplugged, the Martin D-16E Rosewood is a sheer delight to play.
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Optimized playability
The D-16E Rosewood's neck is carved to Martin's Modified Low Oval profile with Performing Artist taper that was designed specifically with performing guitarists in mind. For your playing pleasure, the ebony fingerboard is buffed to silky smoothness and the frets are dressed to perfection using a Plek Pro machine for optimized playability. Typically reserved for top-dollar custom guitars, this process levels the frets with pinpoint precision, providing you with the most playable fretboard you're likely to own.
Proprietary electronics
Martin and Fishman have been working together for over 30 years in an effort to build the best acoustic-electric guitars on the market. And they recently teamed up again to create the Matrix VT Enhance NT2 pickup system that you'll find in the D-16E Rosewood. This system consists of Fishman's popular Matrix under-saddle pickup and an advanced Enhance element that can be blended into the signal separately via the soundhole-mounted controls. The Enhance function lets the natural sounds of the guitar come through, which is ideal for players using techniques such as body tapping.
A cornerstone of modern music
Martin's early dreadnoughts set into motion the guitar's prominent role in modern music and set the standard for tone quality in acoustic guitars. Martin dreadnoughts became known for resonant warm tones, quality craftsmanship, and tasteful styling. For those reasons, Martin guitars became an important part of the music written and performed by the stars of the 1920s and '30s. Post-WWII, the Martin dreadnought became a cornerstone of the folk and folk rock music of the '50s and '60s. The powerful voice and full sound of these iconic instruments have made them a staple in the bluegrass world, but their bold sonic signature is heard cross-genre. That's why Martin dreadnoughts are staples in the arsenals of the performing acoustic guitarists at Sweetwater.
The same body shape at a comfortable depth
When you play the D-16E Rosewood for the first time, you may notice that the body feels different from other Martin dreadnoughts. It retains the same square shoulder shape but is slightly thinner than normal. Instead of the traditional dreadnought body depth of 4-7/8-inches, Martin opted to give this guitar the depth of a 000 — 4-1/8-inches. This change affects the guitar in two notable ways. First, the thinner body reigns in the boomy bass response for cleaner recording. Second, it helps the guitar to create a more mid-forward response. Don't fret, even with its new body depth, the D-16E Rosewood retains the same room-filling power that you expect from a Martin dreadnought.
The CF Martin legacy
What hasn't been said about the CF Martin company? Martin — a name virtually synonymous with the acoustic guitar — took root in the United States in 1833 with a small shop in lower Manhattan. Five years later, Christian Frederick Martin moved his business and family to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, where Martin has been located ever since. From the Dreadnought body shape to the 14-fret neck, Martin innovations paralleled (and indeed, drove) the development of the acoustic guitar itself. When you play any Martin guitar, you're holding a piece of music history.
Martin D-16E Rosewood Acoustic Guitar Features:
- Spruce top, East Indian rosewood back and sides; satin finish
- Scalloped, forward-shifted spruce X bracing
- Bold Herringbone with Multi-Stripe rosette
- Antique white binding, faux Tortoise pickguard
- Select hardwood neck, Modified Low Oval with High Performance Taper profile; satin finish
- Ebony fingerboard, 16-inch radius, MOP Style 28 inlays
- 25.4-inch scale length, 20 frets
- Plek'd frets for optimized playability
- Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT2 electronics
- Ebony bridge, 2-5/32-inch string spacing
- Compensated White Tusq saddle with Black Tusq pins
- 1.75-inch bone nut
- Nickel open-gear tuners
- Dual-action truss rod, soundhole access
