A Martin Orchestra Model Built for Performance
The Martin OMC-16ME acoustic-electric guitar is a wonderful option for the performing guitarist who loves the warm, centered tones of ovangkol. Ovangkol, used top, back, and sides of the OMC-16ME, is tonally similar to rosewood, but with a slightly fuller midrange and a bright high-end reminiscent of koa. The guitar's quality construction — which includes scalloped Sitka spruce 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 NT1 pickup system amplifies that gorgeous tone flawlessly when plugged in onstage. You'll also find the smaller 000-14 Orchestra Model body and 25.4" scale length ideal for fingerpicking. But whether finger- or flatpicked, live or unplugged, the Martin OMC-16ME is a sheer delight to play.
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The groundbreaking Martin Orchestra Model
Prior to the Orchestra Model, Martin guitars all had the same 12-fret neck-join design as the instruments Christian Frederick Martin, Sr. was handcrafting during the 1830s. They were similar in shape, tone, and volume to today's classical guitars, although most of them were converted from gut to steel strings by the close of the 1920s. Interestingly, Martin's Orchestra Model guitars came about thanks, in part, to the banjo. In the interest of keeping up with the trends (and being heard), banjo pickers — the primary rhythm keepers in bands of the era — became interested in steel-stringed guitars, which were more resonant (and at least as loud) as their banjos. Banjo players were also used to long necks, so Martin responded with the first 14-fret flattop designed expressly for steel strings. Debuting in 1930 and offered in Styles 18, 28, and 45, Martin's 000-sized Orchestra Model was the prototype for the modern steel-string acoustic guitar.
Optimized playability
It is not uncommon to find a Martin 000 or Orchestra Model in the arsenal of the performing acoustic guitarists at Sweetwater. The longer 25.4" scale length is what distinguishes 000 guitars from the Orchestra Models. The compact 000-sized body makes OM guitars very comfortable to play, as your strumming arm won't have to hug a huge body to reach the strings. The OMC-16E's neck is carved to the 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 NT1 pickup system that you'll find in the OMC-16ME. 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.
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 OMC-16E Features:
- Ovangkol top, back, and sides; satin finish
- Scalloped Sitka spruce X bracing
- Bold Herringbone with Multi-Stripe rosette
- Antique White binding, Red Faux Tortoise pickguard
- Select hardwood neck, Modified Low Oval with High Performance Taper profile; satin finish
- Ebony fingerboard, 16" radius, MOP Style 28 inlays
- 25.4" scale length, 20 frets
- Plek'd frets for optimized playability
- Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT1 electronics
- Ebony bridge, 2-5/32" string spacing
- Compensated White Tusq saddle with Black Tusq pins
- 1.75" bone nut
- Nickel open-gear tuners
- Dual-action truss rod, soundhole access
