Meet the Martin 16 Series: Three Distinctive Instruments for Stage, Studio and Home

Martin’s most famous guitars tend to be instruments such as the D-18, D-28 and 000-28—models whose histories and specifications reach deep into the company’s past. The Martin 16 Series fills a more exploratory role in the assortment. It combines all-solid-wood construction and Nazareth, Pennsylvania, craftsmanship with shallower bodies, cutaways, satin finishes and onboard electronics.

Style 16 dates to 1961, when Martin introduced it as a more affordable, understated alternative to its more ornately appointed instruments. Over the decades, the 16 Series also became a place for Martin to explore different tonewoods, construction methods and body configurations.

Table of Contents

Meet the Martin 16 Series
Comparing Martin 16 Series Models
Which Martin 16 Series Model Is Right for You?
FAQs About the Martin 16 Series
Conclusion

Meet the Martin 16 Series

The three instruments featured here demonstrate just how much ground the 16 series covers. Whether you want the power of a dreadnought, the upper-fret access and balanced response of a cutaway Grand Performance body, or the feel of nylon strings, there is a 16 Series model built for the job.

Comparing Martin 16 Series Models

Martin D-16E

What to Know:

• Body: 14-fret dreadnought with a shallower 000 body depth

• Tonewoods: Solid Sitka spruce top with East Indian rosewood back and sides

• Player features: Martin E1 electronics; mahogany and left-handed variations available

The Martin D-16E 16 Series rosewood dreadnought acoustic-electric guitar is aimed at players who like the reach and authority of a dreadnought but find a conventional model cumbersome through a long rehearsal or seated writing session. Chords arrive with a broad low end and lingering overtones, giving a singer or single-guitar arrangement plenty of support. Flatpicked bass runs also carry weight, although players who want each note to separate more quickly may prefer the mahogany variation.

The rosewood version suits arrangements with room for the guitar to spread out; mahogany is the more focused choice when the acoustic part needs to remain distinct alongside other instruments. Martin offers both tonewood versions in right- and left-handed configurations.

Martin GPC-16E

What to Know:

• Body: 14-fret Grand Performance cutaway with shallower 000 depth

• Tonewoods: Solid spruce top with East Indian rosewood back and sides

• Player features: Martin E1 electronics; mahogany and left-handed variations available

The Martin GPC-16E 16 Series rosewood Grand Performance acoustic-electric guitar suits players who move between accompanying a vocal, fingerpicked passages and single-note work above the neck joint. Its response is more even across the strings than the D-16E’s bass-forward dreadnought voice, helping inner chord tones and melody notes remain audible when an arrangement becomes busy.

Rosewood allows sustained notes to gather harmonic color around one another, while mahogany gives quick runs and alternating bass patterns a drier attack and clearer separation. Players who spend meaningful time in the upper register will also appreciate the cutaway, which makes those passages less physically restrictive. Both wood choices are available in left-handed as well as right-handed versions.

Martin 000C12-16E

What to Know:

• Body: 000-size, 12-fret cutaway with a 26.44" scale

• Tonewoods: Solid spruce top with solid mahogany back and sides

• Player features: Nylon strings, Martin E1 electronics and left-handed availability

The Martin 000C12-16E nylon acoustic-electric guitar offers the softer attack and lower-tension feel of nylon strings in a design that should feel approachable to players crossing over from a steel-string or electric guitar. Its 1-7/8" nut provides the fretting hand with more room for independent voices and intricate chord shapes, but it remains narrower than the 2" nut commonly found on a traditional classical guitar.

Notes speak with a rounded attack and a clear, woody midrange that suits classical and Latin repertoire as naturally as jazz harmony, folk accompaniment or fingerstyle arrangements. The longer scale adds some firmness beneath the fingers, keeping the response from feeling excessively loose.

Which Martin 16 Series Model Is Right for You?

Start with the role the instrument needs to fill. The D-16E is the rhythm-focused choice for players who want dreadnought projection and substantial low end; the GPC-16E better accommodates musicians who divide their time among chords, fingerstyle passages and upper-register single-note work.

Choose the 000C12-16E for nylon-string feel, rounded attack and additional fretting-hand. All three include electronics and are available left-handed, so the deciding questions are body feel, string type and the musical space the instrument needs to occupy.

Pictured: Martin D-16E and GPC-16E 16 Series Acoustic-Electric Guitars

FAQs About the Martin 16 Series

What is the Martin 16 Series?

The 16 Series is a group of all-solid-wood Martin instruments handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. The current models combine traditional tonewoods with satin finishes, comfort-focused body designs and onboard electronics. The broader assortment includes steel-string guitars, a nylon-string guitar, a 12-string and an acoustic bass.

Are Martin 16 Series guitars made in the USA?

Yes. Current Martin 16 Series instruments are handcrafted at Martin’s factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. This distinguishes them from several more affordable Martin series produced at the company’s facility in Mexico.

What is the difference between the Martin D-16E and GPC-16E?

The D-16E has a dreadnought outline and is designed to deliver strong projection and bass response. The GPC-16E uses a Grand Performance cutaway body with easier upper-fret access and a more even string-to-string response that is less bass-forward than the D-16E.

Both models have 000 body depth, 25.4" scales, 1-3/4" nut widths and Modified Low Oval necks with Martin’s High-Performance Taper. Both are also offered with either East Indian rosewood or mahogany back and sides.

Should I choose a rosewood or mahogany Martin 16 Series guitar?

Choose rosewood if you prefer prominent lows, sparkling highs and abundant harmonic overtones. Choose mahogany if you favor a drier, more direct response with clear midrange presence and strong note definition. Playing style matters as much as tonewood, so neither option is inherently better. The D-16E and GPC-16E are available in both woods, making it possible to choose the body first and then select the tonal character you prefer.

What electronics are used in Martin 16 Series instruments?

The current models featured here use Martin E1 electronics. The system provides volume, tone and phase controls, along with a built-in chromatic tuner. The tuner can be used without connecting the instrument to an amplifier, and engaging it mutes the output for quiet tuning during a performance.

Does Martin make left-handed 16 Series guitars?

Yes. Martin offers left-handed D-16E and GPC-16E models with either rosewood or mahogany back and sides.

Does a Martin 16 Series guitar include a case?

The current D-16E, GPC-16E and 000C12-16E Nylon include padded softshell cases. These cases provide internal padding, backpack straps and a water-resistant exterior, but they should not be confused with traditional wooden hardshell cases.

Conclusion

From the rhythm power of the D-16E and the GPC-16E's combination of string-to-string balance and upper-fret access to the nylon-string voice of the 000C12-16E, the Martin 16 Series offers a range of distinct playing experiences built around solid woods, Nazareth craftsmanship and performance-ready electronics. Check one out at your local Guitar Center, or call your Personal Gear Adviser to find the body style, tonewood and configuration that best fit the way you play.