Achieving acoustic delicacy in perfect harmony with low-end power is no easy task. With great care and special attention in the selection of materials, Martin brings us this unusual acoustic bass. For experienced musicians, the name Martin rarely goes unnoticed. Its excellent reputation for acoustic guitars is known to all. Lately it has offered us more affordably priced models,
while remaining a brand that generally involves a considerable investment when buying professional instruments.
To briefly sum up my impressions of Martin, I'll say I feel a great affinity for the sound its instruments give off, for their sweetness, good blend, tone, volume and perfect intonation. As you'd expect, some people complain about prices that hurt. I agree about the sting caused by the firm's mid- and high-end prices, but not so much when the complaint attacks the quality. Martin undoubtedly makes great instruments.
The acoustic bass
Among the variety of basses, it's not very common to find the acoustic format in a band. Even at "unplugged" concerts you may see the bassist with a conventional electric bass, or perhaps upright basses among the purists. When we really want to do something especially acoustic and the upright bass is a bit beyond us, out of respect or unfamiliarity, playing a bass like this can be the perfect solution for "unplugged" authenticity.
Another attractive aspect of this format is being able to play anytime, anywhere, without the need for amplification. That's not very common, since playing an unplugged bass is usually not very motivating; even resting your teeth on the body to better pick up the vibrations of what you're playing, the sensation is practically nil. In short, this bass can perform perfectly anywhere you go, even at a rehearsal in the countryside, a rural cottage or acoustic jams in the open air.
Construction
The construction of instruments at this company is especially careful. Yes, we pay, but we pay for things that are well made. There are many relevant considerations in terms of construction, even more so when we're talking about acoustic instruments. As you know, the choice of materials is vitally important for reasons of stability and resonance, among other things. For the bass we're looking at today, solid woods have been chosen, such as solid spruce, mahogany and East Indian rosewood. Other delicate aspects of construction are the shape and process by which the neck has been joined to the body (in this case a mortise/tenon neck joint) and the assembly in general: sides, back, top, fret wire, neck structure for tuning/intonation stability, finish, etc. Getting back to our guest, all the processes seem to have been carried out with great precision. For example, one detail that shows a concern not to compromise sound quality is that no strap "button" has been screwed into the upper part of the body. Instead, the female jack input is used as a strap attachment at the bottom, and the string "loop" is used at the top end, without having to damage the instrument's sides any further. The fewer holes in the body the better, and with the preamp and the jack input we already have enough.
Holding the instrument in your hands, it feels like something carefully made, well finished, with immaculate finishes. Top-notch.
The plugged and unplugged sound in our tests
Despite having a body that isn't excessively large, rather moderate in size (which is welcome, since you don't have a huge beast getting in the way), the volume and body of the instrument are quite striking. It's hard to achieve good low-end thickness and "density" acoustically, especially with a modest body. So the result surprised me, because within that obviously acoustic vibe, the notes sound like a real bass: fat, defined and solid.
The well-known brand Fishman is responsible for the bass's electronics, specifically the "Prefix Pro Bass System" model. With the preamp, as on other acoustic instruments, we shape parameters such as EQ, presence, notch, etc. The preamp's functions are well executed, and I had no feedback problems, even playing facing the monitors and just a few centimeters from them. If you tempt fate by overdoing the gain and positioning the bass "treacherously" relative to other sources, feedback may come running at you, but if you don't do anything crazy, everything goes beautifully.
The amplified sound is very natural. As expected, we gain power and low-end punch, achieving an even tighter blend with kick drums and rhythmic elements. Thanks to the preamp's possible settings, we can round out the sound on demand, achieving powerful acoustic/electrified results. Anything missing? Perhaps a tuner built into the preamp would have been a nice touch for the user.
Wrapping up the comments on the sound
What we hear shows us that this is an excellent instrument, but obviously you're not playing an electric bass, and all the nuances it gives off have an acoustic character. This (logical and obvious) peculiarity means the bass comes into its own with personality and a lot of charm in soft, clean, natural settings (I mean the context of all the tracks or players). However, it doesn't come across as an ideal instrument for blending with very hard-hitting kick drums and electric sounds, because when you grab an active electric bass and dig in, the punch is undoubtedly more aggressive. This paragraph leads me to draw some conclusions, which I set out below.
Conclusions
One thing at a time. Clearly, it's a first-class instrument. Its feel, smoothness, intonation, playability, harmonics, punch considering its category and all the other elements are first-rate. It's an instrument that asks €2,255 of us, wow! It's worth it. Its versatility is relative, since it has a powerful charm in certain settings but isn't the ideal choice in others. This comment doesn't disqualify the instrument; the same would happen with an acoustic guitar. Having an excellent acoustic doesn't cover the needs met by a fierce electric (for example). So where am I going with all this? I think that if you're very clear about your musical setting and the styles you play, and you hang around acoustic music or the kinds of music where this bass can really shine by its nature, it's a perfect choice. If you can afford the luxury of having two basses (or more) to cover all types of style, then you can perfectly well get into both acoustic music and slap-happy funk; they're not incompatible, and the Martin 00C-16GTAE is a more than attractive complement. If, on the other hand, you're saving up to buy your first good bass (and I say good, not your first), bear in mind that acoustic and electric are very different things. Conclusion: I want it, but without giving up my usual electric bass.
