Martin 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa review: “Forget the name on the label, this is a great guitar”
$1,299/£1,329, martinguitar.com
There are few more widely feted guitar gear connoisseurs in the modern musical firmament than Joe Bonamassa. In addition to being one of the modern stars of blues guitar, JoBo approaches vintage gear collecting with a passion rarely seen – simply put, Joe knows what he’s talking about when it comes to old guitars.
READ MORE: Martin D-X2E Molly Tuttle review: “if I closed my eyes, I really could tell myself I was playing a 1940s guitar”
This has made Bonamassa a frequent collaborator on very popular and well-regarded signature gear, from expensive custom shop instruments to affordable guitars (Joe recently claimed that he’d sold 25,000 Gibson and Epiphone signature models) – he’s even got a signature Tone Master amp now.
Joe’s had plenty of signature electric guitars over the years, but acoustic guitars have been less plentiful and rather harder to get hold of. Back in 2024, Joe partnered with Martin on a recreation of his beloved 1941 000-45, but that was $20,000 and limited to just 45 units.
Now, however, Martin has launched another signature collaboration with JoBo, and this one’s a lot more attainable – not least because there’s two of them. Based upon his 1937 00-18, the new Joe Bonamassa models comprise one US-made guitar, but also a more affordable Mexico-made version.
Martin has been doing this a lot with artists and their signature models lately – the likes of Billy Strings, Jeff Tweedy, Jason Isbell and Molly Tuttle have all done it in the last year or two, and it’s a great idea.
Because let’s not beat around the bush here, at nearly $4,000, the 00-18 Joe Bonamassa is still a serious investment for most of us, but the $1,299 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa? Well that’s a lot more intriguing…
Image: Press
What Is It?
Like all of Martin’s other more affordable signature guitars, the 00-10E Retro Joe Bonamassa is made in Martin’s Navojoa factory in Mexico – which has been making budget guitars for the brand for over three decades.
Now, the Tuttle and Strings signature guitars were both part of Martin’s most affordable X-Series line, and used the instruments from that range as their base. But Joe – gear appreciator that he is – has opted to have his affordable signature come from the more upmarket Road Series.
The Road Series means that you get all-solid construction – in this case a spruce top with sapele back and sides – while the Retro designation means you get nice little vintage-y touches like nickel open-gear tuners, Old Style 18 inlays, and an ebony bridge and fingerboard.
The finish is the thing that’s going to catch the eye most readily, however. Applied to the top of this 14-fret 00 body is a rather fetching sunburst – or a Shade Top in traditional Martin parlance. This is no ordinary burst however, as this 1937 Joe Bonamassa Sunburst (yep that’s what they call it) is a printed recreation of the wear pattern of Joe’s actual 1937 original.
The concept of artificial ageing is a polarising one in the guitar world, but the way Martin does it – by digitally printing a wear pattern onto the wood – is one that Martin has got pretty good at, having previously used it on the Navojoa-made Junior Series Streetmaster and Streetlegend finish options.
To compliment that worn-looking top, the 00-10E features a satin finish all over – just like other Retro series guitars – and you also get Martin’s E1 electronics for amplified sound, and a soft shell gigbag.
Image: Press
Build Quality & Playability
I’ve been seriously impressed with every Road Series guitar I’ve played so far, especially the Retro model, and combine that with Bonamassa’s exacting standards as a guitar collector and player, I went into this with high expectations.
Nevertheless, removing the guitar from its gigbag, I was immediately struck by the eye-catching top. The danger with this sort of thing is that it can look a bit too fake, and while nobody is going to be fooled that this is a vintage guitar up close, that’s not the point.
It’s a fascinating thing to admire and examine the myriad scratches and other wear patterns reproduced here, knowing that they’ve come from a bona fide vintage instrument – it gives you a real sense of the original guitar’s long-lived existence.
I’m less keen on the all-over satin finish – personally I feel that the gloss on the Nazareth version wears the printed top and the general vibe of this guitar better – but it has its plus points. A glossy Martin is a fingerprint magnet, and one that seems to attract dings and pick scratches with worrying regularity.
While I’d never mistreat a guitar, the fact that this guitar already looks well-played and loved means that you can be a little less precious about it, and play it as hard and as enthusiastically as you desire.
Elsewhere, it’s all rather well executed – the Performing Artist neck profile is a frequent flyer on Martin guitars and it’s easy to see why, comfortable and easy to play without being too skinny, the taper up the neck is nice too.
The overall build is excellent too – with no finish issues throughout, neat and tidy workmanship inside, and smooth, precise tuners. Regardless of where its made, a great guitar is a great guitar, and this one certainly feels and plays it.
Image: Press
Sounds
Typically, I am not a Martin 00 body shape kind of guy. They look and sound incredible, but I have always been drawn toward Martin’s dreadnought and parlor body style instruments for my playing style or lack thereof.
Compared to other Martin body shapes the 00-14 to my ear delivers more middle frequency with a slightly reserved bass and treble comes in second to the mids. What this means however is that it plays very well with other acoustic guitars because it is not competing to dominate the bass frequency or treble tone spaces.
That said, this also means that when plugged in, it can really step up for solo situations. Set flat, the E1 electronics really emphasise the bass strings more to give a fuller and more rounded sound. It’s still mid-dominant but the bass frequencies are coming up close behind. The advantage of the guitar’s slight lack of acoustic bass frequencies is that it’s probably going to feed back less in a live setting, too.
Should I Buy One?
Part of the success of Joe Bonamassa’s signature guitar offerings is that they tend to be just as appealing even if you’re not a fan – as someone who really understands vintage instruments, he’s got a knack for pulling out rare curios that deserve a wider audience.
You can definitely put the 00-10E in that bracket – there aren’t many affordable 00s in the Martin catalogue, but now we have one that is worthy of a close look even if you’re not a Bonamassa sound.
The advantage of this being a Road Series instrument is that the solid woods involved will make this guitar sound better and better as it ages – while that thin satin finish should continue to wear nicely as it gets older.
If I’m honest, I would still prefer a gloss finish to this model, to compliment the USA-made version, but that’s purely personal preference. Sonically, it probably isn’t the sort of guitar that a solo artist would want to back themselves up for a coffee shop gig or open-mic, but as an accompanying instrument to another guitarist, it has a sound that sits really nicely in the mix.
It’s not the cheapest Martin to come out of Mexico in recent years, but like the Jason Isbell 0-10E before it, it does a great job of bringing some of the magic of small-bodied vintage Martins to a much more broad audience.
Alternatives
Another small-bodied Martin with all-solid wood construction and artist association is the rather fine 0-10E Jason Isbell ($1,049) while the regular Road Series 000-10 Retro Sapele ($899) is a cool, vintage-vibed option too. If you don’t mind a smaller body, you can even get a US-made instrument for another $700, the Gibson L-00 Special ($1,999) has plenty of 1930s charm.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
