New colors and new body shapes make for an exciting release from our favorite acoustic guitar maker. Martin refreshed the 16 Series for 2026 with five gloss-top colors, all solid wood, all built in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. Three of them are on our wall: a Jumbo in Cream, a slope-shoulder dreadnought in Cherry Cola, and a 00 in Blue Denim.
- What's new for 2026
- Martin J-16E in Cream
- Martin DSS-16E in Cherry Cola
- Martin 00L-16E in Blue Denim
- Which one is yours
- Solid wood in our climate
What's New for 2026
The old 16 Series was a quiet workhorse line. The refresh is not quiet. Martin put gloss color tops on it, five of them: Blue Denim, Cherry Cola, Cream, Black Smoke, and 1935 Burst.
Under the color, the construction is the full Martin recipe. Solid spruce tops over solid mahogany, or solid East Indian rosewood on the Jumbo. A dovetail neck joint, the one you want when a neck reset comes due decades from now. And every one arrives Plek'd, so the fretwork was machine-measured and dressed before it left the factory.
Shared across the series
- Select hardwood neck, Modified Low Oval profile, High Performance taper
- Ebony fingerboard and bridge, 20 frets, 1-3/4" nut width
- Bone nut, TUSQ saddle, black bridge pins with abalone dots
- L.R. Baggs Element electronics, factory installed
- Martin Lifespan 2.0 strings and a softshell case
- Left-handed versions of all three
The body shapes are the other half of the story. Five of them now, from a compact 00L up to a Grand Jumbo 12-string, and two of ours run a 24.9" short scale, which changes how the guitar feels under the fretting hand more than any spec on paper suggests. The full spec sheets are on Martin's 16 Series page.
Martin J-16E in Cream
- Body: J 14-fret Jumbo
- Woods: spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides
- Scale: 25.4"
- Bracing: scalloped X, 5/16"
- Appointments: Style 28 mother-of-pearl inlays, multi-stripe top binding, faux tortoise pickguard, nickel open-gear tuners with butterbean buttons
The J is Martin's Jumbo, the largest six-string body in the 16 Series, on a 25.4-inch scale with 5/16-inch scalloped X-bracing. It is also where the series spent its detailing: Style 28 mother-of-pearl inlays, multi-stripe binding on the top, and an East Indian rosewood headplate with Martin's Script Old Style logo.
The rosewood does more of the work than the size does. Rosewood brings the overtones and the clear high end that mahogany doesn't, and the slightly wider, rounder body gives the bass a little more room without turning it boomy. If you've been playing a mahogany dreadnought and want more ring and sustain under the same hands, this is the one to pick up. See the J-16E.
Martin DSS-16E in Cherry Cola
- Body: sloped-shoulder dreadnought, 14-fret
- Woods: spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides
- Scale: 24.9" short scale
- Bracing: forward-shifted scalloped X, 5/16"
- Appointments: 1955 Style 18 inlays, antique white binding, grained ivoroid pickguard
What's new here is the scale. Martin put a 24.9" short scale under the slope-shoulder body, which drops string tension and makes a full-size dread feel considerably more relaxed under the hand without giving up the low end. Bend a full step at the third fret and you'll feel it.
It's also the only one of the three with forward-shifted bracing, which pushes bass response and resonance. Where a square-shouldered dreadnought hits hard and direct, the DSS is woodier and more intimate, and the short scale leans it further that way. See the DSS-16E.
Martin 00L-16E in Blue Denim
- Body: sloped-shoulder 00, 14-fret
- Woods: spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides
- Scale: 24.9" short scale
- Bracing: scalloped X, 1/4" (lighter than the other two)
- Appointments: 1955 Style 18 inlays, antique white binding, grained ivoroid pickguard
The compact one, wearing a gloss Blue Denim top you will not mistake for anything else on the wall. The bracing is the detail to notice. It's scalloped like the rest of the series but cut lighter, 1/4" against the 5/16" everywhere else, which keeps a small body responsive to a light right hand instead of needing to be driven. Play it quietly and it still speaks.
The 00L gives you a woody, focused midrange that sits under a voice instead of fighting it, with more projection than the size suggests. See the 00L-16E.
Which One Is Yours
- Strummer who wants ring and sustain: the J-16E. Rosewood overtones, a little more room under the bass.
- Full-size guitar that's easy on the hands: the DSS-16E. The short scale does the work.
- Singer, couch player, or anyone recording with a mic: the 00L-16E. Stays out of the vocal's way and carries farther than a 00 should.
Specs tell you the construction. They don't tell you whether the short-scale DSS or the rosewood Jumbo is your guitar, and ten minutes in a chair with each one will. All three are on the wall during shop hours, and all three ship free. Call or text (518) 217-8695 and we'll hold one for you to play first.
Solid Wood in Our Climate
A solid-wood Martin moves with upstate seasons more than a laminate ever will. Forced-air heat in a Glens Falls winter can drop indoor humidity fast, and that's when tops sink and fret ends sharpen. Keep it cased with a humidifier in winter and target 45–55% relative humidity.
The longer version is in how humidity affects your guitar. The humidifiers are in guitar care products, and we shelve the same Lifespan 2.0 sets these ship with. The 16s in the shop right now hang on the Martin 16 Series page, and the rest of the wall is at Martin guitars.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If stairs are difficult or you're bringing in something you don't want to carry up, call or text us and we'll arrange access.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5 PM
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com