Show Full Spec Comparison
| Takamine P3NY | Martin 000-15M StreetMaster | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Takamine | Martin |
| Year: | 2014 | 2017 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | Japan | United States |
| Series: | Pro Series 3 | 15 |
| Colors: | Natural | Natural |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | Yes |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Solid Cedar | Solid Mahogany |
| Sides Material: | Sapele | Mahogany |
| Back Material: | Sapele | Mahogany |
| Bridge: | Fixed | Katalox |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Takamine Gold | Golden Age Relic Nickel |
| Fretboard: | Rosewood | Katalox |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Dots | Abalone Diamonds and Squares Short Pattern |
| Scale Size: | 24.8" | 25.4" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Asymmetrical C | Acoustic Modified Low Oval |
| Frets: | 20 Medium Nickel Silver | 20 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 16" |
| Nut: | Bone | Bone |
| Nut Width: | 42.5mm (1.673'') | 42.9mm (1.688'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | CT4B II (Preamp / Active) | Fishman Gold Plus Natural I (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Gold | Nickel |
Reasons to Get
Takamine P3NY over Martin 000-15M StreetMaster
Reasons to Get
Martin 000-15M StreetMaster over Takamine P3NY
Other Key Differences
Takamine P3NY vs Martin 000-15M StreetMaster
Shared Features
Takamine P3NY vs Martin 000-15M StreetMaster
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster favors large hands more than the Takamine P3NY. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Takamine P3NY:
Martin 000-15M StreetMaster:
Beginner Friendliness
The Takamine P3NY meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Takamine P3NY- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Soft Strings
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Martin 000-15M StreetMaster- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in Both
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the Takamine P3NY
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
This is a softwood that is commonly used for acoustic guitars. It's known for its warm tone with strong overtones. However, there are many species so the tone and look can vary a lot.
It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.
Woods Used in the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster
Katalox is a type of wood that is native to Mexico and parts of Central America. It is a hardwood that is known for its strength and durability. It's tone is well balanced across all frequencies.
Winner: Takamine P3NY.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Takamine P3NY compares to the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Takamine P3NY is built in Japan while the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster is made in United States.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
In this case, both have Bone nuts. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Takamine P3NY's are Takamine Gold while the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster's are Golden Age Relic Nickel
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Takamine P3NY
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Laminated Side Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Martin 000-15M StreetMaster
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Electronics
- Compensated Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42.5mm (1.673''). This is a 0.4mm (0.015'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Martin 000-15M StreetMaster has the longest scale: 25.4". The Takamine P3NY is only 24.8" long. This is a 0.6'' (15.2mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Takamine P3NY has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.
The Martin 000-15M StreetMaster, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Takamine P3NY's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Fret Size
Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.
