Martin 000CJR-10E

A compact steel-string with an all-sapele body and Fishman electronics.

December 6, 2023

Martin’s line of “Junior” guitars occupies a niche between a small standard guitar and a travel guitar. Using scaled-down versions of the company’s famous 000 and dreadnought bodies, Junior models also have short 24-inch scales that make them both compact and easy to play. Earlier this year, Martin introduced a cutaway version of the 000 Junior that features the distressed “StreetMaster” finish already familiar from several other models, and we recently had a chance to check the guitar out in the Peghead Nation video studio.

The 000 Junior body’s dimensions are similar to a standard 0 size, but it retains the 14-fret 000’s proportions. The 000CJR-10E includes a cutaway and is built with a solid sapele top, back, and sides. Sapele is often compared to mahogany, and the 000CJR-10E follows in the footsteps of such Martin all-mahogany classics as the 15 and 17 series. The guitar’s fingerboard and bridge are made from black Richlite that is almost indistinguishable from ebony. The StreetMaster finish is very thin, with a satin feel, and its brown stain shows several areas of simulated distress, creating a worn-in appearance. The guitar has relatively simple appointments that include basic dot position markers in the fingerboard and a simulated pearl rosette. Like 15-series instruments, the 000CJR-10E has no binding. An active Fishman Sonitone pickup package with volume and tone controls mounted in the soundhole provides amplification, and the guitar comes in a sturdy gig bag.

Like all Martin Juniors, the 000CJR-10E is very comfortable to hold. Our demo guitar had an excellent setup, and between the short scale, low action, and comfortable High Performance Taper neck, the guitar was about as effortless to play as a steel-string can be. And because the neck has a standard 1¾-inch width at the nut and string spacing of 2⁵/₃₂ inches at the saddle, the neck doesn’t make your fingers feel cramped like some smaller instruments do.

Tonally, the 000CJR-10E impresses with a rich sound that has Martin’s famous clarity and balance, and it has respectable volume for such a small instrument. The guitar has none of the brash, midrange-heavy character that plagues some small instruments, making it really fun and satisfying to play. The instrument’s Fishman Sonitone pickup system consists of an active undersaddle pickup and soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls, and when plugged into a Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge amp, they offered full-size amplified sound.

The 000CJR-10E is a wonderful little guitar with lots of applications. With its easy playability, it would be a fantastic choice for beginners and would also be a great practice guitar for experienced players. With its grown-up sound, both acoustically and when amplified, it would also be an excellent instrument for physically smaller players who are looking for a versatile primary instrument. Finally, if you’ve been dissatisfied with smaller travel guitars, one of the Martin Juniors would be a great alternative that doesn’t take up a lot of space.