With hits such as “Señorita,” “Mercy,” “Treat You Better,” and “Stitches,” Canadian singer Shawn Mendes is one of the biggest pop stars around. Frequently backing himself on guitar, Mendes has used various acoustic and electric instruments, but he recently collaborated with Martin Guitars on the 000Jr-10E Shawn Mendes signature model, a portion of the proceeds of which will be donated to the Shawn Mendes Foundation’s Wonder of Music Program at the Hospital for Sick Children. I recently had a chance to check out the instrument in the Peghead Nation video studio.

The 000Jr-10E Shawn Mendes is based on Martin’s standard 000Jr-10E, which has a scaled-down 000 size that is basically a 14-fret size 0 with a short scale. The guitars are built with spruce tops and sapele back and sides, but one of the cool aspects about the Shawn Mendes version is that it is built using FSC-certified woods that were grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. On our demo guitar, the spruce top is particularly attractive, with tight grain, even color, and some lovely bear-claw figure behind the bridge. The guitar has relatively simple appointments that include basic dot position markers in the fingerboard, black purfling on the top, and an abalone rosette. Shawn Mendes’s signature is inlaid at the third fret, and a pair of swallows is etched on the wings of the guitar’s bridge. An active Fishman Sonitone pickup package with volume and tone controls mounted in the soundhole provides amplification. The guitar comes in a sturdy gig bag made from recycled ocean plastics.

With its compact dimensions, the 000Jr-10E Shawn Mendes is very comfortable to play. It would make a fabulous instrument for a beginner, physically small player, or anyone looking for an easy way to handle steel strings. Because the guitar’s neck has a standard width of 1¾ inches at the nut, it doesn’t feel cramped like some smaller guitars do, and the short scale makes long fretting-hand stretches much easier than on a typical full-size guitar. I was happy to discover that the 000Jr-10E Shawn Mendes has the clarity and overtone-rich sound that is Martin’s trademark, making it a satisfying instrument to play. Plugging it into a Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge delivered a full-size amplified sound.

Overall, the 000Jr-10E Shawn Mendes is a worthy addition to Martin’s Junior Series. For Shawn Mendes fans, the choice will be obvious, but anyone looking for a smaller guitar with superb playability and a great sound should take a look. The fact that it uses FSC-certified woods is icing on the cake!

SPECS: 14-fret 000 Junior body. Spruce top. Scalloped X-bracing. Sapele back and sides. Sipo neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. 24-inch scale. 1¾-inch nut width. Enclosed chrome tuners. Fishman Sonitone electronics. Made in Mexico. $799. Martinguitar.com

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