Almost $4,000 separates the two Martin Jason Isbell guitars, and from across the room you'd have a hard time telling which is which. Both are small 14-fret 0 bodies in dark mahogany, both have the same 24.9" scale, and both wear the same Old Style 17 inlays. One is a satin, plug-in-ready workhorse at about $1,050. The other is a gloss, sinker mahogany, Brazilian rosewood guitar at $4,999. If you're a songwriter shopping the Martin Jason Isbell models, the real question is what that extra money actually buys you, and whether you need it.
We've had both through the shop, and they turned out to be two different guitars for two different players, more than a good one and a better one. Here's how they compare, what each one does well, and what to look at now that both have sold through here.
Martin Jason Isbell 0-10E Retro vs 0-17: the short answer
Buy the 0-10E Retro if you want a guitar you'll play every day and plug in on a Saturday night. Buy the 0-17 if you want the closest thing Martin builds to the vintage single-O sound that inspired the pair, and you don't need a pickup. The 0-10E keeps things simple on purpose: satin finish, a modern neck, and electronics. The 0-17 is the old-style build all the way through, from the sinker mahogany neck to the '30s-style V carve and the Brazilian rosewood fingerboard.
| Spec (Shopify) | 0-10E Retro Jason Isbell | 0-17 Jason Isbell |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,049.99 | $4,999 |
| Top, back and sides | Mahogany | Sinker mahogany |
| Bracing | Scalloped X | Golden Era scalloped X |
| Neck | Select hardwood, PA profile, high-performance taper | Sinker mahogany, '30s-style V with thin heel |
| Nut width | 1 3/4" | 1 11/16" |
| Fingerboard and bridge | East Indian rosewood | Brazilian rosewood |
| Finish | Satin | Vintage gloss |
| Electronics | Martin E1 | None |
| Case | Softshell | Hardshell |
Hear them for yourself. Here's our instrumental take on "Cover Me Up," played on the new Isbell Martins:
What the 0-10E Retro is like to play
The 0-10E Retro is built entirely from mahogany on Martin's 0 14-fret body, and it sounds like it. The voice is warm, dry and focused, with a strong midrange. It doesn't have the big low end of a dreadnought, and that's part of the appeal: everything stays controlled and clear, so it sits under a voice instead of competing with it. That's why we'd hand it to a songwriter, a fingerstyle player, or anyone who mostly plays to accompany their own singing.
It's also an easy guitar to live with. The 24.9" scale lowers the string tension compared with a long-scale dreadnought, so bends and barre chords take less effort, and the 1 3/4" nut gives your fretting hand a little more room between strings for fingerpicking. Martin's PA profile with the high-performance taper keeps the neck quick. The East Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge add a bit of snap to the attack, and the Martin E1 electronics mean you can plug straight into a PA without adding anything.
The appointments stay minimal: no binding, a faux tortoise pickguard, nickel open-gear tuners with butterbean knobs, a white Tusq saddle and a single-ring rosette. It comes in a softshell case. Martin recommends its Era Artist Light strings, the Jason Isbell signature set, for this guitar. We stock the Martin Era Artist Light 12-54 set; it's sold out as of November 2026, so ask us if you'd like some set aside.
What the extra money buys in the 0-17 Jason Isbell
The 0-17 is the Martin Jason Isbell model built the old way. Martin's own description ties it to the vintage Martins of the late '30s and early '40s, and nearly every spec on it follows that era. The top, back, sides and neck are all sinker mahogany, which is wood recovered from riverbeds after decades underwater. It gives the guitar a quick, woody response and an aged character from the first strum.
Here's where the roughly $3,950 goes:
- Sinker mahogany everywhere, neck included, instead of standard mahogany and a select hardwood neck.
- Golden Era scalloped bracing, Martin's vintage-pattern take on the scalloped X.
- A '30s-style V neck with a thin heel. It's the feel of an old Martin. A V carve fills the palm differently from the PA profile, so play one before you decide; some hands love it and some don't.
- Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard and bridge, plus a non-compensated bone saddle and Waverly nickel open-back tuners.
- A vintage gloss finish and a hardshell case.
What it doesn't have matters too. There's no pickup, and the nut is 1 11/16", a sixteenth narrower than the 0-10E. If you fingerpick a lot and like room between the strings, that's worth knowing before you spend $4,999.
Which Martin Jason Isbell guitar fits you?
- You gig, record at home, or play out with a PA: the 0-10E Retro. The E1 electronics and the satin finish make it a guitar you won't worry about.
- You want the vintage single-O experience and play mostly unplugged: the 0-17. Everything about it, from the V neck to the gloss, points back to the old guitars.
- You want big bass and volume for bluegrass rhythm: neither one. Look at a dreadnought instead; our mahogany vs rosewood guide is a good place to start.
Both Martin Jason Isbell models are priced over $1,000, so either one ships with our Dread-Not Guarantee: a full year to trade it in for up to 90% of the pre-tax purchase price in credit, less round-trip shipping, plus a 30-day in-home trial. Every guitar also gets our 23-Point Professional Inspection before it ships.
The catch: both Isbell Martins are sold out here
We've sold every Martin Jason Isbell guitar we've had, the 0-10E Retro and the 0-17 both, and we don't have one in the shop as of November 2026. If you want one, ask us about ordering and we'll tell you what we can get and when.
If you'd rather play something this week, these are in stock now and come closest to what the Isbell guitars do:
- Martin 000-10E Retro #6905 ($899.99): the same idea in a slightly larger 000 body, all sapele with scalloped X bracing, the Performing Artist neck and Martin E1 electronics. Sapele shares a lot of mahogany's woody, mid-forward character.
- Martin 000-15M StreetMaster #0419 ($1,899.99): solid mahogany top, back and sides with a worn satin finish, a warm, dry midrange, and a 1 11/16" nut. No pickup.
For the full picture, browse our 0, 00 and 000 guitars, every Martin we have in stock, or our whole acoustic guitar collection. If you're still sorting out Martin's lineup, our Martin guitar series guide explains where each series sits, and Jeff Tweedy's signature model is another small-body Martin built around one songwriter's taste; we cover it in our Jeff Tweedy Martin post.
Related reading
- Bonamassa 00-18 review: Martin's printed top isn't what you think
- Martin 16 Series review: the 00L-16E, DSS-16E and J-16E
Who should buy a Martin Jason Isbell guitar
If you write songs, sing while you play, and want a small Martin that stays out of your voice's way, the Martin Jason Isbell 0-10E Retro is the practical pick, with the electronics and the wider nut built in. If you've been chasing the sound of an old single-O and can live without a pickup, the 0-17 is the one built for that, and it's worth playing to see whether the V neck suits your hand. And if neither is in stock when you're ready, the 000-10E Retro and the 000-15M StreetMaster get you most of the way there today. Call or stop by and we'll help you sort it out.
