Martin 0X Tenor Ukulele

A ukulele scale in this particular series that I had been hoping for for quite some time now. This is the new Martin 0X Tenor Ukulele.

The 'X' in the name from this extremely famous stringed instrument maker is the clue here, as this is another in their 'HPL' or 'High Pressure Laminate' instruments. Martin have used this material for some time going back to the 0X Bamboo and 0XK sopranos I looked at first back in 2017. I've since looked at their concert too. Those are a few years ago so it's worth a recap. HPL is not wood. There we are.. that's the thing, and it's also the thing that makes certain uke fans apoplectic with rage for reasons I really don't understand. HPL is actually sheets of paper card pressed very firmly in a resin to create a very light, very hard material that is also used for kitchen counter top finishing. Why don't I understand the rage? Well, because having played several from Martin, but also Bonanza and Enya, it's an eco material that really sounds very good to my ears. No, it doesn't have signature tonal properties of individual tone-woods (the outer image on here is just a graphic print, not wood) but they are tough and, quite simply, work as materials for instruments for me. Get over it. That out of the way, let's dig in.

SUMMARY VIDEO REVIEW

The Tenor version of the 0X line for Martin was the final missing piece for me having put out sopranos and concerts already. It comes in two flavours, either a very striking, 'oh so Johnny Cash' matte black version or this one, equally striking, and called 'Sunset'. And remember what I said above - the material here is not wood so anything that you can see that looks like wood grain in the body (bar the bridge) is just a screen print on the outer facing. Martin do irritate me a little on this as their product spec does read like you are getting some Mahogany here (or Koa in the 0XK soprano) but you are not. Naturally this is your typical double bout Martin shape for the body with the 'print' being wood grain, left straight brown on the back and sides and a, rather lovely (in my view), sunburst finish to the top with dark black upper bouts. I think the top print is supposed to be spruce which is the usual choice for sunbursts, but as I say, just a graphic. I do accept though that it's a touch on the 'severe' side and the dark areas look nothing like a wood finish. Whilst the grain print may infer this has two pieces for each part it's just the print and the top, back and sides are all formed from single sheets - something easy to do with HPL.

The bridge is very stock Martin in the form of a small tie bar made from 'select hardwood' which could be anything, but still is very tidily finished. At least it's not soft Sipo wood though I think that with Martin prices they could at least tell you what you are getting. Sitting in that is a compensated white Tusq saddle and the spacing clocks in at 41mm.

Decoration is an odd one to talk about with HPL instruments, mainly because the nature of the material means you could put anything on it (as Bonanza ukes will attest). But in terms of 'trad' decoration features you get the usual skinny Martin white and black soundhole rosette as a transfer and nothing else. I think the edges of the top and back have been treated to something dark though as you are not seeing the HPL in cross section, rather a dark strip. It's also nice to see they are chamfered too so you are not getting a sharp 90 degree angle which will dig into the arm. Other than that the natural finish of HPL is satin so that's it for the finishing.

Like other Martin 0X series ukuleles, the inside introduces some real wood in the bracing and notched linings and like every Martin I see, it's extremely tidy. It also has an odd wooden plate behind the main top brace which I suspect may be to stop the HPL top bellying. You can also look at the more natural colour of the raw HPL without the outer graphic which is a kind of blue-ish stone grey.

The neck uses another design employed by Martin before, and another that has made people 'sniffy' for reasons I don't understand. It's made up of lots of long strips of wood (Birch in this case) laminated along the length of the neck and bonded together creating a groovy looking stripe that looks great in the more carved areas. No, it's not a single piece, but what this technique does (sometimes called Stratabond) is create a very strong neck resilient to bending and twisting. What's not to like about that? Oh, and like other Martin ukes, the neck is connected to the body with a dovetail joint. The profile is very Martin, so fairly squashed on the back but a more average 34mm nut width and spacing of 29mm that I measure. Not perfect for me, but the profile saves it.

Topping that is more 'select hardwood' which is dark and even in colour. It comes with 20 frets, joined at the 14th and despite not being edge bound, they are dressed well. I also note that the edges of the the board are slightly 'rolled' which removes the 90 degree cut and feels very comfortable in the hands. Nice. Markers are the usual Martin tiny dots facing out at the 5th, 7th, 10th, double 12th and 15th and you get those on the side too with an extra 3rd.

The nut is made of more Tusq and beyond that you get the very obvious Martin crown headstock faced in more black HPL. I am eternally thankful that this ditches the 'greeting card sticker' logo and opts for a gold screen print which looks far better.

I am also massively thankful they didn't go with their recent choice of Graphtech ratio planetary tuners on this (a product I consider totally unfit for purpose now - too many examples of failures including my own..). Instead you get excellent Grover brand open gears with small cream buttons. Wonderful tuners.

Completing the package are a set of Martin strings and the newly upgraded Martin gig bag which I think is excellent. And like most things Martin the price is pretty serious and comes in at £459. It's a lot of dough, but considering the price of the soprano and concert HPL ukes, this is an understandable step up I suppose. Hey, some people will have a beef with Martin on pricing even if they were $10... personally I judge price on the quality of build and parts and think I can see where the value is here. But yes, I have to admit, it's expensive... though do remember that it's not made in China.

So, whilst I appreciate this will not be for everyone, I personally love the look of this and the build and finish are simply excellent. HPL can feel a bit on the hefty side, and whilst this isn't super heavy, at 720g it's on the heavier side for a tenor. It's lovely to hold though and balances just fine.

I said above that my earlier Martin HPL reviews came out very positive, and that's because I find HPL is a genuinely good material for making tone. No it doesn't sound like wood, but equally it doesn't sound boxy or like plastic either. Both those other Martin HPL's sounded great and actually preferred the HPL soprano to their entry level solid wood model.

Here the volume is terrific, which I do tend to find with well made HPL ukes. It's got a cracking punch that will not see you get lost in a jam. Sustain is good too, not stellar but certainly better than average. Things are looking good.

Tone wise it has a very clear, precise voice with superb clarity. That is not to say 'shrill' or 'bright' and in fact I find it is extremely balanced through the mids, oddly much like mahogany! Strummed it sounds very bouncy and you can hear it harmonise with itself giving it a nice rhythmical edge that is very enjoyable. Yes there's some bright, but also some bass and much inbetween. As I say, balanced. No, it's not a woody tone, and if I wanted to be more brutal I suppose it's a little one dimensional, but I still like it. It's pleasant.

Fingerpicking is chimey and pretty and the volume stays decent right up the neck. I also find it very comfortable to play this way with that smooth neck. I was trying to find a better way to sum up the tone and what I thought was that this is an 'addictive' uke. It's very nice to have 'one more play' partly because it's comfortable, but also because it's nice to listen too. Not over complex, not super simple, just kind of 'nice'.

Closing this review, yes, I know people love to bash Martin, but I am very taken with this one, as I was with their other HPL ukes. They are simply very well made ukes, look good and play very nicely too.

Sure, it's quite a few clams, but hey, it's a very good uke! Recommended!

https://www.martinguitar.com/

UKULELE SPECS ROUNDUP

Model: Martin 0X

Scale: Tenor

Body: HPL (High Pressure Laminate)

Bridge: 'Select' hardwood, tie bar

Saddle: Tusq

Spacing at saddle: 41mm

Finish: Natural HPL satin

Neck: Birch stratabond

Fingerboard: Select hardwood

Frets: 20, 14 to body

Nut: Tusq

Nut width: 34mm, 29mm G to A

Tuners: Grover open gears

Strings: Martin

Extras: Gig bag

Weight: 720g

Country of origin: Mexico

Price: £459

UKULELE PROS

Nice looks

Excellent build and finish

Nice neck feel

Great tuners

Very nice bag

Terrific volume

Good sustain

Very clear mid tones

UKULELE CONS

Bit pricey

UKULELE SCORES

Looks - 9 out of 10

Fit and finish - 9.5 out of 10

Sound - 9 out of 10

Value for money - 8.5 out of 10

OVERALL UKULELE SCORE - 9 out of 10

UKULELE VIDEO REVIEW

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