Martin’s budget-friendly acoustics now come in three new finishes – including drool-worthy cocobolo – and feature thinner necks and a contoured bridge for extra comfort
(Image credit: Martin Guitar)
Martin Guitar has readied itself for NAMM 2024 with a thorough and thoughtful overhaul of its X Series range of guitars. The Pennsylvanian luthier has been going for nearly 200 years, and its X series has long been its staple range for affordability.
The update, which includes six and 12-string acoustics, sees its range going through a number of aesthetic and playability-bolstering changes. It says the remastered collection “aims to redefine the expectations of what an affordable acoustic guitar can and should be.”
In terms of playability, the guitars have been given thinner fretboards with a “gently bevelled comfort edge”. This comes alongside refined string spacing and a modernized contour for its bridge which also seeks to make strumming its guitars a more comfortable experience.
The range understands that size matters, too. Each guitar comes in a range of body sizes to cater to different player preferences including 0, 00, 000, D, and GPC.
On the looks front, the X series features an array of rather fancy-looking high-pressure laminate (HPL) finishes. There are three new finishes to the lineup: the criminally-utilised cocobolo as well as ziricote, and Brazilian rosewood. They join the previously used finishes of mahogany, koa, and all-black.
Each headstock also matches the body’s HPL finish for a sleek look. There are also satin tuners, refined rosettes and Martin’s E-1 electronics, which sees each guitar come stocked with an in-built chromatic tuner, tone, volume and phase controls.
There are two subdivisions within the range. X1 models feature HPL bodies, Stratabond necks, and Richlite fingerboards and bridges. X2 models differ my offering satin-finished spruce tops, HPL backs and sides, and select hardwood necks, fingerboards, and bridges.
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(Image credit: Martin Guitar)
(Image credit: Martin Gutiar)
(Image credit: Martin Guitar)
(Image credit: Martin Gutiar)
(Image credit: Martin Guitar)
The exhaustive list of the remastered X Series lineup includes the following models: 0-X2E Cocobolo, 00-X2E Cocobolo, 000-X2E Brazilian (all $699); D-X1E Koa, D-X1E Mahogany (both $599); D-X2E Brazilian, D-X2E Mahogany, D-X2E Ziricote Burst, D-X2E Brazilian 12-String (all $699); GPC-X1E Black ($649); GPC-X2E Cocobolo, and GPC-X2E Ziricote (both $799).
For more info on the updated X Series range, visit MartinGuitar.com.
To stay in the loop with all gear releases ahead of NAMM 2024, head over to our guide to the latest NAMM 2024 news.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
