Ziricote back and sides, Fishman electronics and a high-performance neck, all at an affordable price
Martin has long been one of the acoustic guitar world’s most storied brands, but the iconic company is not one to merely rest on its esteemed past.
Witness the Road Series GPC-13E Ziricote, a “brand-new and incredible-sounding acoustic,” in the words of Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario.
The new all-solid model sports a Grand Performance body shape, “hence the GP designation,” Paul says (the “C,” of course, stands for “cutaway”), with a glossed Sitka spruce top and beautiful ziricote back and sides.
Additional features include a high-performance taper neck with a hand-rubbed finish and an FSC certified Richlite fingerboard and bridge. There’s also a mother-of-pearl pattern fingerboard and rosette inlays, a multi-stripe rosette border and white binding.
(Image credit: Martin)
Electronics, meanwhile, come courtesy of a Fishman MX-T system, which, Paul points out, “includes a built-in auto mute tuner by the sound hole, which is great for quickly tuning and muting as well.”
But while the GPC-13E is feature-packed, “the heart of this guitar is its ziricote back and sides,” Paul says. “It’s just a beautiful sounding wood.”
Paul goes on to compare the ziricote to rosewood, “however, I find this particular acoustic has a richer and bolder sound,” he says.
Paul’s final opinion? “The Martin GPC-13E Ziricote is a wonderful instrument for contemporary players. It’s affordable, has easy playability and sounds incredibly full and rich thanks to its ziricote back and sides. Definitely check it out.”
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