Martin Guitar GPC-13E Modern Nat
Acoustic Guitar with Pickup
- Body shape: Grand Performance with Cutaway
- Top: Solid spruce
- Back and sides: Koa
- Neck: Selected hardwood
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Scale length: 645 mm (25.4")
- Nut width: 44.5 mm (1.75")
- 20 frets
- Pickup system: Martin E1
- Finish: Natural, high-gloss
- Includes Softlight case
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Available since January 2026
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Item number 629327
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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Model Grand Performance
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Top Spruce, Solid
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Back And Sides Koa
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Cutaway Yes
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Fretboard Ebony
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Nut width in mm 44,50 mm
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Pickup System Yes
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Colour Natural
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Case No
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Incl. Gigbag Yes
Perfection between extremes
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With the fully revamped Road Series, Martin has split the range into two distinct directions: Retro models with a vintage-inspired look and a warm, balanced sound, and Modern models with a contemporary design and fast necks. The GPC-13E Modern sits clearly on the more progressive side, aimed at musicians who switch between genres and appreciate playability that feels as close to an electric as possible. The back and sides, built from a three-ply koa-mahogany-koa construction, complement that profile tonally as well: warm, clear, and focused, with well-emphasised mids. Like nearly all guitars in the Road Series, this Grand Performance has a solid spruce top, which delivers strong volume and long sustain. For stage use, it's also fitted with a Martin E1 pickup system.
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Fuller sound, slimmer waist
The Grand Performance body shape of the Martin GPC-13E Modern combines the depth of a dreadnought with a narrower, 000-like waist: powerful projection with more comfortable handling. The mahogany core of the koa construction doesn't just add stability: With its own full tonal character, it contributes to the overall sound acoustically as well. Somewhat less bass is offset by strong volume and a dynamic, midrange-forward tone – ideal for both strumming and fingerpicking. Just as eye-catching as the koa grain are the Ratio tuners with their skeletonised buttons and distinctive design on the headstock: Each tuner is matched to the gauge of its string, so every turn gives a precise, even change in pitch.
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Ready for the stage
For live use, the GPC-13E Modern comes fitted with a Martin E1 pickup system. Two controls on the inside of the soundhole handle volume and tone, so the amplified sound can be adjusted directly to suit the room or the band. A phase button can be switched in, and that usually reins in any feedback that might start to build. The built-in tuner, meanwhile, mutes the output automatically while tuning, so the guitar can be retuned discreetly between songs. As a piezo pickup, the E1 picks up the vibrations of the bronze strings and the solid spruce top equally, passing their warm, focused tonal character on, unaltered, into the amplified sound.
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About Martin Guitar
Martin Guitar was founded in 1833 and is thus one of the most long-established brands in the history of the acoustic guitar. Several of Martin's developments – including the dreadnought shape, robust X-bracing, the placement of the neck-to-body transition at the 14th fret (as opposed to the 12th fret as found on classical guitars), and the use of steel strings – have now become staples of modern guitar construction that countless other manufacturers have since adopted. To put it another way: Music today would sound very different had it not been for C.F. Martin & Co.
Pairing playability with power
Compared with the dreadnought DC-13E Modern, the Martin GPC-13E Modern delivers a rather more balanced sound with only slightly reduced bass presence – the two share their tonewoods, electronics, and hardware. Martin's own tests also track the Grand Performance shape actually coming out noticeably louder than the standard dreadnought, without sacrificing any playability. The neck plays its part here too, with Martin's Performing Artist profile and high-performance taper – it's a flat, modern profile that enables fast playing across the whole ebony fingerboard, while the subtly rounded fingerboard edge adds to a comfortable feel right the way to the neck-to-body transition. Thanks to this combination of playability and power, the GPC-13E Modern suits strumming and fingerpicking equally well, making it a versatile working instrument for stage, rehearsal room, and studio.
In the spotlight
The new Road Series
The Road Series combines classic designs with modern reinterpretations of the Martin catalogue. The guitars are all built at the company's own facility in Mexico, which makes this level of quality possible at a more attractive price. The range covers several classic body shapes – from the compact 000 and the Grand Performance to the big-bodied dreadnought, with all Modern models featuring a cutaway. Martin also sorts the guitars into style levels: The 10 models combine a satin finish with sapele back and sides, the 12s offer the same woods in gloss, and the 13 models use walnut or koa – each inspired by the historic Martin Styles 15, 18, and 28, in that order. The electronics follow a similar logic: The Martin E1 pickup is standard across the whole series, with some models fitted with the LR Baggs Element system. Every guitar in the series ships with a softshell case, for safe transport between rehearsal rooms, concert halls, and home.
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