From Acoustic Guitar July/August 2021 | Greg Allwell

With its Road series, CF Martin & Co. offers a series of affordable guitars that provide professional-grade performance and sound. These instruments are clearly intended to be reliable companions for playing musicians and have modern functions, playability and structure. Recently, Martin added two new models to the product line, namely GPC-13E Grand Performance profile and D-13E Dreadnought. (Please refer to the review of the all-mahogany GPC-15ME in the January 2017 issue.) GPC-13E uses solid Sitka spruce panels with mutenye or ziricote options on the back and sides. Martin sent the latter for review. After several weeks of inspection, I am full of praise for the GPC-13E's easy-to-play features, excellent settings, good sound and modern appearance.

Since its launch more than ten years ago, Grand Performance has become one of Martin's most popular body types. GP has some differences in body size, similar to Taylor's Grand Auditorium. It's easy to understand why players like this body type: the upper and lower rounds are close to the width of the Dreadnought, so the GP can provide a lot of lows and highs, but its relatively narrow waist makes it feel smaller and a more manageable guitar.

Although Martin’s model has historically determined that the wood and trim levels increase with the increase in numbers, the 13-level name of this guitar has a style that exceeds your expectations. Martin did not approach the guitar with a retro style aesthetic, but chose clear lines and bright white bindings with the words "new guitar" on it. GPC-13E's shiny white edging and gleaming heel cap are in sharp contrast with the dark zircon, while the 28-shaped mother-of-pearl pattern fingerboard dots and wide rosettes add a little flamboyance.

GPC-13E is the only guitar in Martin's regular product series with zircon back and side panels. This Central American log is usually dark brown, with a hint of green or purple, and has a distinct texture. My test guitar has a slight sapwood stripe in the middle of the back, like a built-in central stripe, giving it a unique touch. Since zircon is expensive, the back and sides are laminated. However, unlike the typical formula with poplar or maple as the core layer, Martin uses khaya or African mahogany, sandwiched between the outer layers of zircon. 

As someone who grew up playing Dreadnought, I really like GPC's current but not overwhelming bass output-it makes the guitar sound solid and solid, not bass or booming. Pushing hard or coaxing gently, its moderate midrange spoon and full bass and shiny treble combine some of the better characteristics of the heavy dreadnought at the bottom and lesser guitar fullness. 

When I play GPC-13E, I tend to play again and again. The chords just want to jump out of this guitar, it feels like you can play group by group with minimal fatigue and a lot of satisfying sounds. It is also a good fingerstyle guitar, and its proportions provide a mellow, controllable low end and crystal-like treble for the bass notes played by the thumb and the treble melody played by the thumb.

The performance of the GPC-13E is as good as it sounds. The neck uses Martin's Performing Artist carvings and high-performance tapers to create a slender, modern feel, attracting more experienced electric guitar players and acoustic guitarists who pay attention to comfort. The light painting and hand-wiping finish of the neck made my hands feel happy when pressing the strings, and made me feel the connection with the guitar immediately. 

The Richlite fingerboard and bridge are as dark as night, looking and feeling like ebony. Because it is a phenolic resin/cellulose composite material, Richlite is more stable than wood and is less likely to be affected by drying conditions. The hollow of GPC is sleek and smooth, and this setting makes playing for a long time without getting tired. I can say the same thing to the whole guitar—it feels like it was born for playing.

In Northern California, where I live, the relative humidity and temperature changed a lot during my test using GPC. The guitar has never been challenged by close to single-digit humidity and high temperatures in a day, and then felt challenged in the cold and humid conditions that followed. GPC-13E looks very stable. Its performance remains stable during outdoor performances. As the sun sets, the temperature drops to more than 50 degrees, and the movement, hollowing and sound remain consistent. I suspect that this is at least partly due to the guitar's on-road characteristics, such as its strong laminated back and side panels, strong tenon-and-mortise connections, and the Richlite fingerboard and bridge.

The Fishman electronic kit of the GPC-13E includes an on-board tuner located inside the treble side of the sound hole, which can mute the pickup for tuning. When the guitar is in the playing position, the small LCD screen of the tuner is easy to see, but not to the crowd. Similarly, the volume and tone controls are hidden on the bass side of the sound hole, which is discreet and easy to adjust. The tone control of the MX-T has been changed from a flat setting to a simultaneous enhancement of bass and treble, and a little gain will be added when you turn the knob up. I tested the guitar with Boss Acoustic Singer Pro. With the amplifier's equalizer set to a level that is flat and suitable for the stage, the fullness of the GPC is reflected, which makes me want to play every rock tune I can remember.

Although there is no guitar that can meet the needs of every player, the GPC-13E can do many things. It does so many things right that it may be as close to a universal guitar as anything I can recall. Although its Swiss Army knife method is not for everyone, the GPC-13E is an easy choice for players who need a reliable, beautiful guitar that sounds good acoustically and plugs in. For players who like sound, it is also very suitable for Dreadnought to emphasize bass and treble, but want a more comfortable guitar. GPC-13E is a road warrior guitar, you can rely on it to complete any performance that may appear.

BODY Grand Performance 14 fret notched body; solid Sitka spruce top with fan-shaped Sitka X support; laminated zircon back and sides; Richlite modern belly bridge with compensating plug-in Tusq saddle and 2-5/32" Spacing; moire protector; glossy polyurethane finish

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NECK 25.4-inch selected hardwood neck with performance artist shape and high-performance taper; 20-pin Richlite fingerboard, 16-inch radius; 1-3/4″ Corian nut; chrome-plated closed gear tuner; hand-cleaned finish

Other Fishman MX-T electronic products; neck heel buckle; Martin Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 phosphor bronze strings (.012–.054); performance package; left-handed available

This article was originally published in the July/August 2021 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.

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