I ordered this guitar from AMS on a Friday evening and it was delivered the following Wednesday, so kudos to AMS for prompt service.Trust me when I tell you that the guitar looks even more stunning in person than it does in the website images. The grain on the koa back and side veneers is distinctive and eye-catching. The pearloid rosette and fingerboard inlays are also well done. I purchased a set of bridge pins from Martin's website that uses the same pearloid, and they look nice.The neck profile is quite comfortable, and of course the unique heel-less design of the cutaway gives you easy access to the entire fingerboard. I expect to see this feature turning up on other Martin models down the road.The asymmetrical body shape is visually unique and ... MoreI ordered this guitar from AMS on a Friday evening and it was delivered the following Wednesday, so kudos to AMS for prompt service.Trust me when I tell you that the guitar looks even more stunning in person than it does in the website images. The grain on the koa back and side veneers is distinctive and eye-catching. The pearloid rosette and fingerboard inlays are also well done. I purchased a set of bridge pins from Martin's website that uses the same pearloid, and they look nice.The neck profile is quite comfortable, and of course the unique heel-less design of the cutaway gives you easy access to the entire fingerboard. I expect to see this feature turning up on other Martin models down the road.The asymmetrical body shape is visually unique and phenomenally comfortable to play sitting down, which is mostly how I play. The sound hole tuner is a nice touch, and the Fishman MX-T electronics sound fine to me, although I mostly don't play plugged in.This is my first Martin guitar, and it is true what they say: Nothing else sounds like a Martin!Martin has really done themselves proud with the SC-13E. Highly recommended!

First thing I noticed when I got this guitar is the lousy piece of wood used for the top. I thought there were scratches in it but it turned out to just be flaws in the wood. So I thought well how pretty it is is not what's important to me. Then it went to playability. The setup is very good if you want to use the first second and third strings to cut cheese. It's a little thicker than I would have preferred but the slices still come out pretty good. This could be a great guitar! As it is right now it's so difficult to play and sounds very thin with no volume at all. I'm going to make an appointment at an authorized Martin service center as soon as I can get time off to drive that far. To be honest my D-28 had high action when I got it but at least I could correct ... MoreFirst thing I noticed when I got this guitar is the lousy piece of wood used for the top. I thought there were scratches in it but it turned out to just be flaws in the wood. So I thought well how pretty it is is not what's important to me. Then it went to playability. The setup is very good if you want to use the first second and third strings to cut cheese. It's a little thicker than I would have preferred but the slices still come out pretty good. This could be a great guitar! As it is right now it's so difficult to play and sounds very thin with no volume at all. I'm going to make an appointment at an authorized Martin service center as soon as I can get time off to drive that far. To be honest my D-28 had high action when I got it but at least I could correct that and do a set up myself. So all I can say so far is I'm very excited about the new design and maybe, after I get someone to do a proper set up on it, it will be decent. But if you think this is going to be a guitar that sounds like a Martin and plays like an electric, don't bet on it. Maybe if you're really lucky and yours is set up better.

As good as I hoped!

I ordered 2 of these. One was not great. Higher action than I hoped and just felt... bleh. Returned it.The other one is great. Played almost as easy as my electrics, out of the box. The action and access to upper frets is unlike any acoustic I've ever played, at any price. The new design to eliminate the neck heel is super cool and really makes a huge difference in playability for me. I think it is a great looking guitar too. I can play it for endless hours, comfortably.The sound is great. I did change to 80/20 Elixir Nano 10-47s (yes, 10s). The Martin strings were OK but a little beat and I wanted to try to go lighter without losing too much "body" in the sound. The lighter and brighter strings I picked appear to be perfect for what was looking for. I am doing ... MoreI ordered 2 of these. One was not great. Higher action than I hoped and just felt... bleh. Returned it.The other one is great. Played almost as easy as my electrics, out of the box. The action and access to upper frets is unlike any acoustic I've ever played, at any price. The new design to eliminate the neck heel is super cool and really makes a huge difference in playability for me. I think it is a great looking guitar too. I can play it for endless hours, comfortably.The sound is great. I did change to 80/20 Elixir Nano 10-47s (yes, 10s). The Martin strings were OK but a little beat and I wanted to try to go lighter without losing too much "body" in the sound. The lighter and brighter strings I picked appear to be perfect for what was looking for. I am doing lots of fills, solos and higher alternate chords as a lead player but in some cases I am playing rhythm or even lower chords to bring up bass behind a 12 string and in both cases, the sound is great, plugged in or not. The tone control is not quite as dynamic as I would like, but I knew that before I bought it, having watched Fishman and others demo the electronics included. It is more like a tone EQ combo... no real complaints. Tuner works, but is a bit slow.I have a Martin DGT1. This is lighter and thinner. Super comfy to play strapped or on lap. Seeing a bolt on neck joint is just so new on a guitar like this. It feels totally solid and stable. Having "worked it" to see if I get any flex, I have no issues at all.Overall, it holds tune well considering how aggressively I play and bend.It is a super versatile Martin at a very reasonable price. Anyone who plays lead or wants easy access to the top end of an acoustic guitar, buy and try this.Add a case, upgrade the tuners and it's 5 stars all day.

Buyer Beware

I play locally for hire as a solo acoustic guitar / vocalist. My primary guitar is a Martin GPCP Aura. I purchased the Martin SC 13E in hopes of finding a guitar with better action and playability. My first reaction to the 13E was really nice and it did play with less effort / strength than my GPCP. The first issue I noticed was string buzz on the 1st and 2nd strings. It wasn't awful but noticeable. I played the guitar that weekend at two shows. I was still noticing the buzz. So, I started the set-up investigation. The neck relief, the slight bow forward that a guitar neck needs, looked really good, maybe could use a bit more to help with the string buzz. This is an easy truss rod adjustment; however, I didn't change the truss rod setting. The next thing I looked at ... MoreI play locally for hire as a solo acoustic guitar / vocalist. My primary guitar is a Martin GPCP Aura. I purchased the Martin SC 13E in hopes of finding a guitar with better action and playability. My first reaction to the 13E was really nice and it did play with less effort / strength than my GPCP. The first issue I noticed was string buzz on the 1st and 2nd strings. It wasn't awful but noticeable. I played the guitar that weekend at two shows. I was still noticing the buzz. So, I started the set-up investigation. The neck relief, the slight bow forward that a guitar neck needs, looked really good, maybe could use a bit more to help with the string buzz. This is an easy truss rod adjustment; however, I didn't change the truss rod setting. The next thing I looked at was the distance of the string height, above the 12th fret. My thought was I would try to lower this slightly if I decided to keep the guitar. The next weekend I got the guitar out at home before getting ready for my show that evening, to run through a new song I was planning to do at hat nights show. I took the SC13E out of the bag and the 1st and 2nd strings were touching the guitar at the 20th fret. I thought the saddle had somehow pushed down lower into the bridge.... I exchanged that guitar for another SC1E. GC person was easy to work with and got the exchange handled quickly. About 3-4 days I had my second SC13E in my hands. It also had the same string buzz, even though the neck relief and action looked good. I played a couple of shows with this guitar and then I started noticing the buzz getting worse. If you are still reading, the reward is at hand. lol I have decided that the problem with this guitar, and probably the other guitar, is the neck angle is off. I will explain why I think it is off and explain how you can check your guitar. I have watched hundreds of youtube videos trying to learn how to set-up and care for my instruments. I have watched neck adjustment videos put out by fender, for their strat guitars, because I wanted to know how to adjust my Acoustasonic Strat. But what I am getting ready to sell you, I have discovered on my own and may not be accurate, but here it goes. If I put a capo, or hold the strings down with my hand. on the 12th fret, there is a space between the strings and the frets above the 12th fret. A pretty wide gap at the 20th fret. On the SC13E the strings are almost touching and the 1st string is touching. Wa La I believe that neck angle is off. I think it was off on both guitars. So check yours before missing your return date. If you check your guitar and it has this problem, don't totally freak out. The SC13E has an adjustable neck angle, so it can be made perfect. If you find what I described above, I suggest contacting Martin Guitar and GC. Another thing to be aware of, the three Martin guitars I have owned had the nut groves cut too narrow. I took my GPCP to an excellent luthier. He filed the width and depth to correct specifications and filed down my frets (I had two that where high) Both of the SC13E guitars needed to have the nuts filed. If you are trying to tune your guitar by making a very slight turn to get it just right and the string doesn't increase pitch and then jumps to a sharp pitch, the string is probably pinching in the nut grove. Both SC13E's were boogers to tune for that reason. One of them broke the B string while tuning up from dropping the pitch. I am returning my second SC13E tomorrow and I think I am going to give it a rest for awhile. Maybe look for something different. FYI: I love my Martin GPCP Aura, unfortunately they discontinued that model. The sound I get from the Fishman Aura electronics is the best I have heard. PS: part of the reason the SC13E plays easier is they use a lighter gauge string. I put a set of the MA535T Martin Lifespan strings on mt GPCP and even with the truss rod loose, the strings don't pull on the neck hard enough to give me the neck relief that is needed. The SC13E is a beautiful guitar to look at and the electronics onboard sound very nice. I learned, I'm not a big fan of having the controls inside the sound hole. A little awkward to get to while strumming and the phase reverse switch is way back from the opening. If you like using the hole covers to fight feedback, I'm pretty sure you would be out of luck. I think this price range of acoustic guitar should come with a hard case. I gave this guitar a 2 rating because it has potential BUT i do think both of these guitars suffered from poor quality control. My luthier could have made both of these guitars sing beautifully but I refuse to buy a new guitar and send it for repairs, even if the repairs are set-up issues. A new guitar on the north side of a thousand dollars should show up playing without string buzzing and the strings close enough to the neck that you hand doesn't feel like you just hung from the monkey bars during an entire recess.

Different, but in a good way

I'm a singer, songwriter, church musician, and small venue performer. I play mainly acoustic guitar in my own finger / strumming style developed over many years of trial and error. I rarely use a pick so your experience may be different if you use picks.I was hesitant to buy this on line but had not found one in any nearby stores. Watching some YouTube demo's and reviews led me to order one.First impression LIKES:Very light, nice looking, sounds good with surprisingly balanced sound. Bass was stronger than expected but I like it. Action a little higher than I prefer but ok. Adjustment of the truss rod by 1/4 turn clockwise put it in my comfort zone. Intonation was very close out of the box and even better after truss rod tweek. I am really liking the neck ... MoreI'm a singer, songwriter, church musician, and small venue performer. I play mainly acoustic guitar in my own finger / strumming style developed over many years of trial and error. I rarely use a pick so your experience may be different if you use picks.I was hesitant to buy this on line but had not found one in any nearby stores. Watching some YouTube demo's and reviews led me to order one.First impression LIKES:Very light, nice looking, sounds good with surprisingly balanced sound. Bass was stronger than expected but I like it. Action a little higher than I prefer but ok. Adjustment of the truss rod by 1/4 turn clockwise put it in my comfort zone. Intonation was very close out of the box and even better after truss rod tweek. I am really liking the neck profile. I use a thumb over technique on some songs and find this neck very compatible with that. The 1.75" nut width is familiar and preferred to me as I play primarily Martin and Taylor acoustic guitars. The thin, fast neck shape and easy fret access is inspiring me to try different things.First impression DISLIKES AND CONCERNS :The finish on the body is good and looks beautiful, but the pick guard has a very sharp point that can actually snag a hand and possibly draw blood. The joint where the fret board in glued to the neck has a thin line of glue all the way down the neck on both sides that is detectable to the hand. Both these items could and should have been addressed at the factory. Although I do like the neck design, I hope it's stability will not be an issue. Warping, bowing, twisting, etc.I played it at church last night and found it to be comfortable and really liked it's feel and overall performance. Sounds good plugged in.I remain cautiously optimistic about this guitar and would defend recommend you give it a try. It is the best made in Mexico Guitar that I have tried so far. I do own a Martin D Jr. 10E which is my campfire strummer. The SC-13E is far superior.

Finally - My Perfect Fit and Tone

I've been a Martin guy for many years. I Love my DC-16s action and tone. I've been searching for a shorter scale and thinner guitar that would be a better fit and less stress on my shoulder for 3 and 4 hour gigs. But great neck feel, action, and overall tone were a must. Once I learned that Martin had designed the SC13, I started reading about it. I searched and searched. Mike Godlove at SW let me know of an SC13e arriving at SW on a Friday, and I drove to SW on Monday to check it out. Side Note: If you can get there, you must check out the NEW SW store for an amazing experience! The SW staff set me up in an isolation room, and provided a Bose S1 Pro and my request, and I played this guitar for over an hour. The 13 Fret neck and 4 1/8" body thickness, along with the ... MoreI've been a Martin guy for many years. I Love my DC-16s action and tone. I've been searching for a shorter scale and thinner guitar that would be a better fit and less stress on my shoulder for 3 and 4 hour gigs. But great neck feel, action, and overall tone were a must. Once I learned that Martin had designed the SC13, I started reading about it. I searched and searched. Mike Godlove at SW let me know of an SC13e arriving at SW on a Friday, and I drove to SW on Monday to check it out. Side Note: If you can get there, you must check out the NEW SW store for an amazing experience! The SW staff set me up in an isolation room, and provided a Bose S1 Pro and my request, and I played this guitar for over an hour. The 13 Fret neck and 4 1/8" body thickness, along with the new "S" body shape was a perfect fit for me. I'm mainly a rhythm and fill player normally not going past the 7th fret, but occasionally going beyond the 14th. The action and neck profile feels great. The S Shape noticeably dropped my shoulder to a more comfortable position. The guitar is light and is not "neck heavy" so standing is also very comfortable! And it's an absolutely beautiful instrument. I've held off writing a review until I performed with it for a while. I've now done six gigs with this guitar. Two Solo, Three Duo, and one Trio. I run it through Bose Ts8 with Main outs to an L116Pro and S1Pro. With Larger venues we run to Bose F1's and/or Yamaha DBR15's. I have had fellow gigging musicians at gigs that confirm the pleasing full tone of this set up! It cuts through with amazing tone. This guitar is staying in tune... Even at 85+ degree / high humidity gigs. I'm sticking with the 11-52's that came on the guitar as I find that I'm not giving up any significant lows (I normally play 12's on my D16's). My D16's are still amazing and I always have one at my gigs for back up and different tunings. But I've finally landed on my perfect instrument! The SC13e is my new GOTO.

Impressed & Happy

I needed an electric acoustic and I am a Martin owner so I looked at their option. Decided on the SC-13E Special without playing as I know being an owner they will deliver a good product.Got it yesterday and played all night into the early morning.I love everything about this guitar - just two things I noticed right away:I think the LR Baggs Element is marginal. I have to dial in my amp as it seems the volume on the LR Bagg Element has a short sweep and the tone doesn't seem to do much, if anything. It is usable but you have to spend time with your Amp or PA to get a good sound.I will take it to my Tech to file fret ends, they are pretty sharp. Not a big deal; however, for a player that uses thumb-over technique and moves around neck a lot, it is ... MoreI needed an electric acoustic and I am a Martin owner so I looked at their option. Decided on the SC-13E Special without playing as I know being an owner they will deliver a good product.Got it yesterday and played all night into the early morning.I love everything about this guitar - just two things I noticed right away:I think the LR Baggs Element is marginal. I have to dial in my amp as it seems the volume on the LR Bagg Element has a short sweep and the tone doesn't seem to do much, if anything. It is usable but you have to spend time with your Amp or PA to get a good sound.I will take it to my Tech to file fret ends, they are pretty sharp. Not a big deal; however, for a player that uses thumb-over technique and moves around neck a lot, it is uncomfortable.Once I get these two things right. this will be one of my favorite guitars in my arsenal!1943 000-18 Martin2019 Original '50s Telecaster1992 American Deluxe Stratocaster2006 Eastman Jazz Deluxe (T165)2008 Canin Flamenco Negra

It's good but...

...I'm not sure it deserves all the great reviews. Acoustically it is well balanced but not as "big" sounding as good all solid wood acoustics (and there are several at this price). Electrically it's pretty punchy but the eq options are marginal and the tuner isn't great. It does give access to the high frets and the neck is comfortable all the way up. The action supplied was OK-ish but I replaced the bridge saddle and now it's as low as I like it. Some higher frets are not that well profiled - I will need to crown them a bit more. Mushroom strap pins are better than cones but beware if you replace them as the upper bout one screws through the body into an unattached plastic cap – tricky to relocate. It's light and will gig well (but it needs a proper case to do ... More...I'm not sure it deserves all the great reviews. Acoustically it is well balanced but not as "big" sounding as good all solid wood acoustics (and there are several at this price). Electrically it's pretty punchy but the eq options are marginal and the tuner isn't great. It does give access to the high frets and the neck is comfortable all the way up. The action supplied was OK-ish but I replaced the bridge saddle and now it's as low as I like it. Some higher frets are not that well profiled - I will need to crown them a bit more. Mushroom strap pins are better than cones but beware if you replace them as the upper bout one screws through the body into an unattached plastic cap – tricky to relocate. It's light and will gig well (but it needs a proper case to do so). I do think it's £950 for the guitar and the extra £500 for the Martin logo.

Martin going outside the traditional box

The first time I saw this instrument, I was confused. That didn't look like any Martin I'D ever seen before! I'd been wanting to play it just to see if it ACTUALLY was as playable as the literature/ads suggested. Well? It played WAY better than I'd anticipated! That smooth heel joint makes accessing those upper frets a breeze! The X-bracing also really seem to make it project! My only real complaint is that I wish it came with a hard shell case. But very pleased with my purchase!

Review of Martin Road Series SC-13E Cutaway Electro Acoustic

I just wish these guitars came with an L R Baggs Anthem pickup. I will be swapping out the pick up as it sounds like any other acoustic plugged in. But this guitar is the best playing acoustic I've ever tried. The action is brilliant out of the box. The finish is excellent. It looks beautiful on stage and off. My advice is buy the basic (not special) as the only real difference is the pick-up. (The wood doesn't make much difference when plugged in - which is why you would buy a guitar like this.) Use the money you save to upgrade the pick-up.