There's plenty of volume - and quite a direct, strong and strident character - and again, if you dig in. The larger body of the GP gives it a chunkier feel, too, and in lower positions, the rounded but not over deep, and slightly wider, neck really feels bigger than the almost delicate, soft V of the 00. It also gives a fair sound representation when amplified. A = Acoustic. With a little onboard help, using the tone to subtly roll off the zing, and with a little outboard help to thin the mids and clean things up a little, strumming in lower positions, we'd be happy enough. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? There was a problem. The Fishman Sonitone under-saddle comes with volume and tone controls placed inside the soundhole. Like the Dreadnought Junior, the X Series guitars are made in Mexico. That's not to say we'd be recording our introspective fingerstyle solo record with either:for Americana or rock, and other styles where a rhythm bed is so important, this guitar excels. Bath The larger body of the GP gives it a chunkier feel, too, and in lower positions, the rounded but not over deep, and slightly wider, neck really feels bigger than the almost delicate, soft V of the 00. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, If we're honest, we've been a bit snooty about Martin's seemingly so synthetic X Series. CLA EchoSphere: Waves’ free Black Friday VST plugin is a slap delay and plate reverb from Chris Lord-Alge. Using the USB outputs into a simple DAW such as GarageBand, you might be surprised at the results, especially for arpeggiated parts and strummed rhythms when double-tracked and given a wide stereo spread. It never failed me. Here we have the high-pressure laminate (HPL) back and sides with its highly realistic-looking mahogany-like texture and coloration paired with a multi-laminate neck made from around 37 slices, at its widest point, of birch - like thick, just under 2mm, veneers stacked together. D = Dreadnought. Although from 22 new models and limited editions released so far this year, only four have three-figure prices, it's those that will be unquestionably the biggest selling. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Like the Dreadnought Junior, the X Series guitars are made in Mexico. These 5 Black Friday sales for musicians are amazing - save up to 70% on music gear, Last chance! The fact is, this is a superbly built and although we have some concerns about durability, the thing that sways us is the easy playability and surprisingly good sound for live or recording duties (with or without the USB feature - it's there if you need it). The DXAE is the cheapest of the models – the reason being (in my opinion) is that it doesn’t have a solid wood top. All rights reserved. While there's a reassuringly solid feel to both guitars, this plastic side plate doesn't fill us with confidence stage-wise - it's fine for the battery holder and indeed the USB output, but we'd really prefer the jack output to double as the base strap button, which here, in Martin style, is a plug-in plastic type, like an enlarged bridge pin, that is simply a push fit, albeit firm, into the base block: conjuring visions of straps falling off and wrenching out jack sockets at your nerve- ridden open-mic slot. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? But while these might seem bare-bones, like the Dreadnought Junior, the quality of the build is exceptionally high: crisp, clean and sharp. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Although obviously a little piezo-like and unnatural in the midrange, and on higher-fret excursions, the sound really isn't a million miles away from our reference Martin Dreadnought costing over twice the price. It's an electro with USB recording outputs and retails at a tidy £559. The 00 is vintage-toned, and all the better for it, we feel. USB output is handy. The GP has plenty in common with the 00X1AE in terms of its upper mids and highs; very Martin-like, beautifully ringing, zing-y and shimmery. It also has a 'Modified Low Oval' (20.8mm deep at the 1st fret, 23mm at the 12th). Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. Receive news and offers from our other brands? "The Grand Performance body shape is undeniably Taylor-esque, and first appeared in the all-cutaway Performing Artist series...". You will receive a verification email shortly. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Martin X Series GPCX2AE Macassar Grand Performance Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural at Amazon.com. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. Buyers' guides to all the best music gear, 11 best studio headphones 2020: recommended headphones for music production, 11 best laptops for music production 2020: portable computers for musicians, producers and DJs, The best studio monitors 2020: 10 affordable to high-end studio speakers for musicians and producers, The 12 best audio interfaces 2020: top audio interfaces for music-making and production, Free music samples: download loops, hits and multis from SampleRadar. Who is the best acoustic guitarist of 2020? The plastic-mounted output jack and plastic strap button don't fill us with confidence. The Fishman Sonitone under-saddle comes with volume and tone controls placed inside the soundhole. E = Electronics. BA1 1UA. © MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But unlike that model, which aside from its Richlite fingerboard and bridge is all solid wood, these X Series models feature just solid spruce tops (the X1 part of the model name refers to a solid spruce top with 1 Series- style bracing): the rest is either laminate or synthetic. Who is the best online guitar personality of 2020? Receive news and offers from our other brands? The 00 sounds thinner than, say, the recently-released GPX1AE, although the pair do share common ground in the upper mids and highs, very Martin-like, beautifully ringing, zing-y and shimmery. I’m sure most musicians in the world can vouch for their products. The 00 sounds thinner than, say, the recently-released GPX1AE, although the pair do share common ground in the upper mids and highs, very Martin-like, beautifully ringing, zing-y and shimmery. 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