Martin Guitar DC-13E Modern Nat
Acoustic Guitar with Pickup
- Road Series
- Type: Dreadnought with cutaway
- Top: Spruce
- Back and sides: Koa
- Neck: Selected hardwood
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- Scale length: 645 mm (25.4")
- 20 frets
- Nut width: 44.5 mm
- Pickup system: Martin E1
- Colour: Natural
- Includes Softlight case
- Made in Mexico
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Available since January 2026
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Item number 629357
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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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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Frets 20
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Pickups Yes
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Colour Natural
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Case No
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Incl. Gigbag Yes
A break with tradition?
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The DC-13E Modern from Martin Guitar’s fully revamped Road Series deliberately breaks with classic dreadnought design: Instead of a vintage-inspired look, it opts for a cutaway, a high-gloss body, and white binding. It goes its own way with the wood, too: The back and sides are made of fine koa-mahogany veneer, one of the Road Series' rarer options. Besides its striking grain, this blend of fine woods also offers a distinctive tonal profile, best described as warm, clear, and focused, with well-emphasised mids. As with the whole Modern line within the Road Series, the guitar is entirely oriented towards a contemporary, ergonomic playing feel.
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With a cutaway and a modern profile
The cutaway on the Martin DC-13E gives full access to the upper frets, without sacrificing the rich volume and projection of the dreadnought body. The neck follows Martin’s Performing Artist profile with a high-performance taper and, thanks to a subtly rounded fingerboard edge, plays comfortably in all positions. Instead of the vintage-inspired open-gear tuners of other Road Series models, the headstock carries Ratio tuners with skeletonised buttons: Each tuner is matched to the gauge of its string, so every turn gives a precise, even change in pitch – and with a look that still recalls classic open-gear tuners.
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Ready for the stage
For live use, the DC-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 clear 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.
Koa and mahogany combine for clear mids
The three-ply koa-mahogany-koa back and sides give the DC-13E Modern, together with its solid spruce top, a clear, overtone-rich character with pronounced mids and an uncluttered low end. The mahogany core adds extra stability and, with its own warm tonal character, also contributes to the overall sound acoustically. That frequency spectrum is a particular benefit in recording: Riffs and melodies cut through the mix even without much post-production. As a result, the DC-13E Modern recalls the classic dreadnought sound, but accentuates it in a modern way rather than with typical vintage warmth. Compared with the D-13E Retro Walnut, whose solid walnut body gives a warmer, more bass-forward tonal foundation, the DC-13E Modern sounds brighter and more defined in the highs. Anyone who values exactly this modern, precise tonal character will find a workhorse in the Martin DC-13E Modern, for stage, rehearsal room, and studio alike.
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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