Martin SC-13E - Overview and Best Prices

Martin SC-13E Review
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  • 4 Prices - New from $1,599 >
  • From Martin's 2020 Road series
  • Made in Mexico
  • 6 strings
  • 25.4"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Koa Fine Veneer back
  • Koa Fine Veneer sides
  • Select Hardwood neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman MX-T (Preamp/Active)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Low Profile Velocity Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Nickel Open Gear tuners
  • Weight between 4.35lbs (2kgs) and 4.45lbs (2kgs)
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Martin SC-13E Specifications
Martin SC-13E
General
Brand: Martin
Year: 2020
Configuration: N/A
Strings: 6
Made in: Mexico
Series: Road
Colors: Natural
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Koa
Back Material: Koa
Bridge: Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Nickel Open Gear
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Select Hardwood
Decoration: Mother of Pearl Pattern and Celestial Blue Dot Celestial Bullseye
Scale Size: 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic Low Profile Velocity
Frets: 20 Medium
Fretboard Radius: 16"
Nut: Corian
Nut Width: 44.5mm (1.75'')
Electronics
Pickups: Fishman MX-T (Preamp / Active)
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Nickel

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 73
Sound 83
Build quality 76
Value for money 72
Overall Score 77
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Martin SC-13E
  • Expensive Wood
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $750, which means that the Martin SC-13E costs around 113% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Mexico.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Pickups noise

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Pickups power

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Martin SC-13E's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Martin SC-13E meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Martin SC-13E
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Videos

Reviewing the New Martin SC-13E Guitar | Possibly the most important Martin in the last 20 years!
Martin SC-13E demo
The Perfect Acoustic For Electric Guitar Players! - New Martin SC-13E Electro-Acoustic
Martin SC-13E Acoustic-Electric Guitar | First Impressions with Angela Petrilli
Martin SC-10e vs. SC-13e Special Burst | Fishman vs. LR Baggs Pickup Comparison

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the Martin SC-13E weighs between 4.35lbs (2kgs) and 4.45lbs (2kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Martin SC-13E's 25.4" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Martin SC-13E Scale Length Comparison
Martin SC-13E's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is considered a long scale, but slightly shorter than what's commonly found in acoustic guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, strings will feel stiff and more difficult to bend, but the tone will feel brighter. It will also be less likely to produce fret buzzing and rattling when strumming hard.

Neck Profile

Martin SC-13E Neck Profile
Martin SC-13E's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Martin SC-13E has a 16" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Martin SC-13E Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Martin SC-13E's fretboard radius compared to others

This fretboard radius is really different than Stratocasters, but it's also a lot flatter than Les Paul fingerboards. It'll heavily favor soloing over playing chords. This doesn't mean you can't use it for chords, but it will be more comfortable to play chords without muting strings in a more curved fretboard. Bending and sliding without losing sustain will also be more likely in a flat fretboard like this one.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Martin SC-13E has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

Martin SC-13E
This model
25.4'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
16'' Fretboard Radius
25.4'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
16'' Fretboard Radius
25.4'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.75'' Nut Width
16'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Martin SC-13E Nut Width
Martin SC-13E Nut Width

The Martin SC-13E has a nut width of 44.5mm (1.75''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

Fret Size

Martin SC-13E Fret Size Comparison
Martin SC-13E's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Martin SC-13E's frets are Medium size. With medium frets, you can feel the fretboard more than with jumbo frets, but it's still easier to press the strings cleanly than with small frets; notes might change their pitch just slightly if you press hard on the fret. Also, if you need to do some fret leveling after years of playing, you'll have some room to sand them down without having to replace them.

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Tone

The type of wood and even the shape of the body will have a lot of influence in the final tone of an acoustic guitar. Here's we'll talk about what kind of tone you can expect from its specs.

Wood

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce Top
Koa wood pattern used for guitar building
Koa Back, Sides
Hardwood wood pattern used for guitar building
Hardwood Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Spruce Top: This wood has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range.

Koa Back and Sides: It's a type of wood native to the Hawaiian Islands, where it's pretty common. Its musical properties make it a great wood for making guitars, but it's especially popular for building Ukuleles.

Hardwood Neck: This is just a generic hardwood that can come from many species. This type of wood is used to build guitars because it provides a rich, warm sound. The wood also has good structural properties, making it durable and long-lasting.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fishman. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

Sound Score

Sustain 75
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 83

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Martin SC-13E is made in Mexico. This is the country that some American brands choose for building really good, but cheaper guitars. You can expect a guitar that offers a good price-quality relationship, although they don't get the same quality control as the ones built in Japan or the United States.

Bridge

Ebony: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Martin SC-13E has a Corian nut. It's a synthetic nut made to be similar to Bone. It's easier to work with for the luthier when compared to Bone, but it's not as hard and doesn't have the same lubricating properties. Still, it's a good material for guitar nuts.

More with the same nut material:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 64
Features 85
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 76