Martin Guitar SC-10E Modern
Acoustic Guitar with Pickup
- Road Series
- Top: Spruce
- Back and sides: Sapele
- Neck: Selected hardwood
- Fingerboard: Ebony
- 20 frets
- Nut width: 44.5 mm
- Scale length: 632 mm (24.9")
- 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 629319
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Sales Unit 1 piece(s)
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Model S-13
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Top Spruce, Solid
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Back And Sides Sapele
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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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Pickup System Yes
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Colour Natural
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Case No
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Incl. Gigbag Yes
Electric feel, acoustic sound
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With the fully reworked Road Series, Martin has split the range into two distinct directions: Retro models with a vintage-inspired look and a warm, balanced sound, and Modern models with a more progressive design and fast necks. The SC-10E Modern is the most uncompromising example of that second direction: The strikingly asymmetric, ergonomic body is fitted with the patented Sure Align neck system, which dispenses with the classic neck heel entirely, giving unrestricted access to all 20 frets. A matt finish, black binding, and diamond-and-square inlays keep the look sharp, and a solid spruce top with sapele back and sides provide punchy mids, clear highs, and strong projection. For stage use, there's also a Martin E1 pickup system fitted.
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No heel, perfect feel
The SC-10E Modern's Sure Align system dispenses with the traditional neck-to-body transition entirely: With the direct dovetail neck connection, the neck angle, and with it the string action, can be adjusted later without the expense of a neck reset. The deep Venetian cutaway, and the fact that the neck joins the body at the 13th fret – pairing the tone of a long scale with the playability of a short one – mean that the whole fingerboard stays within easy reach. The neck itself follows Martin's Low Profile Velocity shape with a high-performance taper: It turns out even flatter than the Performing Artist profile found on many other Road Series instruments, yet thanks to a subtly rounded fingerboard edge it sits in the hand with similar comfort. Instead of the vintage-inspired open-gear tuners of the Retro line, the headstock carries plain, enclosed chrome tuners in a satin finish – unobtrusive and low-maintenance.
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Ready for the stage
For live use, the SC-10E 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 rich tonal character and strong projection 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.
Plays like an electric guitar
Compared with the SC-10E Modern Sapele, the spruce-topped SC-10E Modern has a punchier tonal foundation with stronger projection, while the all-sapele variant sounds warmer and more midrange-focused – the two share their body shape, hardware, and electronics. The long 25.4" scale length provides enough string tension and more definition in the tone, which also makes the guitar appealing for alternative tunings. Thanks to the Sure Align system and cutaway, soloing, tapping, and other demanding techniques can be played comfortably all the way up into the highest positions, almost as if this was an electric guitar. Anyone looking for this electric-style playing feel in a quality acoustic instrument will find a versatile working guitar in the SC-10E Modern, for stage, rehearsal room, and studio.
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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