Gear Review: Martin DCX1AE Macassar Is Built of Laminate, But it’s Unmistakably a Martin

When I first meet the Martin DCX1AE Macassar, it feels a little foreign. The back and sides are made from a high-pressure laminate whose texture is different from the customary wooden body—though it looks like wood, it’s almost vinyl-like to touch. But once I play the cutaway dreadnought, with its solid Sitka spruce top, it’s unmistakably a Martin. When strummed, the guitar has a warm, full-bodied sound with a certain oomph on the bass notes. When responding to single-note lines, it has good presence and d