LED edit-function readout,
Fishman Aura imaging system
some very cool specimens too: the DAP
4011, Schoeps CMC64g, Earthworks QTC
30, AKG C414-B, Neumann KM 84,
Soundelux E47, GT Velo 8, Shure SM57,
and a Neumann U 87.
I had the chance to gig with the
GPCPA1 with my rhythm section, which
happened to be in a pretty rowdy mood the
night of the gig. These musicians play a lot
of classic rock, R&B, funk, and blues, so
they like to get loud. And the Martin had
the goods to help me hang tight in the mix.
Following Martin’s directions (which you
can explore via an included DVD), my first
step was to set the volume as high as possible without overdriving my amp. Then I
turned the Edit knob to blend between the
undersaddle pickup and the Aura image
(Martin recommends a 65 percent pickup
balance). I chose the microphone image by
pressing the Edit knob, and then turning
the knob to move between images. There
is a clear difference between each image, so
spending a little time getting to know them
before trying to pick one out for a given
situation is key.
For the solo section of my show, I chose
the Schoeps CMC64g condenser microphone image, which gave me a awesome
mix of dark, rich, and brilliant overtones
when I plugged into my very transparent
L.R. Baggs Core 1 amp. But while the
Schoeps tone was beautifully balanced, I
decided to tweak it further by dialing the
bass back a touch and kicking the presence up just a hair, which made the already
warm image that much more enveloping.
To play in the heavier sonic environment of the trio, I chose the Neumann U
87 image because it seemed to compete less
with the bass and emphasize the Martin’s
beautiful midrange. I shaved the bass by
Indian rosewood back and sides
Volume and
Edit controls
just a tweak or
two, pushed up the
mids and treble,
boosted the compression to 3, and dialed
the blend to about 70
percent pickup. The guitar
sounded great—real, rich, and
present in the mix—and loud and
clear and wonderfully free of feedback.
The 3-band anti-feedback control, which
can automatically isolate up to three frequency bands that are inducing feedback,
worked like a champ. I just pressed and
held the Edit and Volume knobs for two
seconds, waited for “ 1” to appear, and
then watched a succession of numbers
that indicated the system was reducing the
offending frequencies. The other valuable
onboard feedback-busting feature is the
Phase setting, which you access by pressing
the Volume knob once. You can use this to
improve bass response at low volume and
also to suppress feedback when you need to
play loud.
Rating:
Buy If...
you need a serious performance
tool that offers outstanding tone,
playability, and versatility in a road-
worthy package.
Skip If...
a passive soundhole pickup is already
more electronics than you can handle.
The Verdict
The GPCPA1 is a gorgeous feather in
Martin’s cap—a great sounding, great
playing, stage-friendly super-axe that is as
feature-rich as it is grounded in the Martin
tradition. It only takes a little time to master the highly intuitive F1 Aura System that
makes the guitar adaptable to just about
any performance or studio situation. And
unlike many acoustic/electrics that compromise on both fronts, the GPCPA1 excels in
both realms.
C.F. Martin & Co.
Street $2999 (hard case included)
martinguitar.com
or use a mobile device to watch a
video review of the guitar at
CLICKHere…
