The first thing you notice when you play the Martin DCX1E is the unusual neck laminate. They use this on their lower end guitars. It has a strange look to me. They didn’t try to hide the fact that it is a laminate. In fact they seem to enhance its appearance by showing the layers wood. Granted Stratabond is probably stronger than any other guitar necks it’s less appealing to me. You’ve got to give Martin credit for their earth friendly nature. They recognize exotic woods are being depleted and they are looking for ways to build quality guitars with the resources available. The back and sides are made of HPL (high pressure laminate). Most guitar makers are building guitars with this material. The fingerboard is made of Micarta, another composite material. It also features a Fishman Classic 4 Sonicore preamp system with volume, bass, treble and midrange slider controls. Most reviewers will tell you this is a great sounding guitar for the price. Martin is creating great sounding, durable guitars from nontraditional materials. This Martin guitar is made in Mexico come with a lifetime warranty.
