Almost 100 years ago, Martin reinvented the flat-top box when it began delivering X-braced, square-shouldered, and oversized dreadnoughts. Now, the company is again reinventing the acoustic guitar to keep up with the realities of the 21st century. The new GPCE Inception Maple looks and sounds like a Martin, but there’s plenty going on under the hood that distinguishes it from the august flat-tops of prior decades.

Martin mentions sustainability early and often in promotional material coinciding with the Inception. Clearly, it is searching for ways to maximize the performance of a guitar while utilizing the resources that are most reliably available – now and in the future. As such, a rather traditional European spruce top is married to a box with maple sides and a three-piece maple/black walnut/maple back.

Intent on making the guitar lighter, Martin has equipped the Inception with new “skeletonized” bracing that it claims goes a step beyond traditional scalloping with “sonic channels” in the top and back braces that the company claims increase sustain and amplitude while optimizing airflow and reducing the guitar’s overall mass.

The Inception is surprisingly light and resonant for a new maple-back guitar, and its projection is noticeably robust for its grand-performance size. When getting a boost from its LR Baggs Anthem electronics, it’s well-balanced, warm, and very representative of its acoustic self. Our tester was set up medium-low, and played exceptionally fast up and down the neck. Martin describes the neck shape as “…modified low oval with a high-performance taper.”

Appointments on the Inception are impressive and understated. Finished in Satin Amber Fade, with walnut binding on the top and back, its maple arrow fretboard inlays are attractive, and the gold open-gear tuners round out an aesthetically modern package.

The biggest potential sticking point with the Inception is cost – most Martin rosewood boxes carry a smaller tag. Nonetheless, the technology is sound and the end product remarkable, so Martin will likely find a way to incorporate some of its features in other models.

This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.