Martin Special Dreadnought Cutaway 11E Road Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar Natural

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Description
The Martin Special Dreadnought Cutaway 11E Road Series acoustic-electric guitar blends the iconic Martin sound with all-solid wood construction and superb playability. Crafted for players seeking excellent tone and comfort, this dreadnought features a solid spruce top paired with solid sapele back and sides, delivering crystal-clear highs, punchy lows and impressive sustain. With a slimmer neck profile, this guitar provides smooth transitions between electric and acoustic playing, while the cutaway body offers easy access to higher frets. Whether you're a professional or novice, this guitar will elevate your playing experience.
All-Solid Wood Construction for Resonant, Full-Bodied Tone
The Special 11E is built with a solid spruce top and solid sapele back and sides, offering a rich, resonant tone with a wide dynamic range. The spruce top provides excellent articulation and volume, while the sapele adds warmth and depth to the sound. Unlike laminate guitars, the all-solid construction allows the 11E to resonate fully, producing clear highs and a punchy bottom end that will rival more expensive instruments.
Fishman Electronics for Plug-and-Play Convenience
The Special 11E comes equipped with Fishman Sonitone electronics, making it easy to plug in and play with great tone. The soundhole-mounted volume and tone controls allow for quick adjustments, ensuring you can dial in your sound on the fly. Whether you're performing live or recording in the studio, the Fishman system delivers a natural, balanced sound that lets the guitar's acoustic qualities shine.
Designed for Players Who Demand Comfort and Playability
Designed with a high-performance neck taper and a PA profile, the Special 11E offers one of the most comfortable necks available. Its slim profile allows for effortless playing, and the cutaway body ensures easy access to the upper frets, making it perfect for both fingerstyle and flatpicking. Additionally, every Road Series guitar is precision set up using Martin’s Plek machine, ensuring optimal playability right out of the box.



Features
- Solid spruce top and sapele body for resonant tone and sustain
- Fishman Sonitone electronics for easy plug-and-play performance
- Slim neck profile with high-performance taper for smooth playability
- Plek setup for precise playability straight from the factory
Specs
- Body shape: Dreadnought cutaway
- Top wood: Solid spruce
- Back and sides wood: Solid sapele
- Body finish: Gloss top, satin back and sides
- Neck wood: Select hardwood
- Neck construction: Mortise & tenon
- Neck shape: PA profile
- Neck finish: Hand applied
- Scale length: 25.4" (645 mm)
- Fingerboard wood: FSC-certified Richlite
- Fingerboard radius: 16" (406 mm)
- Number of frets: 20
- Fret size: Medium
- Position inlays: Faux mother-of-pearl dots
- Nut material: White Corian
- Nut width: 1.75" (44.45 mm)
- Pickup/preamp: Fishman Sonitone
- Controls: Volume, tone
- Bridge: FSC-certified Richlite Modern Belly
- Saddle: White TUSQ
- Tuning machines: Chrome enclosed gear
- Control knobs: Dome-style
- Hardware finish: Chrome
- Strings: Martin Authentic Acoustic Lifespan 2.0 - Medium (MA550T)
- Orientation: Right handed
- Case: Soft shell
- Country of origin: Mexico
Warranty
Featured Articles
Reviews
4.58
31 Reviews
90%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend
Most Liked Positive Review
Upper-tier sound at a mid-tier price #sweepstakes
When I was 16, my parents gave me my first acoustic guitar. It wasn't a high-dollar guitar, but it was what I used while teaching myself how to play, and it ultimately accompanied me through a lot of "life" during the years that followed. I play acoustic guitar as one of the instruments I play on my church's worship team (in addition to bass/rhythm electric) and decided to install an after-market pickup in my guitar in hopes of being able to use it plugged in through my church's sound system. It's done fine for the couple years since then, but the pickup (which is passive) just hasn't had the oomph needed to compensate for the relatively low gain/power of a wireless pack, and I've come to realize I needed to either pull out the pickup and come up with a new one - or just save for a new guitar altogether. I have played several mid- and upper-tier Martins alongside other brands of guitars and was always impressed by how true to the natural acoustic tone an acoustic-electric Martin sounds when plugged in. After saving for several months and realizing I'd probably never be able to take full advantage of (or really notice a significant tone difference with) some of Martin's more upper-tier guitars (>$3K), I decided to pause when I got close to $1K saved and pull the trigger on this 11E. The price point relative to the available electronics and solid build grabbed me - as did a well-timed sale during NAMM 2025, and I ended up being able to snag this cutaway version for $100 less than the non-cutaway version I'd originally had my eye on. Guitar Center's excellent service/shipping got the guitar to me by the end of the same week, and I have to say I was even happier to see the guitar in person than I had been while looking at the photos in the listing. The shipping box recommended evaluating the guitar after a 24-hour wait, so I gave it a few brief strums and then checked back in on it the following day. Initial impressions the next day and during the past month have been very good. As a few initial thoughts:• There is no denying this is a well-built Martin dreadnought from the full, rich tone that this guitar has, and the build quality appears to be excellent. It was built in Mexico - but still to Martin spec - so for me, that isn't a deal-breaker. • I did notice some unusual string spacing relative to the fret markers that at first left me wondering if the deal I'd scored may have been because this guitar was a factory second. But I did a little digging and eventually realized that this and many other Martins have an asymmetrical nut, which keeps the sides of the strings evenly spaced apart, as opposed to basing the string spacing on the center/midline of the strings (which is the setup I'd been used to with my old guitar). • The generously-sized 1.75" nut width leaves the strings (and my fingers) feeling soo much less cramped than my previous guitar's 1.625" nut. That extra 1/8" makes a seriously appreciable difference! • The gloss top on the main body of the guitar looks great. The wood doesn't seem like it's anything special or that it's trying to be something it isn't, but it was cut symmetrically and overall seems well-made. • The satin neck and sides/back of the guitar feel really smooth. Coming from an all-glossy guitar, I wasn't sure what to expect and whether I'd like the satin finish, but I can safely say... Both have their merits. For this guitar, I dig the satin feel and subtle sheen that almost seem to come from below the surface of the wood. It's a neat look. For my old guitar, I'm totally fine that it's glossy. I can't say I have a preference yet. • Out of the box, the action on this guitar seems a tad high, but not unmanageable. I can imagine that with a small amount of sanding/filing (which I'm not afraid of doing myself), I can get it lowered just enough to give my fingers a break - but it's like moving into a house with only nice-to-have remodeling required. Not critical. • There are several very, very minor build quality artifacts that I've noticed after some additional time spent looking over the guitar, but considering it was on sale for $250 off the original price, I'm honestly willing to make an exception. For the sake of mentioning it, - The neck seems juust slightly cocked counterclockwise around the body (I included a photo showing in more detail), which means it isn't lined up symmetrically over the inlay around the opening, and there is a very slight gap between the neck and the body on the cutaway side. - While the headstock looks fine, the grain in the wood used in that area of the guitar was not cut symmetrically and heads off to one of the upper corners. It's more of a nitpicky thing, but it still leaves that area of the guitar looking a little cheap for the price point. - The same goes for the wood at the base of the neck, which could've used a little better cut of wood for what I paid - but still, nothing critical, especially in the context of having bought the guitar with a healthy discount. - The strings and pegs were not installed very well at the bridge end, and the slots for most of the pegs were turned 10 - 20° in various directions rather than facing directly down the neck, leaving the strings slightly shifted from neutral. I can easily make sure they go in straight the next time I change the strings, but it felt a little sloppy considering how little time is usually spent installing strings and the minimal effort needed to do a quality string install. Note: None of these issues appear to affect the sound, and the guitar still feels great overall, so I'm willing to let them slide and would still give this guitar a strong 8 - 9/10 score. With all of these things factored in, I have to say I have been very happy with this guitar during the nearly one month since I bought it. I'm not one to build up a huge stock of instruments vs. having one really good of each type of instrument, and I'd expect that this guitar will be my go-to acoustic for as long as I'm around. Kudos to Martin and the Guitar Center Team on a job well done building/shipping this guitar! #sweepstakes
Most Liked Negative Review
Sounded good Played terribly
Really loved the sound, but the B and E strings were buzzy and couldn't be corrected with a truss rod adjustment. I have a beginner tier D'Angelico and yamaha, both play like butter out of the box. I brought the martin back. This is unacceptable to me especially since it's supposed to have been pleked.
- Practicing22
- Jamming17
- Recording12
- Small Venues10
- Rock Concerts2
- Flat Sound1
- No hard shell case.1
- Not Consistent1
- Poor Quality1
- None1
- Experienced19
- Novice9
- Professional Musician2
- Good Audio27
- Stays In Tune27
- Fun To Play25
- Good Feel25
- Consistent20
Reviewed by 31 customers
Great guitar at this price.
submitted2 months ago
byJ
fromNY
I have higher end guitars, but this one for the money is very well built, sounds great and plays great. Best deal I have found, great on the couch.
Upper-tier sound at a mid-tier price #sweepstakes
submitted2 months ago
byJosiah
fromEast Central OH
When I was 16, my parents gave me my first acoustic guitar. It wasn't a high-dollar guitar, but it was what I used while teaching myself how to play, and it ultimately accompanied me through a lot of "life" during the years that followed. I play acoustic guitar as one of the instruments I play on my church's worship team (in addition to bass/rhythm electric) and decided to install an after-market pickup in my guitar in hopes of being able to use it plugged in through my church's sound system. It's done fine for the couple years since then, but the pickup (which is passive) just hasn't had the oomph needed to compensate for the relatively low gain/power of a wireless pack, and I've come to realize I needed to either pull out the pickup and come up with a new one - or just save for a new guitar altogether. I have played several mid- and upper-tier Martins alongside other brands of guitars and was always impressed by how true to the natural acoustic tone an acoustic-electric Martin sounds when plugged in. After saving for several months and realizing I'd probably never be able to take full advantage of (or really notice a significant tone difference with) some of Martin's more upper-tier guitars (>$3K), I decided to pause when I got close to $1K saved and pull the trigger on this 11E. The price point relative to the available electronics and solid build grabbed me - as did a well-timed sale during NAMM 2025, and I ended up being able to snag this cutaway version for $100 less than the non-cutaway version I'd originally had my eye on. Guitar Center's excellent service/shipping got the guitar to me by the end of the same week, and I have to say I was even happier to see the guitar in person than I had been while looking at the photos in the listing. The shipping box recommended evaluating the guitar after a 24-hour wait, so I gave it a few brief strums and then checked back in on it the following day. Initial impressions the next day and during the past month have been very good. As a few initial thoughts:• There is no denying this is a well-built Martin dreadnought from the full, rich tone that this guitar has, and the build quality appears to be excellent. It was built in Mexico - but still to Martin spec - so for me, that isn't a deal-breaker. • I did notice some unusual string spacing relative to the fret markers that at first left me wondering if the deal I'd scored may have been because this guitar was a factory second. But I did a little digging and eventually realized that this and many other Martins have an asymmetrical nut, which keeps the sides of the strings evenly spaced apart, as opposed to basing the string spacing on the center/midline of the strings (which is the setup I'd been used to with my old guitar). • The generously-sized 1.75" nut width leaves the strings (and my fingers) feeling soo much less cramped than my previous guitar's 1.625" nut. That extra 1/8" makes a seriously appreciable difference! • The gloss top on the main body of the guitar looks great. The wood doesn't seem like it's anything special or that it's trying to be something it isn't, but it was cut symmetrically and overall seems well-made. • The satin neck and sides/back of the guitar feel really smooth. Coming from an all-glossy guitar, I wasn't sure what to expect and whether I'd like the satin finish, but I can safely say... Both have their merits. For this guitar, I dig the satin feel and subtle sheen that almost seem to come from below the surface of the wood. It's a neat look. For my old guitar, I'm totally fine that it's glossy. I can't say I have a preference yet. • Out of the box, the action on this guitar seems a tad high, but not unmanageable. I can imagine that with a small amount of sanding/filing (which I'm not afraid of doing myself), I can get it lowered just enough to give my fingers a break - but it's like moving into a house with only nice-to-have remodeling required. Not critical. • There are several very, very minor build quality artifacts that I've noticed after some additional time spent looking over the guitar, but considering it was on sale for $250 off the original price, I'm honestly willing to make an exception. For the sake of mentioning it, - The neck seems juust slightly cocked counterclockwise around the body (I included a photo showing in more detail), which means it isn't lined up symmetrically over the inlay around the opening, and there is a very slight gap between the neck and the body on the cutaway side. - While the headstock looks fine, the grain in the wood used in that area of the guitar was not cut symmetrically and heads off to one of the upper corners. It's more of a nitpicky thing, but it still leaves that area of the guitar looking a little cheap for the price point. - The same goes for the wood at the base of the neck, which could've used a little better cut of wood for what I paid - but still, nothing critical, especially in the context of having bought the guitar with a healthy discount. - The strings and pegs were not installed very well at the bridge end, and the slots for most of the pegs were turned 10 - 20° in various directions rather than facing directly down the neck, leaving the strings slightly shifted from neutral. I can easily make sure they go in straight the next time I change the strings, but it felt a little sloppy considering how little time is usually spent installing strings and the minimal effort needed to do a quality string install. Note: None of these issues appear to affect the sound, and the guitar still feels great overall, so I'm willing to let them slide and would still give this guitar a strong 8 - 9/10 score. With all of these things factored in, I have to say I have been very happy with this guitar during the nearly one month since I bought it. I'm not one to build up a huge stock of instruments vs. having one really good of each type of instrument, and I'd expect that this guitar will be my go-to acoustic for as long as I'm around. Kudos to Martin and the Guitar Center Team on a job well done building/shipping this guitar! #sweepstakes
Great mid-high level guitar
Verified Buyer
submitted3 months ago
byMatt
fromIndianapolis, IN
Submitted as part of a sweepstakes
I play mostly as a hobby…for family and friends. I wanted a nicer acoustic than what I had and this one doesn't disappoint. It looks great and sounds better. It did need adjusting out of the box but now plays like a dream. Having an onboard tuner is great also. Just a really great guitar and I'm happy I picked it up. #sweepstakes
Extremely Disappointed!
submitted6 months ago
byDante
fromMississippi
This is a great sounding guitar but the top is extremely soft and shows signs of pick marks. Will look like Trigger before long
Paying for the Martin name, not much more.
submitteda year ago
bySteve
fromPortland, Oregon
Guitar played decently, looked good but not special. I s'pose if I'm paying over a thousand dollars for a guitar, having played for 40 years, I expect something much more than what I got. I have starter guitars, $350-$400 that play and sound far better. Paying for a name here y'all.
I would buy this but..
Verified Buyer
submitteda year ago
byCharles
fromGreat Neck, NY
Submitted as part of a sweepstakes
Guitar arrived safely. Unfortunately it didn't sound good initially. Action was off and I dont have the tools or experience in fixing it. Brought it to my local GC and within minutes they had it sound perfect. Great acoustic once set up properly #sweepstakes
Q&A
Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.
submitted11 days ago
asked byRobert
fromAnchorage, AK
Will the Martin compensated bone saddle drop into this guitar?
The Martin Special Dreadnought Cutaway 11E Road Series comes with a Tusq saddle, not bone, and it's compensated and drop-in style. So if you're looking to upgrade to a Martin compensated bone saddle, here's what you need to keep in mind: Great question. The Martin Special Dreadnought Cutaway 11E Road Series comes with a Tusq saddle, not bone, and it's compensated and drop-in style. So if you're looking to upgrade to a Martin compensated bone saddle, here's what you need to keep in mind: Fitment: Drop-in bone saddles from Martin (like the ones they sell for Road Series or Style 28 guitars) are typically slightly oversized to allow for custom fitting. Even if it's labeled as "drop-in," some light sanding or shaping may be required to get the perfect fit in your saddle slot. The saddle slot dimensions can vary slightly from guitar to guitar even within the same model range, so a true plug-and-play fit isn't always guaranteed. Saddle length and thickness – Most Road Series guitars use a 16" radius, compensated saddle that's 3/32" thick and about 2.8" long (71.12 mm). Height – The action is set at the factory and you'll likely need to sand the bottom of the saddle to get the correct action for your playing style. A Martin Genuine Bone Saddle – Compensated (Item #18APP0003) is often a good upgrade for these guitars, but expect to do some fitting. If you're not comfortable with minor shaping, a tech can fit it perfectly in a few minutes.submitted5 months ago
asked byTimothy
fromSan juan Capastrano calif.
Are the volume and tone located right inside thr sound hole , hidden from normal view?
Yes, they are.submitteda year ago
asked bySmooth action
fromAustin, Texas
Where is this model made?
The Martin Special Dreadnought Cutaway 11E Road Series is made in Mexico.submitted2 years ago
asked byJR
fromLehigh Acres, FL
Is a hard case included
It comes with a gig bagsubmitted3 years ago
asked byLori
fromSan Diego, CA
what color/material is the pick guard?
It's plastic and the color is Tortoise shell.submitted4 years ago
asked byJB
fromNC
Since this is a Guitar Center "Special" and Martin does not list on their site, can you tell me the proper string tension that should be used with this cutaway dreadnought (11E)? I know that cutaways may have special requirements (possibly lighter) that deviate from normal dreadnoughts. Thanks in advance!
They would be 12s. Martin strings are very good. "MARTIN AUTHENTIC ACOUSTIC LIFESPAN® 2.0 GUITAR STRINGS - LIGHT"