Hitting the Road With the Refreshed Martin Road Series

We got to sit down with three familiar faces from the Martin Guitar Company to talk about the refreshed Road Series lineup with Joey, Mike and Ramin.

For a brand that carries as much history as Martin does, clarity matters. As the team put it, the Road Series had become "a little product here, product there,” and even Martin felt it was getting confusing. So if it was confusing to the Martin crew, it must have been confusing for the players. With 2026 marking 30 years with the Road Series, Martin used the anniversary as the perfect moment to reorganize the lineup into the streamlined Retro and Modern style guitars.

Guitar advancements happen quickly in the music world, and a lot of guitar companies try to update everything every year. With all these updates, where does someone get their hands on something… classic

Well with the Retro Road Series, you can expect to get that classic Martin look, feel, and tone with traditional shapes, familiar aesthetic cues, and “that Martin thing.” 

The Modern Road is for players who want more modern performance features, like cutaways, sleeker ergonomics, different finish packages, and more of a forward-thinking design without leaving the Martin identity behind.

My favorite note from the interview was that the refresh is meant to bridge the gap between entry level offerings and the higher-end Nazareth-built “aspirational” Martins. Think of the D-18 and the D-28 BUT accessible for all guitar players.

Martin has new style levels that can help you decide what guitar you might want to get. There are tons of guitars in this line up, so remember there’s a modern and retro version of each. As a general rule, the 10s will have an all satin finish, and the 12s and the 13s are the full-gloss models.

The D-12 takes a visual cue from the D-18 — specifically the binding, the rosette, and the overall styling. The main difference comes in the tonewood. Where you would traditionally have the mahogany on a D-18, you have sapele back and sides on the 12 to keep that tonal similarity — without the price similarity.

Now the 13 Series takes after the D-28’s style. Instead of Rosewood, the D-13 uses walnut, which keeps that familiar rosewood low-end and shimmer up top but with a material that supports Martin's sustainability and sourcing goals. Martin seems willing to push “nontraditional” woods into traditional-sounding guitars, especially domestic hardwoods, all in the name of a green-friendly build and killer sound.

The Retro Plus is all about bringing that “already played-in” responsiveness from day one. It has a torrefied (thermally aged) spruce top with granadillo back and sides (similar to rosewood). The Retro Plus guitars promise big projection, rich harmonies, and that familiar dreadnought authority — all that without waiting years for the guitar to truly open up. 

The Modern Road is focused on updated guitar staples we have grown to know and love. These models have cutaways for the “expensive notes”, a sloped bridge design that’s smoother under the picking hand for palm muting, and a thinner fingerboard with comfort bevel for a more ergonomic feel.

They’re also upgraded with Graph Tech Ratio tuners! The gears are designed to keep a similar pitch change with the same tuning rotations, allowing you to tune your guitar or change in between tunings quicker. Tuning live on stage will look more like magic and less like awkward stories on how long it took you to write this song no one has ever heard.

This update isn’t just about the fancy new models or even the fact that it’s a 30 Year Anniversary of the Road Series; it’s about making Martin guitars more accessible and easier to understand. Whether you like the classic Martin visual and tone or modern playability with gig-ready upgrades, the 2026 Road series feels more intentional, more streamlined, and built for how people actually play than ever before.

And if you would like to play one of these new Martin Road Series guitars check out all of them here at American Musical Supply! You won’t be disappointed.