Guitar World Gear Editor Paul Riario chooses his top five new acoustic guitars of 2012.

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01. Martin OM-28E Retro

Martin Guitars is considered a classic brand, and earlier this year Martin introduced its vintage-inspired Retro Series with four of its most noteworthy and iconic acoustic models (D-18E, D-45E, HD-28E and OM28E) and equipped them with Fishman’s superb F1 Aura Plus electronics that have been infused with “modeled” tones from original “museum-quality” examples of the guitars mentioned.

I could pick just about any one of the Retro Series as a true winner, but I think the OM-28E ($4,499) is by far the most comfortable and beautifully voiced acoustic of the bunch.

What’s more is the plugged-in sound of the OM-28E is just plain captivating and warm, especially if you plan on using this acoustic for live performances.

More info: martinguitar.com

I try very hard to remain under the radar despite being on camera as gear editor, but in this age of social media it was only a matter of time before it had to come to this. So with that, I will make my blog painless and a quick and easy read so you can get on to more important things like practicing guitar and sweep picking, or if you’re like me, obsessing how to race the Tour De France and trying to be Kristen Stewart’s next mistake. I will use this blog to inform you of things I find cool; like new gear I’m playing through and what I’m watching, reading or listening to at any given moment. So feel free to ask me anything that’s gear related — or if you have a problem with your girlfriend, you know, life lesson stuff, I’m pretty good at that too — and I’ll do my best to answer or address it here.

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