I've owned a GPCPA3 for 5 months and it sounds great. For me, the GPCPA1 was out of my budget and like previously mentioned, you're mostly paying for the wood / inlay upgrades (which are indeed, beautiful!).

Plugged in, the GPCPA3 sounds fantastic-- takes some personal effort to really hone the Aura 1 to your taste but if you're not picky, a quick plug in and the 3 won't disappoint. Unplugged, its a bit "softer" if you will because of the 000 size-ish body but the balance is perfect for me. I have my own dreadnought for unplugged stuff anyways!

Great choice with the performance series btw :)

I can't help you with the Martin but just wanted to say hi to a fellow Ottawan! :D

a big thanks to all here who responded. I went to try out the GPCPA3 and I was so impressed with the playability, neck and tone that I knew within less than 5 minutes that I would buy it! ... which I did. I haggled a bit over the price (since it was in the store for about 5 months) and got a reasonable price reduction plus new strings. I love the tone balance unplugged, and plugged in (not having much experience with the Fishman F1 Aura) loved the capabilities. I also (contrary to other views in other posts) absolutely love the creative shape of the pickguard ;) I read the Fishman manual completely and look forward to testing the aural capabilities. I'll either be going through PA systems or plugging into my '65 Twin Reverb reissue amp. Any comments on which mic images you prefer and how much blend you use (for live PA or amp usage)??
I pondered ordering the A1 but decided reasonably that there was no way for me to justify the extra $1k. I will be satisfied with the A3. Also, I actually prefer the minimal fret marker dots over the larger A1 fret markers ... subjective of course.
Question about battery life: does anyone use a rechargeable Li 9V? Nice that the tuner doesn't require plugging in.

Congrats! Post up some pictures for us.

I have not tried a rechargeable but I am using lithium 9v and they last about 4-5 weeks used regularly. Remember to unplug when not using because the battery turns on the system when the guitar plug is inserted.
I like image #2 the Shoepps with about 35% pickup. I like to reduce the bass a little on the image and pickup and use the compression on 4.

When I use a capo I use image #7 which is the warmest one.

Enjoy that beauty!

+1. I believe the Yamaha SRT system finishes second to the Aura.

Thanks for this info. I'll try out those settings.
Here are some pictures of my new guitar. The last photo shows what this Martin is best enjoyed with a Martini :D

the action on my A3 seems a bit high as factory set up. The spacing at 12th fret for the 6th (low) string is about 2/16" from metal fret to bottom of the 6the string. Should I attempt to adjust the truss rod myself to lower the string height overall? for gentle strumming and mainly finger-picking how do you set your action?

Congrats on your new guitar!

However, I wouldn't be expecting a whole lot plugging into a Twin Reverb; the Aura electronics are set up for a full-range speaker, such as you'd find in a club PA, a powered monitor (I like the QSC K-10 and K-12) or a dedicated acoustic guitar amp.

An electric guitar amp is going to severely roll off the high frequencies above 6k or so because it has no high frequency driver (tweeter), and that's where a lot of the shimmer and brilliance of an acoustic should be shining through.

The reverse is also true; plug a Les Paul into a full-range speaker or an acoustic guitar amp and it sounds terribly bright.

Agreed, you need a decent acoustic amp or PA.

I use a Genz Benz Shenandoah Pro with tube preamps, very nice!!

Thanks. I have an older Yamaha PA amplifier that would probably be fine. Any suggestions on suitable full-range not-too-expensive PA speaker for this (rated at 120 W)?
I'll also try the 65 twin with a different full-range extension speaker.

Fishman Soloamp is a real good option for a small system. The Fishman Loudbox is a nice amp if that is all you need.

In fact, the small amp I was playing in the acoustic-guitar room at the dealer (L&M Ottawa) was a Fishman but not sure of the model. It sounded fantastic there.

The image 2 here is an AKG C414-B ... is that the same?

The images that are stored are from direct recordings with the associated listed microphones .... I assume these are with the recommended strings? (which are Martin Lifespan MSP7100)

Are the image microphones different for the GPCPA1 and A3?

For the GPCPA3 they are:
1 GT Velo 8
2 AKG C414-B
3 Neumann U87
4 Neumann KM 84
5 Soundelux E47
6 DPA 4011
7 Shure SM57
8 Earthworks QTC 30
9 Neumann M147

Oops I forgot the images are different! read through this old post and we discuss the differences. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=218904

thanks Mutantrock .... good thread on the different opinions about various images on various guitars :)
My other question still stands ... are the sampled images using the recommended strings?
Also, it would be cool to know what studios Martin used for the actual sampling.
Tomorrow, I pick up my factory-fresh GPCPA3, along with 2 sets of the MSP7100 ... will be an interesting comparison of the 6-month old demo one I currently have and which (assuming the brand-new one feels/sounds great) I will exchange.

Will post some samples of my older-finger-stuff in a few days ... perhaps Eva Cassidy style of Autumn leaves ..