Martin D Jr-10E Acoustic-electric Guitar - Natural Spruce Reviews

I've played guitar for many years. The first time I played this guitar I knew I wasn't leaving the store without it. Of all the many guitars I've owned this one is by far the best!

I have a lovely Takamine, but I keep coming back to my Martin DJr 10E for our acoustic duo gigs. It's just much easier to play over a 3 set gig (less fatigue on the hands, due to the smaller size). The plugged in sound is amazing, I am always getting compliments on my guitar sound. Unplugged, it can easily hold its own with my full size acoustics. Probably not quite as deep and resonant, but honestly there's not much in it. Its just so lovely to have in hand and play. Check out our compilation video from a recent gig to hear how it sounds.

I purchased this guitar for my daughter. She wanted to learn to play. She loved the tone compared to similar-sized Taylor guitars in the price range. I own both Martin and Taylor full-size and I can tell she is a Martin girl. The D Jr-10E sounds great, stays in tune, and plays amazingly. My daughter is picking up very fast and it is a blast to sit beside her and play nightly. For the record, I have a D28, but I am finding myself even grabbing her guitar as it is so fun to play.

Have no Illusions this is a beautiful guitar, action was just a little too high for me... but don't let me discourage you I have weak fingers, this thing is worth every penny!!thanks Reid and sweetwater................................................................................................................s

At first sight, the size of this guitar is a perfect fit for me and just what I was looking for. It's sound is clear and resonant and it's sweet voice calls me to pick it up and play it again and again! It has a big, beautiful, articulate voice. The Martin DJR 10e is smaller, yes, but has the sound of a larger guitar. It is so playable! Great intonation! This is a quality instrument, and I look forward to many years of exploring it's frets and musical possibilities. A big thank you to Brenton Evans! Your expertise and advice is invaluable to me and deeply appreciated! Thank you so much! And thank you Sweetwater-you're are an excellent source for us musicians!

First of all, I want to thank Jozy and everyone else at Sweetwater. I have been around for quite awhile now, and they continue to provide the best customer service I have ever had. Buying from Sweetwater is a breeze and all of my instruments have been fantastically setup and well cared for before they got to me.

These guitars are not just good for the money, they are great guitars. I have a Sapele top one and just purchased the Spruce. Both sound excellent, but definitely different. These are a really cool size. Slightly larger than a typical travel size guitar and smaller than a 000. They are a good sounding alternative to a parlor guitar also. They sound great plugged in and could definitely be gigged with.

This is a really good guitar, when you consider the design elements that make this a DJR, it's an amazing guitar. I've been a player for over 25 years and wanted to share my opinions. Because the body is 1/16th smaller than a traditional Martin dred, it's got a comfort to it that you just can't seem to explain, until you put it side by side with another full size. It feels very normal and comfortable while playing but side by side with a full size, you see things are a little different. The body overall is 1/16 smaller than a normal Martin dred, so your strumming elbow is more relaxed. The nut is 1-3/4, in other words, a normal nut on a smaller guitar, this helps pull of the convincing Jedi mind trick that you're actually playing a full sized guitar.

The guitar seems normal, in both size and sound, until you are playing it right next to a full size acoustic. I have a Fender with a 000 body, a Yamaha full size dred, and a Taylor baby T for comparison and all are in the same price range so I feel this is a fair fight. The djr-10e is ridiculously comfortable to play, there are two of us in this house that play and the djr-10e has become our ABSOLUTE favorite. When compared to the baby T, this guitar has more volume and fills the room with a richer sound. It's not until you start playing another full size acoustic in the same room that you realize it's not quite a full sized sound. I would say it has a better sound than either of the other 3, but only my full size dred has more low end. As a true Martin, this thing just puts out more volume, more clarity. It's a better guitar than the other two and you can hear it. I've tried 3 different styles of strings on it and I feel it responds well to the type of sounds different strings offer. Phos / Bronze strings had quite a bit more ring and volume to them, nickel strings were warmer but my favorites are the Martin retro's with one step down in thickness from what came on the guitar.

It's easier to play than the others because it has a full size nut so string spacing feels natural but due to the shorter scale it requires a little less pressure from the finger tips. However, in a weird way there was a little bit of an adjustment period for us with the djr-10e when playing cowboy chords. Sometimes we would miss a note here and there and normally I don't think it would have been heard but the projection is just so clear that it was a " thing " for us at first. But getting use to where your fretting hand is, after a couple days this didn't seem to happen anymore. Operator error I know but just realize it takes a few sessions to get fully onboard with it, and it's completely worth it. We both love this guitar.

Plugged in, it's pretty good. It is very clear with no cracks or pops in the electronics. I use a chorus and a reverb when plugging in and wow this guitar comes alive when powered up. The sound stays true, doesn't change tone at all and that's a great thing. The volume and tone control in the sound hole work as they should with no problems, and the tone knob does a good job of taming the higher end depending on song selection, without a need to change pedal settings. I was surprised at how much difference string type had on sound when plugged in. The 80/20's really put a lot more spank in the midrange volume, but in a good way. I prefer a more mellow, flatter eq curve so the retro strings are just perfect.

The guitar itself as delivered, the fret ends are not rough, but they aren't as smooth as they can be either. They are not sharp in any way but pronounced might be a more fitting description. The richlite fingerboard feels great and doesn't make much noise when using vibrato. There is no string buzz, anywhere. The neck feels good while playing but I did get a full setup done to address the fret ends and bring the strings down just a little. I wouldn't say they were high at all, I just prefer a little closer to the feel of an electric guitar, and I still have no fret buzz. Great neck for sure. The back of the neck feels very natural, non gloss neck, sweat doesn't cause sticking. And as mentioned the body feels quite comfy, wether I'm playing on a guitar stool, on the couch or strumming on the porch swing.

I tried to keep this review on point but this guitar is in a class all by itself. It's bigger than a small guitar and smaller than a full size guitar. It feels easier to play than the full size due to reduced string tension but it puts out quite a bit more sound than the " other " smaller guitars. We not only like it, we like it enough that we are buying another one so we don't have to wait to take turns with this one. It's honestly that good. As far as Sweetwater, you CANNOT find a better music store to buy from. I've bought several instruments here, not all guitars and I've never been anything but thrilled with the service, selection and the team as a whole.

This guitar sounds like a Martin should and is about the size of a les paul. It's perfect for sitting on the couch or for traveling. Absolutely recommend it over the little martins or the X series

I am 66 years old and just got back into playing guitar after far too many years away from it. I recently purchased a Taylor Mini-e koa and constantly had finger pain despite trying numerous strings and adjustments. After trying this guitar out at a local store, I felt I had solved my problem. Ordered from Sweetwater due to the outstanding service I have received from Mason Boisvert over the years and with him knowing my issue with the Taylor, had it professionally set up by Sweetwater. Not only is the sound far superior to the Taylor, but the setup and strings that were used have made such a world of difference. Easy to play and no more finger pain. This is my first Martin and am looking forward to many years of enjoyment with this instrument. Again, a great guitar and outstanding service from Sweetwater as always. I would highly recommend this guitar.

fine guitar easy to play for these old fingers and sounds good

I was going to say great guitar for the money but it's just a great guitar. It's the perfect size for travel or sitting on the couch but it still has a great tone. I brought this guitar and my Gibson J45 when I went to visit my brother. After he played both of them he kept gravitating toward the Martin which was fine because I love both of them but the Martin is definitely a little more comfortable to play. It definitely plays and sounds above it's price tag.
I really want to thank my sales engineer Jake Barker. He has always been so helpful and patient with me whether I'm buying a $5000 guitar or a couple of picks, he treats me and the sale like it's the most important thing going on in his life!
The rest of the business world needs to take notes on how to not only grow your business but also keep your existing customers coming back! Great job Sweetwater and as always Great job Jake!

This is a great guitar. I was worried because its a JR size that it would feel like a kids guitar. It does not. It plays great sounds phenomenal and can get loud. Extremely comfortable. Very well made, I cant find a flaw in the guitar anywhere, It was setup perfect out of the box and even in tune, I can see this easily becoming one of my favorite guitars. The only critique I would give is the case. Kind of flimsy gig bag. I defiantly recommend ordering a hard case.

Worth every penny. I wanted something more of a midsize guitar. My previous Little Martin which I loved was kind of too small for me. Then I saw and picked up the Dreadnought Jr 10E, never looked back since. Compact wise, it is very travel friendly and tough. A 000 body size guitar which gives it a small body shape. A bit bigger than a Little Martin but loud in tone and volume. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a midsize, great quality guitar!!!

This guitar is perfect for my needs!
I own a Gibson J45 which I love but I wanted something that I could sit on the couch and play comfortably or take it to the beach and play for my wife and not worry about it too much. It sounds much bigger and better than you would expect from a smaller sized guitar. I am so happy with my purchase and just as pleased with the great service I received from Jake Barker at Sweetwater.

Thank you Jake

I was in the market for a travel-size guitar and had tested a Taylor gs mini, locally, and was impressed. Like a lot of people I went online and checked out the many comparisons between that guitar and this one from Martin, which is not for sale in my country. What I took from that research is that the Gs mini outsells the Martin DJr, but the quality is comparable and it might just come down to your sound preference. I liked the sound of the martin more unplugged and i thought it was about even when plugged in.

What really swayed me was the trust in that Martin tradition, that even in a guitar that clearly had to make some compromises to stay in this price category, that they would do it the right way. So sight unseen, except for on the sweetwater site, I chose Martin and I have been so pleased with that I did.

It is so easy to play , with a fairly slim neck, so I am not left with all those pains from contorting my body to play certain chords. It also feels just right, very light yet when you begin to play it really has a beautiful tone. I really like the choice of the vintage strings as well.

If I were to imagine an even better version of this guitar , for me, would be more of a natural looking or matted finish. I That's just my preference but I also think that's where Taylor might have met ( or made) the market, and where Martin may have to as well...because they have delivered an exceptional guitar in this D-Jr.

Had my DJr10ESk D Jr-10E, Natural Spruce for a few days now. First, thanks again to Michael Eads and the great service! Second...I had my doubts...quality, sound and playability and hate to buy a guitar sight unseen, but this one was a great surprise! Most guitars need a set up when first purchased, especially acoustics. On mine, the action was a bit too high. So I got a used Martin saddle (same as came on it), ground it down about 1/16th", put a hair relief in the neck and man it's like an electric! I have a full size Martin GPC-16E (which is NICE!) but enjoying this more...smaller, more comfortable. When plugged in the bottom really comes out...some amp EQ fixes that. Again, at this pricepoint, can't be beat. The full 24" scale is much better than the shorter scales of other brands of this guitar type. And the full 1 3/4" nut is a God-send! It is what it is and the best one of it's kind out there.

I've been in the market for a "travel" guitar that could also serve as a backup in a pinch in case my main player acoustic needed some work. After a lot of YouTube research, review reading and getting out to a few stores to play a slew of GS minis, Little Martins, Baby Taylors, small bodied Yamahas and Gretschs, I found that the DJr-10e was the one for me. I play a Martin OM16 as my main guitar so I love having the 1 3/4 inch nut on the DJr as well. The short scale makes it a breeze to play and the sound and volume while unplugged is just worlds beyond any of the other similar guitars that I tried. I put on a set of Martin's medium retro strings and this little guitar really sings. This is a great player, and it would make an amazing first guitar for anyone. After having it for a month and traveling with it on 2 trips, I can say I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a compact guitar that punches WAY above its weight class. The only things that could improve this guitar would be a better fitting endpin (mine was too tight to fully seat and it still sticks out a bit) and a slightly better pickup system. The latter is really a nitpick and the Fishman system that it has is just fine, especially for the price. But like many piezo systems, its a little quacky and needs some adjustment from your amp or the sound system to even it out. If you need a guitar for the couch, campfire, beach, or just a second guitar to travel with, check these Jr models out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

This was the first guitar I bought, and while at first I was a little shocked at how small it seemed, I've since grown to love its size and playability. It also sounds amazing, and the electronics work great. This is probably one of the best guitars to get for the price. I cant put it down!

I was looking for a smaller body acoustic to take in my 14 ft travel trailer. I had previously played other non-dreadnoughts, but couldn"t find anything I really liked. I exchanged emails with Greg Baum and eventually talked on the phone ( I live in an area without phone service). We discussed what I liked and didn"t like with various guitar makers and he suggested the Martin D Jr., which I would never had considered on my own. I selected the Spruce top version. It arrived when it was promised, undamaged and in tune. It plays like a good dream, is light, but projects well and had the bass volume I like. I haven"t played my Seagull since the Martin arrived. It is more than I had hoped for. Thanks to Greg for nudging me in the right direction, and thanks to the staff at Sweetwater for handing my order so well.

It's a nice little guitar, but I expected better from Martin. The fret ends are uncomfortably sharp and the action is too high (I understand that action is a personal thing, but it's higher than anybody would want it). I got it for a travel/knockaround guitar and could have gotten any number of other makes that sound as good and play better for less money. Also, the shipping was a total goat rope (rope is a substitute word), mostly but not all FedEx's fault.