Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar - Natural Reviews

Great sound and feel. Perfect size for travel and keep it close for just noodling around. Better than I expected and I expected a lot.

Great guitar. I bought it for my grandson. This way he will leave my D28 alone. Thank you Dave

This is a great little durable guitar for heavy/ efficient/ streamlined travel. The HPL back and sides with the Stratabond neck make the guitar very durable. And the spruce top helps to give it a good tone considering it's size. I travel the globe for work and never hesitate to stuff it in the overhead bins on the airlines when the coat closet is full. I take as much care of it as possible, however traveling with it is always stress free because of it's durability and price. I've been traveling with it for about 18 months now and it still looks brand new as the HPL back and sides resists scratching, dents, and dings. And it doesn't take up much space when I have to cram in the backseat of a taxi with my coworkers and all of our luggage. No, it doesn't sound like its full size counterparts. But it still has an acceptable tone. It's super easy to take anywhere. And it's fun to play!

Exactly what I was looking for to help my daughter learn guitar. I strung it with lighter strings for her and I think it makes a perfect guitar for young children and smaller hands. The sound is surprisingly good for a smaller body. Overall, am really pleased!

I bought this so that I wouldn't have to bring my full-size acoustic with me when I travel. It sounds great and has perfect action. I couldn't be happier.

I'm already the owner of a Martin D-15M, and like many, I was looking for a small, durable acoustic primarily for travel. I had considered the Martin DJR and the Taylor GS Mini, but they were a bit larger than what I was looking for. I narrowed it down to the Baby Taylor and the Little Martin, and went with the Martin. I am glad that I did! This little guitar absolutely sings. Tad Shaffer, my Sweetwater sales representative, suggested a setup with Elixir 11/52 Custom Light strings. He was absolutely right! The guitar arrived in perfect order and it plays fast and easy. The Little Martin won't replace my D-15M, but I'm sure that I will be reaching for it at home equally as often.

I think many people miss the point on the Little Martin. #1, they are trying to match the Baby Taylor (which IMHO they have exceeded), but #2, don't purchase this as your ONLY guitar unless you are using it for kids, teaching, etc. It will not sound like a Martin Dreadnough Dt or Orchestra Model OM. But for its fun size and price range this is an awesome and totally fun guitar to play. The solid sitka spruce top and HPL back & sides. It is set up to endure a more challenging environment. But don't expect to take it on a gig and have is sound like your D-28 or D-18. Apples and oranges.

I own a Martin D-18, Taylor 324e, and Alvarez R8DC. The Martin LX1 is my newest little member and I love it!

This is a great guitar for smaller folks and beginners (I am neither), but I got this (2nd one) because it is handy to just pick up and jam away. I have had carpal tunnel issues and this thing was a great thing to have. Perfect out of the box.

Bought this guitar to take with me to Spain for a few months. It is the perfect size for traveling. I have been surprised by how good it sounds (especially the bass notes). The action is great and it feels quite sturdy.

Before buying my LX1 I did a bit of research and it came down to the Taylor Big Baby or the LX1. Having had a full size Martin before I opted to go with the LX1 and I was not disappointed. After letting the package settle for 24 hours from the three days in transit in the cold I opened the gig bag to check out my new guitar and that new Martin smell washed over me. I quickly ran through a visual inspection and everything was top notch. No blemishes, dings, or scratches. The fret board and solid wood top were in excellent shape. After adjusting a bit to the size I started to play and I was blown away. For a small body the LX1 easily fills a noisy room (4 kids running around) and plays amazing. At the price point my toddler wanted to strum and I had no problems with that since it was such a great price. This little Martin is going to be my go to for playing around the house and practicing new techniques.

So far the action is great and my LX1 stays in tune even after a couple of hours of playing. I really enjoy the raw solid wood top and shorter scale. I cannot recommend one enough. Great player with that amazing Martin feel.

This guitar is a dream for tiny guitarists. It has the excellent sound of a full size Martin with the portability of a travel guitar and it is extremely confortable to play. I had trouble choosing between a Baby Taylor and the Little Martin until I had them both in my hands at my local music store. The Martin just felt and sounded right.

Beautiful Martin guitar. The little Martin is big on sound. The smaller size makes it convenient for my small fingers and for travel. The bag provides great protection without the weight and bulk. The sound is perfect-exactly as a Martin should be. My brother had a Martin that I envied for its beautiful wood and sound. The quality of the little Martin rivals his. The wood grain is beautiful; construction is second to none. I love this guitar; you will too

Been playing the same guitar for 22 years and wanted something different and practical. I went with the Martin LX 1 mainly because wanted something for around the house and that would not take up too much space in our RV. And lastly I've always wanted a Martin since I started playing 35 years ago and I have some Lehigh Valley, PA history.

This little Martin fit what I was looking for perfectly. Not only did it fit my budget, it sounds great and the playability is awesome, especially for my aging and arthritic fingers the smaller scale is nice. The gig bag is a very nice addition as well. I am very happy with this guitar.

Sweetwater service as always is the best in the business!

Bought this guitar always have a guitar handy and to travel; I'm very satisfied
Martin quality...in a smaller size

I have been wanting this Guitar FOREVER for my Daughter and I! Extremely happy with the quality and sound, as well as with Sweetwater. Fast, safe shipping, and superb customer service. Thanks for making this purchase an easy stress free one!

sounds just like a martin should sound with plenty of volume and a nice bass tone for such a little guy! i own a D35 also so i'm picky about tone quality! i was surprised at this little guitar. never mind the mexico sticker!

I am very amazed at the sound and quality of this guitar. With its own unique sound I am very pleased with my purchase. A great guitar for on the go. I thank the people at Sweetwater for their excellent service.

I really didn't expect this little box to have the volume that it has with good tone. I bought this to take into the prison where we have a ministry because the D35 got heavy before we got to where we go.
I am really satisfied with this product.

I own a Martin D-45 and D-18. I bought two of these great little guitars. One for a buddy going to Afganistan and the other to keep around the house to play around with. To my surprise, this guitar gets picked up the most! Fanastic sound, plays effortlessly, and is always right there to just pick up and play whenever you want. If you don't have one of these, I suggest that you do. I will most likely buy several more for Christmas presents.

Salesperson was helpful and friendly from sale to delivery. A great deal for the money and better quality than expected. I was able to pick the exact guitar I wanted while on the telephone and internet web site. All in all it's an amazing little guitar with a great sound ! Service excellent as well.

Though the body of this guitar is noticeably small, the tonal quality is amazing; sounds like a large scale dreadnaught guitar! Purchased as a Christmas present for the my 13 year-old daughter as a replacement for my old Korean Fender Telecoustic she'd been using. Action is (obviously) a little higher (comes equipped with .10 bronze strings), but the slightly reduced neck scale made accommodation to the Martin nearly seamless. She loves it!

Right size and yet sounds bigger

This little guitar is a great starter ax for any beginner or someone with small fingers. Got great tone, volume, resonation and harmonics for such a small body. Wanted to get a pick guard for it but can"t seem to find one anywhere so I may wind up making my own. With my strumming technique my fingers sound like they are sanding wood while I"m playing.
Also wanted to adjust the neck with the truss rod but as it turns out it"s a special tool so I can"t do that. It plays fine but I think the action could be brought down a little. Overall though a great guitar for the money. If you"re looking for a good travel guitar this could be the one for you

I bought this guitar for my 9 year old grandson. This guitar is 3/4 size and the frets are closer together than on a full size. It's important for a youth guitar to sound good and be easy to play. If you buy a cheap kids guitar they probably won't stick with it. This guitar arrived in perfect condition and has that great Martin tone. The strings were corroded slightly which is pretty normal for a new guitar. I put new strings on and adjusted the truss rod and it was good to go. Great action and great tone. I enjoy playing this little guitar like I do my full size Martin. The included gig bag is sturdy and well padded. It also has an embroidered Martin logo and back pack straps. This guitar was a good investment.

It has to be good it is a martin

I love my Little Martin. I hesitate to give it 5 stars because it's not a super-fantastic instrument in the grand scheme of things, but for what it is (and for a 300-dollar guitar) it's awesome and I have no specific quibbles with it at all. It stays in tune an the intonation is pretty accurate up and down the neck -- good enough to enjoy in any setting, and no cringe-factor. Best travel guitar I have tried, bar none, and I have tried a few. Highly recommended.

Great guitar really fun to strum bang away on or pick.

This is such a fun little guitar to play. Feels great in your hands - easy to play. The only negative (which really isn't a huge surprise) is that is has a small body sound (almost a ukulele sound at times due to the small body). When strumming with a pick or amplified, the guitar sounds much bigger however I mostly play with my fingers so it sounds a little smaller. I expected that though, The Taylor has a bigger clearer sound but was much more expensive so this guitar is perfect for the task!

As always I was blown away by the service from Sweetwater....ordered this guitar on monday morning and had it delivered wed morn. This guitar is very nicely made and seems of very good quality and sounds pretty good for such a little fellow!!! Takes some getting used to tho. the action was fairly high at 8/64ths but after taking some off the saddle its right down where i like it. The only negative i have found is that Martin requires a "special truss rod wrench" to reach the rod and they do not provide one with the guitar. It seems as tho the more expensive guitars do not provide wrench as my Taylors did not come with one either. It seems to me if my 125.00 Jasmine can come with a wrench then Martin could throw one in with a 350.00 guitar!!!!

This was a pleasant surprise from my wife - fits in OH compartment, took it to Africa and back! If you are looking for a great sounding guitar, for the dinero you will find much better sounding and playing guitars out there, but for it's size it projects a lot of satisfying sound. It also is very playable, action-wise, but I have big hands and struggle a bit with tight chord formations. Wouldn't miss it if I traded, as I would with a full-size Martin. Already have 2 acoustic guitars, so I really don't need this, but I (fortunately?) cracked the top, so its a keeper! Great for camping and songwriting. Thought it was hard to play until I tried a mandolin.

Owned one about 15 years and it's small enough to have in a road truck without taking up space. Compared to Taylor and Breedlove it doesn't quite meet the challenge for sound. Just for actual fretting and keeping in practice it's perfect in every way and price, well more practical.

A friend and I both have Little Martin LX-1's built in 2015. Actually mine was purchased by my son, and he asked me to sell it for him, as I have a fair amount of experience in this area. The problem with both guitars is that there is a small gap at the base of the heel, creating (for me) an unacceptable high action. My friend has been aware of this for some time, but as she doesn't play above the 5th fret, it doesn't bother her. These are the only two LX-1's I've ever seen, so I've gotta believe others have experienced what I see as an inherent flaw; this gap should not occur, especially considering my son's has the original strings on it. A neck reset on a Martin with a mortise/tenon heel joint runs over $ (at least that what I paid a few years back for two; one on my D-28, and the other on my O-18t), worth having done on a high end Nazareth Martin, but obviously not on a $ LX-1.

Good little guitar for young learner.
Be aware that the back and sides of this guitar is not real wood but Martin's HPL material, which uses a image of real wood in this case mahogany, to give it a look of real wood. Same thing on the KOA model as well.

I thought that because this is a Martin I could expect fairly high quality in spite of the price, but I was wrong. I'm pretty disappointed. The Spruce top looks cheap and the sound quality even for a small guitar is only average. I wouldn't buy it again.

PRO's: projects sound more than you expect. The size makes it fun to play.

CONSs: feels, looks, and sounds like a toy. Goes WILDLY out of tune with temp changes.

Honestly, I REALLY wanted to like this guitar. I had it for two years and every time I played it i was thinking in my head "this sounds like crap". IF this was $, then I would say GREAT!. But it's twice that price! I can't justify the cost. I played a Gretsch Jim Dandy recently, which is a $ guitar, and it sounded just as good. I decided that day I was going to sell the Martin. Luckily, because it says "martin" on the headstock, it's resale value was SUPER high. Crazy. If your looking for a travel guitar, spend your money somewhere else. Either the Taylor GS mini if you want quality, or the Gretsch Jim Dandy if you want a cheap campfire/travel guitar. Or the 1000 other parlor sized guitars from other brands.

Sorry Martin, It was a swing and a miss on this one. Terrible guitar.

My sister owns this guitar and asked me if I could make it sound better after playing my mini GS. I said that I would try but it will never project and resonate like the Taylor. The Taylor is just a better guitar for the extra $ you'll have to pay. My advice to her was to sell the Martin on ebay and buy a mini gs. You'll be much happier playing the Taylor and you'll play it more often because it plays and sounds great. She did... she does.

This is a solidly built travel guitar with a quality gig bag. Recomended.