Martin LX1 Little Martin Acoustic Guitar

Just a really great sounding guitar. The neck is fantastic and action is fairly low, as an electric guy I could always prefer lower, lol. Fit and finish just makes you think it would cost more than it does.It's not perfect by any means, mine was missing the strap peg for the bottom but AMS made it right and the guitar just feels so good I couldn't send it back,I didn't want to roll the dice.I was about to order the peg through Martin warranty but had a friend after telling him about it, had the part. So it all worked out, which have zero doubts Martin would have took care of it.Highly recommend for a travel/parlor type guitar and highly recommend AMS, just a great company.

Amazing Guitar!

I played a friend's dreadnaught sized Martin and fell in love. I already owned two other guitars at the time (Samick and a Fender Redondo Player acoustic) and I didn't want to spend the money in a Martin at this time. This happened to pop up as a stupid deal of the day and so I bought.I wasn't sure about the laminate at first, but it feels and plays like a well made guitar. It sounds bright and it is a tone I enjoy hearing. If someone had given me advice as a new player I would have wished they told me about this guitar. It is concert size so it is a little smaller than a dreadnaught. It is easier for me to practice barring chords and doesn't feel as awkward on my body as my dreadnaught. I love both guitars, but I definitely still use this one as I advance as a ... MoreI played a friend's dreadnaught sized Martin and fell in love. I already owned two other guitars at the time (Samick and a Fender Redondo Player acoustic) and I didn't want to spend the money in a Martin at this time. This happened to pop up as a stupid deal of the day and so I bought.I wasn't sure about the laminate at first, but it feels and plays like a well made guitar. It sounds bright and it is a tone I enjoy hearing. If someone had given me advice as a new player I would have wished they told me about this guitar. It is concert size so it is a little smaller than a dreadnaught. It is easier for me to practice barring chords and doesn't feel as awkward on my body as my dreadnaught. I love both guitars, but I definitely still use this one as I advance as a player. I noodle on it when I am watching tv, take it when I go way for the weekend, and bring it to play for my friends. This is a fantastic guitar and I can proudly say I own a Martin :).

Definitely would recommend this model and Sam Ash's stores.

This was an early Christmas gift for my Wife. I was concerned that she would not persist with learning to play. The staff at SamAsh's were really helpful. It's now nearly a month since purchase. Peggy has practiced every day for at least an hour. She's getting it, not a puppy either. We went back to the store just a few days ago, they had freebie Picks and I purchased a Guitar method book on the advice of another very helpful staff member. The Travel Guitar is just the right size and looks beautifully made. I'm very pleased with it, so is Peggy.

It's just okay... but a BLAST to play!

The Look: My first impressions were great. I thought the guitar looked pretty good, and the case was of nice quality. It has just enough padding to provide protection and the zippers and material are of nice quality. The guitar and case are very light and wear comfortably like a backpack. The finish work is plain and simple, but "tight". Frets and neck are comfortable, tuners are suitable quality, and overall a very cleanly constructed piece.The Sound: It kinda sucks. Volume is okay for the size, but the tone is very boxy and toy like. I was extremely disappointed after my first strum. I think I actually made an audible "ugh..." when I first heard it. They equip the guitar with medium strings, and they are pretty chunky. They try to fight that with tuning it down ... MoreThe Look: My first impressions were great. I thought the guitar looked pretty good, and the case was of nice quality. It has just enough padding to provide protection and the zippers and material are of nice quality. The guitar and case are very light and wear comfortably like a backpack. The finish work is plain and simple, but "tight". Frets and neck are comfortable, tuners are suitable quality, and overall a very cleanly constructed piece.The Sound: It kinda sucks. Volume is okay for the size, but the tone is very boxy and toy like. I was extremely disappointed after my first strum. I think I actually made an audible "ugh..." when I first heard it. They equip the guitar with medium strings, and they are pretty chunky. They try to fight that with tuning it down to D. I immediately changed the strings to .10 extra light Elixers, tuned to standard E, and I noticed a marked sound improvement. Still not great... but better.The Setup: The action on this guitar was absolutely terrible. On par with a very cheap guitar. I do all my own guitar work, so I filed the nut slots down during the string change and it plays much better. The neck still needs adjusted to lower the height a little more, but I'm already feeling better about the guitar.Final Thoughts: It's a traveling guitar. It's important to keep that in mind. It is what it is, and don't expect it to be more than that. A lot of youtube reviews have these things sounding just amazing, but I think that's with expensive microphones and some light editing. Nonetheless, it's a lot of fun to play. The size is perfect for traveling, and the short neck length really makes this fun to jam on. And that was the whole idea when I bought this. I bring this to work with me and keep it in my work van. It's small enough that I can play while sitting in the drivers seat of my van. It's a lot of fun! I get in lots of practice time, and I can't wait to bring this on vacation with me. I plan on bringing it everywhere!

Martin LX1

I was on the fence about ordering this guitar due to the fact that it's a 3/4 size. But, I would have to say that it's perfect for what I was looking for. Traditional dreadnaughts have always just felt uncomfortable to play (I'm a smaller framed guy), so I was looking for something with a smaller body that would be good for practicing, and occasionally playing a small gig with.The Martin LX1 turned out to be just what I was looking for. The smaller body is perfect sized and is extremely comfortable to sit and play for long periods. The body, for being laminate, has a nice wood detail and also sounds surprisingly good; deep and rich, great sustain. The frets, understandably are smaller and a little close together, which could be a hindrance if you have larger hands, ... MoreI was on the fence about ordering this guitar due to the fact that it's a 3/4 size. But, I would have to say that it's perfect for what I was looking for. Traditional dreadnaughts have always just felt uncomfortable to play (I'm a smaller framed guy), so I was looking for something with a smaller body that would be good for practicing, and occasionally playing a small gig with.The Martin LX1 turned out to be just what I was looking for. The smaller body is perfect sized and is extremely comfortable to sit and play for long periods. The body, for being laminate, has a nice wood detail and also sounds surprisingly good; deep and rich, great sustain. The frets, understandably are smaller and a little close together, which could be a hindrance if you have larger hands, or typically play more involved chords.Overall, I am extremely pleased with the purchase. If you want a Martin that's affordable, easy to haul around, and sounds great in a smaller package then I would highly suggest this!

More than what I expected, just what I needed

I haven't played in a few years but the pandemic had me searching for something to get my mind off working crazy hours. There would be few guitars I'd buy sight unseen but I rolled the dice because I'd played Martin's first backpacking incarnation and was familiar with their quality. This little guitar wouldn't disappoint! It is a smaller scale but my fingers fit on the fret board and it's easy to just leave out and pick up when you need it. The sound is really good for the size and it's easy to strum or pick. It was exactly what I was looking for but a little more. I honestly didn't expect to be this happy with how much guitar I got for the price. If you need something to stick by the desk or play by the fire, this is a good option

Morgan

I'll start by saying ive wanted a martin for some years now but the lx1 to me was a joke from martin. How absolutely wrong i was. I popped into pmt on a whim to have a wonder around, picked up the joke of a martin for a laugh and couldnt leave without it. For such a small instrument the quality and attention to detail is unreal even for a martin and a sound that rivals alot of full sized guitars. Compared to the baby talor the martin produces a rich, clear, full body sound, bright enough to be clear even while playing technical peices. Martin have quite litterally shrunk a full size guitar in every way apart from the sound. The size of course makes it ideal for travelling or evem at home. I've discovered i always pick up my lx1 rather then my full size guitars. The ... MoreI'll start by saying ive wanted a martin for some years now but the lx1 to me was a joke from martin. How absolutely wrong i was. I popped into pmt on a whim to have a wonder around, picked up the joke of a martin for a laugh and couldnt leave without it. For such a small instrument the quality and attention to detail is unreal even for a martin and a sound that rivals alot of full sized guitars. Compared to the baby talor the martin produces a rich, clear, full body sound, bright enough to be clear even while playing technical peices. Martin have quite litterally shrunk a full size guitar in every way apart from the sound. The size of course makes it ideal for travelling or evem at home. I've discovered i always pick up my lx1 rather then my full size guitars. The martin fills a room with sound in just the perfect way. A very welcome addition to my collection and has very quickly become the go to.

Outstanding!

Somewhere along the way, "parlour" guitars were renamed 'travel" guitars. This is actually a mini-dreadnaught, and a very good one! I lowered the action myself, put new strings on, added a pickguard and fret inlay markers and it looks wonderful. Better still, I have a soundhole pickup on it running through a quality acoustic amp with chorus and I assure you, you could plug this guitar into any PA onstage anytime, anywhere and make great sounds as it sounds better than many full-size dreds. That rich, full Martin tone really comes through. I have several other acoustics and this one is what I pick up and play the most! Don't be fooled, this is for sure a professional quality instrument.~

Serious guitar

I bought this while deployed because I didn't want to bring anything too nice to the desert. You never know what customs will let you take home, plus the dust is horrible and ruins everything.I even made an album with it called Red on the Walls if you wanna hear it. (check it on itunes under Douglas Pack)It took a couple days to get used to the smaller scale, but now it feels normal (I'm sure it will be strange switching back) but this guitar is WAY better sounding than any of the cheap specials the generic companies make.A lot of people buy cheap guitars when they deploy with hopes of learning while down-range...let me tell you, those guitars suck. They all have the same cheap, made-in-china, thick finishes with just a dead feel.This little guy is made in ... MoreI bought this while deployed because I didn't want to bring anything too nice to the desert. You never know what customs will let you take home, plus the dust is horrible and ruins everything.I even made an album with it called Red on the Walls if you wanna hear it. (check it on itunes under Douglas Pack)It took a couple days to get used to the smaller scale, but now it feels normal (I'm sure it will be strange switching back) but this guitar is WAY better sounding than any of the cheap specials the generic companies make.A lot of people buy cheap guitars when they deploy with hopes of learning while down-range...let me tell you, those guitars suck. They all have the same cheap, made-in-china, thick finishes with just a dead feel.This little guy is made in Mexico...okay whatever....but it is a Martin. It feels very much hand-made. No screw-on neck like the baby Taylor. And it comes with really nice tuning machines. I've dropped it a LOT and it doesn't skip a beat. VERY durable. The top has very little finish and just is really loud and nice. The neck feels professional, and the case is really nice! It has a large compartment for an Ipad, headphones, pics, strings, fast-fret, capo, and whatever else you might need. I love this guitar so much that it's going home with me to become my camping/on the go guitar.If you want a guitar the size of a uke almost...that sounds amazing....throw some elixirs on this beast and take it everywhere. Worth the $300ish all day.

tiny beauty

it arrived yesterday to romania, from music store germany (thanks for handling it with so much care!) and i laid my hands for the first time on this loveable tiny beauty. it looks amazing and feels amazing, in every aspect. excellent playability all thourghout the neck, right out of the box...i wanted a travel buddy — small, sturdy, light and playable... and here she is. there are a lot reviews on the net, i will let here my own subjective opinion, after one day of having it (shipped from music store, germany).- i'm a tall guy (6 feet 3 / 190 cm), but the smallness of martin lx1 is not a hindrance in playing. my wife is a mongolian petite, so perhaps I'm used with handling small beauties 🙂- i have big hands, but not thick fingers. if i stretch my fingers i can ... Moreit arrived yesterday to romania, from music store germany (thanks for handling it with so much care!) and i laid my hands for the first time on this loveable tiny beauty. it looks amazing and feels amazing, in every aspect. excellent playability all thourghout the neck, right out of the box...i wanted a travel buddy — small, sturdy, light and playable... and here she is. there are a lot reviews on the net, i will let here my own subjective opinion, after one day of having it (shipped from music store, germany).- i'm a tall guy (6 feet 3 / 190 cm), but the smallness of martin lx1 is not a hindrance in playing. my wife is a mongolian petite, so perhaps I'm used with handling small beauties 🙂- i have big hands, but not thick fingers. if i stretch my fingers i can cover this guitar's neck from the net to the 10th fret (from pinky to thumb stretched out) — so you can have a clue; however, i feel comfortable playing all over the neck, even past the 14th fret. so no problem with that... and the transition back and forth to my normal-sized acoustic fender pm1 or to my electric squier affinity tele feels smooth, adjusting in no time.- the guitar is neck heavy, but it doesn't bother me at all; you see, it sits comfortably in my lap.- well, of course, the sound is not of a normal-sized guitar — one has to live with that. it is somehow a boxy sound, but martin has a lot of character, so i'm quite pleased with the sound. the guitar seems to suit better for fingerpicking or strumming with bare fingers; when i use my pick it's too noisy, especially the d string is sooo loud, taking over the other strings. in know, it's a new guitar, freshly out of its box, so perhaps it needs time to shape its sound. if this will not happen (due to hpl back and sides) i will still be pleased, the sound is good enough and i can work my way around.- the machine heads are of excellent quality (like every aspect of this guitar, actually): i tuned the guitar yesterday, after taking it out of the box, then forgot about it...summing up:craftmanship — state of the artsound — boxy, you may like it or not (martin has character, a distinct voice, above all)optic — beautiful as it gets, simply perfectprice/performance — well, i would have loved to pay less... in the states, it was 399 USD until recently, now it's more expensive and perhaps the price will rise as well in the current covid situation; so buy know, don't postpone if you consider having one.