Martin LX1RE - Little Martin Acoustic Electric Guitar Rosewood w/Bag

I purchased this guitar to get back into playing during COVID, after selling off my HD-35 and an older LX1 many years ago for personal reasons. Even back then, the LX1 which is nearly the same as this one besides this one handing electronics and a rosewood “paint” job, I often would defer to my LX1 over my HD-35. Part of the reason is the ease of use while still offering a distinct Martin sound, and the design instills confidence that I won’t lose sleep if I ding it or I let a drunk friend play a few tunes. I had that original for many years, and have had this version for about a month.The guitar itself has a surprising amount of heft, and I think many will be surprised by its projection. The solid Sitka spruce top is the mvp here, and should be a must unless ... MoreI purchased this guitar to get back into playing during COVID, after selling off my HD-35 and an older LX1 many years ago for personal reasons. Even back then, the LX1 which is nearly the same as this one besides this one handing electronics and a rosewood “paint” job, I often would defer to my LX1 over my HD-35. Part of the reason is the ease of use while still offering a distinct Martin sound, and the design instills confidence that I won’t lose sleep if I ding it or I let a drunk friend play a few tunes. I had that original for many years, and have had this version for about a month.The guitar itself has a surprising amount of heft, and I think many will be surprised by its projection. The solid Sitka spruce top is the mvp here, and should be a must unless you’re concerned about humidity and/or purchasing this style for absolute travel readiness. The solid top will hold up well in changing climates and travel, but the HPL top of the standard LX may be a safer bet if that is a concern. I think most people will benefit from solid top, so that’s my suggestion, plus you get that Martin smell, albeit faintly, with the solid top.Playability-wise, the guitar is clear and punchy while playing fingerstyle or doing solo runs, and strumming offers a surprising amount of boom and clarity. The only caveat is the transition or light strumming to full strumming, as it seems the guitar needs to rev up a bit to get into its full potential. However that could be some of my cobwebs I’m still throwing off.I’ve only used the onboard electronics is few times and they are about what you’d expect from a guitar in this price range. The plugin is on the lower bout near where the guitar sits on your right leg, and is powered by a 9v. Two control dials are available through the sound hole, and overall reproduce the guitar well enough, but a secondary EQ will most likely be required for serious production/recording... works great for just throwing down a songwriting session though!To round it off, the guitar comes with an included soft gig bag, which can be worn as a backpack or hand carried. Which is something I love, it also has a large pocket for whatever small items you may need. And the guitar comes with a 1 year Martin warranty, which should be enough to weed out any manufacturing defects.Overall, I am proud to have this guitar back in my hands, and love the durability, ease of use, value, and most surprisingly the sound of this guitar. This is truly a great guitar and is a lot of fun to bring everywhere!

Great guitar for the money

I have gotten back into playing after years being away from playing. It is the perfect size for travel and for people with limited storage options, an excuse I used not doing this sooner. Martin has done a great job in the sound quality aspect and durability is great. Sam Ash sent my order right away and packaged to insure no damage would occur in transit. I recommend the guitar and Sam Ash to anyone looking to find a guitar that suits them

Great guitar!

I'm a gigging musician and was looking for a smaller, giggable guitar. I have since relegated my higher priced and much bigger Martin for home and studio use only and this little guy just shines when plugged in! It has replaced all my full sized guitars for gigs! No one has even noticed that the guitar size is much smaller until I show them the size next to my other guitarists guitar! The sound is very passable when played unplugged but rocks down the house when plugged in! No lack of bass here!

Great little player with really nice electronics.

This is a great guitar for leaving out all the time just to pick on and play. Love the rosewood patter/color. The electronics surprised me how good they sound out of my little Bugera AC60 just set flat with a little reverb. Great for picking in the garage on rainy nights with the neighbors. No worries about bringing the D-35 out in inclement weather.

Great piece of kit

I bought this as a travel guitar. I am a Martin fanatic and wanted something I could take around the world without being too worried about. This fits the bill. Incredibly loud for the size!

Great travel/couch/easy chair guitar for practicing

This is a small guitar that's one of the most least expensive Martin's... Try one somewhere, if you can, before you buy it. It's not going to sound like a full size dreadnought. This little guitar can be great fun to play, again, it's not going to sound like a full size dreadnought. It has it's own unique sound, it's small, it's easy to handle, it's convenient to leave next to your favorite recliner/sofa to pick up and play. It's a great grab and go guitar too, that you don't have to worry so much about getting damaged, like a pricier guitar. This little guitar is built very sturdy and you should get many years of use from.

Junk

I ordered this through a MF Deal of the Day. I had previously owned a Little Martin and thought this was the same without the electronics. This was far from the same. It is made cheap. Looks cheap. Feels cheap. Sounds cheap. I am surprised Martin would put their name on such a toy and call it a guitar. I was looking for a small guitar to keep at my office. I'll keep looking.

Martin LX1E

I bought this guitar on musicstore from France.First, it price was the lowest I found on the internet, and even if it was shipped from Germany, it was delivered to me very fast (2-3 days).The packaging was clean. I got a gig bag as expected, and I was surprised they gave me a Martin&Co strap !This guitar is all I expected from it. I had already tried a LXK2 and I heard it had the same sound LX1 (same materials).When its plugged on a power amplifier, it makes it even better !I bought it because Ed Sheeran had it, and I knew it was a good one, now I can make cover of him, and it sounds beautiful ! I recommend this guitar and this website !Ps : Im not a professional.

Martin LX1E review

Very good guitar for its size. Many see the Little Martins as toys, but thats not the case - this guitar is full of life and offers such a unique sound.Of course its very popular due to Ed Sheeran, but he has a signature LX1E now which features a sapele top instead of the spruce. Id say pick this one over the signature model - the spruce top sounds better, plus Ed seems to be slowly moving back toward this model, instead of the signature.Action is decent, not too high, not too low. Very good sustain, plus the neck has a nice feel. The built in electronics are nice, and I really wouldnt swap it for the world.Its the daddy of all travel sized guitars. Taylors baby Taylor is garbage compared to this, and Takamines attempt at a travel guitar is laughable. ... MoreVery good guitar for its size. Many see the Little Martins as toys, but thats not the case - this guitar is full of life and offers such a unique sound.Of course its very popular due to Ed Sheeran, but he has a signature LX1E now which features a sapele top instead of the spruce. Id say pick this one over the signature model - the spruce top sounds better, plus Ed seems to be slowly moving back toward this model, instead of the signature.Action is decent, not too high, not too low. Very good sustain, plus the neck has a nice feel. The built in electronics are nice, and I really wouldnt swap it for the world.Its the daddy of all travel sized guitars. Taylors baby Taylor is garbage compared to this, and Takamines attempt at a travel guitar is laughable. Brilliant guitar for students, a very high end guitar maybe for kids to learn on.Cons: You could get a bigger sounding guitar for less money.

This Little Martin changed my life.

I've played this guitar almost everyday since I bought after not playing much at all for over 10 years. It is responsible for getting me back into guitar playing. A must for anyone over 50. I no longer have finger pains from playing.