Martin LX1 Review

The Martin Company was founded in 1833 in New York City and now needs no introduction for people in some way related to music. The history of Martin Guitar is the story of six generations of the Martin family who have dedicated their lives to making these musical instruments. Over the years, the company has earned a reputation as one of the industry leaders. At the threshold of the 21st century, Martin crossed the milestone of producing its one-millionth guitar. And today, I offer you a Little Martin LX1 review, a fantastic miniature acoustic guitar of the highest quality.

There are three models in total in the Little Martin line – the LX1, LX1R and LXK2, which differ slightly from each other. This guitar is notable for its size, hence its name.

Do you travel a lot and like to carry an instrument with you? Does your child want to join the world of great musicians? Are you a beginner and still trying to learn the guitar? Or maybe the standard models are uncomfortable for you? This guitar is a perfect choice: it scales 23 inches, measures 18/7/39 inches, and weighs just over 8 pounds. And be sure, it will last a long time as it’s made of high-quality materials.

Already interested? Then let’s go!

Body

The Martin LX1 is really Little because its size is ¾ of a standard guitar. However, its size makes it suitable for children and adults alike.

The back and sides of the body are made of HPL (High-Pressure Laminate) mahogany, which is used even in shipbuilding, and the 5/16″ brace is made of Sitka solid spruce. These moisture-resistant materials will allow you to travel with your guitar without fear for its integrity. That’s why this model is listed as a Travel model.

The guitar looks very stylish: the body has a noble shine, the Richlite bridge looks like it’s made of mahogany, and the rosette is made in Multi-Stripe decor. Sound quality is secured by the Style X crossbody, the top brace inside the body, which provides construction stability and controls the vibration of the top part of the guitar. So even if you’re a beginner guitarist or an amateur, the Little Martin LX1 will not disappoint, and I’ll prove it to you again next.

Neck, fingerboard, headstock

The fingerboard is made of Stratabond, a rusted birch wood that makes it strong, weatherproof, and similar to mahogany in its resonance properties. The student-friendly low oval shape fingerboard has 20 fretted frets, is attached to the body on the 14th fret with the Mortise and Tenon joint system, and fits comfortably in your hand. Position markers on the frets are located on the top edge of the fingerboard.

Martin even addressed environmental concerns when creating the LX1. To keep the price down but still maintain their status as the leader in guitar manufacturing, they turned to Richlite for the fingerboard (and I wrote about the bridge earlier). And let the professionals not appreciate this fact (although I did not feel any apparent disadvantages when using it), still at the initial stage, you can afford to play the Martin, isn’t it wonderful?

The headstock in the form of the original Martin LX taper profile in HPL, the nut in Corian, and the chrome-plated steel picks that impress with their smoothness are not usually attributed to entry-level guitars, but Martin decided otherwise. And it’s hard to disagree with them. The quality of your first guitar may well determine your entire subsequent entry into the world of music.

My final verdict

In my opinion, any instrument takes some time to get used to, so the question of usability is an individual matter for everyone. But we can definitely say that the Little Martin LX1 is a great instrument for beginners, teenagers or traveling musicians. The guitar is lightweight, sturdy, stylish, made of quality materials, and conveniently shaped. It is easy and comfortable to play for beginners and professionals alike.

As for the sound, suffice it to know that it’s a Martin. You shouldn’t expect surround sound from it. The LX1 has a petite body and isn’t capable of that. But for its size, it sounds surprisingly good:

Also, the Little Martin LX1 acoustic guitar doesn’t have a cutaway, which is exactly what helps the surround sound in this design.