Martin LXM Little Martin Acoustic Guitar  

Just purchased this around two weeks ago.  I travel alot in the Tennessee, North Carolina & Virginia area and really enjoy the portability of this little gem!  The action is fast and this guitar is easy to play due to its smaller size.  Don't let the size fool you though, it has great bass, treble & volume.  I've even brought it to pick n grin sessions and hold me own with the big boys.

I own a Martin HD28, (this can't compete with a guitar of this quality).  Considering the size & cost this is a definate winner.  Gig bag is pretty good as well.

I guess I should I have payed better attention.  I thought the HPL was at least a laminated wood, with a thin veneer of real and attractive wood on the outside.  It is not.  It is fully synthetic and looks like rather a joke for anyone who appreciates the beauty of real wood.  Basically a counter top like material. I wish I would have ordered the version with a solid top but I am too lazy to send back.  I bought this for my 8 year old's birthday.  Hopefully, it will at least be durable and he won't care about the HPL.

Seems to be well built.  No real complaints other than those mentioned above about the materials and below about sound quality.  I played through some standards up and down and all around the neck and didn't have any noticable problems with intonation or buzzing.  I like the look of the laminated neck and it should be stable.  I like the synthetic material of the fretboard- very hard and basically looks like ebony if you don't look too close.

Not a good value in my opinion.  I have a few small guitars such as an Epiphone nylon string that sound as good and I believe were only like $40. I expected this to be several notches better.  If the top had a real wood veneer, the sound wa a little more lively, it proved to be durable, then it would be worth it.

I read almost all the reviews and most were very positive.  I am perplexed because the sound is nothing special, even factoring in the small size.  It definately sounds it's size in volume and tone quality is akin to being under water or having your ears plugged. Sorry to bust on anyone, but maybe most of the people in the market for this type of guitar are more towards the novice end of the spectrum and have lower sound quality expectations.  I think most full size acoustics half the price would sound better than this...so you could take a cheaper full size guitar to the beach and even replace it as needed and be ahead of the game compared to this one.  Of course this has the advantage of being smaller and more transportable.

This is an acoustic guitar.  What features would you expect?  It is a very no nonsense little guitar.  It has a body, neck, nut, bridge, saddle, etc.  This guitar does not come with the fancy binding, trim, etc. that you are finding on even cheap guitars these days.   But, it does come with good strap buttons installed and a good set of Martin strings.  I'll take fabulous tone and projection and a very good quality gig bag over the fancy decorations anytime.

This is a very well put together little guitar.  It is not fancy.  Mine is black.  It has kind of a stark, simple appeal.  But, the neck and frets are great and the sound is hard to believe out of something so small.  It is louder than my brand name, solid wood, mid size acoustic and the tone is much, much better.  Mine had no visible faults.  Stays in tune very well.

Can't imagine a better value unless it delaminates later as I have read that some do.  It sounds like a much larger and more expensive guitar, plays very comfortably and is small enough to travel well.  At less than three hundred bucks it is a very good value.  I played at least thirty different guitars before I bought this one.  I  gave one pawnshop rescue away (a Dean Playmate) and sent one brand new  offering (a Mitchell MDJ 10) back for lousy tone.  The Martin was the  best combination of price, playability, quality and sound I found.  I am  very happy with it.

It has its faults.  It is very poorly balanced.  If you inadvertently just turn loose of it expecting it to rest on the strap, the headstock will dive like a submarine.  Make sure there is nothing down there (like a mic boom) for it to hit.  And, while the tone is rich and full on the lower frets, if you capo up very far you have a very good sounding uke not a guitar.  Don't get me wrong, it's not an unpleasant sound up there at all, it's just not really guitar.  It's more like a six string uke.  But, I might add the intonation is spot on all the way up the neck.

This is a very good little guitar for either a beginner or an experienced player looking for something small and light.  I am very happy with mine.

We've had our little Martin for several years and love it. Both my daughter and I play it. We traded in a Baby Taylor for the LXM because it sounded and played sooo much better. We own other Martins, and this is certainly no match tone-wise, but the LXM has a wonderfully pleasing sound. It is super fun to play and is great to have around the house and on camping/vacations. Don't let the laminate material (vs wood) fool you...it sounds great, plus it's almost indestructable. The 3/4 size is perfect for kids and beginners, and also to curl up on the couch or take to the beach. It fits in the airline overhead compartment, and comes with a more than adequate padded gig bag. Serious guitarists will also find it handy. I've also recorded with it, since it has it's own sort of funky sound, and use it often for high-strung tuning.

I can't say enough good things about the LXM. And for the price, it's a great first Martin. I often recommend it to my students.

It's a Martin

For the price...it's a great first Martin. Also good student guitar.

Highly recommened for students, also great travel guitar and fun tool for advanced guitarits.

It's a travel guitar with the same features as many full-size instruments.

Some people are put off by the non-wood top, but I like it.  It's a formica-like material, with spruce bracing. It's a great choice on this instrument.  A body this small with a wood top would almost certainly   have terrible bass response, unless a great deal of care was taken in  carving and thinning the top.  A piece of redwood could do the job, but it would be fragile and expensive by comparison.   The formica top has a naturally bassy  sound that would be too dark on a  full size instrument, but which  balances well on this little body.

I've been playing mine for six years, with no problems.

I can't think of a better guitar at this price.

I bought this guitar in Perth, when both it and I were a long way from home.  I've played it in Australia, Singapore, Ireland, England, Morocco, and France, as well as home here in the U.S., and passed around a good number of campfires along the way.  Just about everyone who plays it loves it.  It doesn't sound as good as my 000, and no one should expect it to, but I love to play it.

As for the negative reviews, it may be that they make some lemons, or that some instruments are damaged in shipping.  It may also be that some people abuse their instruments.  Protruding fret ends and failing glue joints happen when a guitar gets too hot, too cold, or too dry.  Treat it like it's alive, and it won't die on you.