Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar with Bag

I received this little guitar today (October 2010), and started playing it right out of the box, or rather out of the gig bag. It arrived in perfect order after having travelled all the way from the US to Europe. All I had to do was tuning it of course. Included were the gig bag and two straps, one for the guitar and one for the gig bag, and various pamphlets were also included. It was supplied with Martin M170 strings. It is very well set up with perfect action according to my taste, and intonation is faultless.

I own a Martin D28, and really didn't expect too much of a sound from this baby (virtually), but was very pleasantly surprised. It sounds very martinesque, and being a fingerpicker it really doesn't matter if the sound isn't that powerful because it's very silvery and balanced. It really "outsounds" it's modest size, and projects the sound very well. I've owned other standard size acoustic guitars that don't have been that much louder and far less defined...Read more

Got one of these little beauties about 10 years ago. It's a Martin, not much more needs to be said. It's a great little guitar; sounds great, though it's a little quiet due to the small body. The only drawback is the lack of a good leg rest position. It needs to be played standing or with the body up against the arm of the chair. Light, easy to carry, good feel. Good second guitar or if you have money for only one and need to move around a lot, this will not disappoint.

I've had this guitar for about 4 years so I think I can offer some insight into it's pros/cons.

I bought this guitar as my first acoustic, primarily playing bass/electric guitar up until then. I was initially disappointed with the action and effort it took to play on my particular model but soon became inured to it. The sound is far more sonorous than it may initially seem. The body gives off a really strong resonance for some reason that creates an almost mystical sonic quality. That being said, it's a quiet guitar but perfect if you're just playing for yourself or with someone else.

Quality wise: my specific model came with somewhat unpolished fret edges that slightly hung off the edge of the fingerboard though they weren't much of a problem. The action was a bit high though one can get used to it pretty easily - the shop said it couldn't be lowered without creating buzzing. The neck has staid level all these years - no truss rod, no warping -...Read more