Martin LX1E Review – 7 Things We Absolutely Love About It

I know you're a busy person, so I'll include this part first to save you some time.

Here are all 7 things we love about this guitar the most.

1. Portable and very comfortable because of its size
2. ​Doesn't break the bank
3. ​Cool design
4. Nice playability
5. Features a pre-amp
6. Pretty durable
7. ​Bright sound
   

​Considering it is a mini guitar, LX1E can be a bit harsh on the price. Still, it is as affordable as any ​Martin guitar can get, ​but I honestly suggest you pick another guitar for the reasons listed below.

​It is worth mentioning though, that it is a very small guitar afterall, and to be honest, some people just won't like it. Besides the size, I was a little dissapointed with the Martin LX1E's sound ​and I'll list all cons below.

​It's not ​small. It's FUN SIZED.

​This model is pretty small, however it is ​certainly not the smallest one on the market, but rather the smallest one among all Martin acoustic guitars.

Because of that, it is a great option for people who like to travel, ​young players and smaller people in general.

The hassle of having to carry a full-sized guitar through busy airports and crowded tour buses can force you to leave your most prized possession behind when you travel.

This is why smaller-profile instruments like travel guitars are gaining popularity fast.

• ​The Martin's are renowned worldwide for manufacturing the finest musical instruments with an experience spanning over 180 years. 

• All their guitars are created by highly skilled craftspersons, who blend cutting-edge innovation with the ideologies of Christian Frederick Martin - the company founder.

• The​ir acoustic guitars have been used by various reputable musicians of our generation on stage and in the studio, and they all appreciate the gold standards and playability maintained over the years. Notable players include John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain, Mumford and Sons, John Mayer, and Ed Sheeran.

• Not all travel guitars perform as expected, but the best-selling Martin LX1E easily stands out from the crowd. Popularly referred to as Little Martins, the LX series represents the company's smallest size guitars.

• The LX1 is Martin's line flagship instruments which ships in 4 variants​: Acoustic-Electric (LX1E), LXM, LX1 and the Ed Sheeran signature variant. 

• Martin has put in the full effort to this small but mighty guitar to offer you the best value for your money.
  

​Sound is probably the ​most important thing you're ​interested in, so let's jump to our ​review. 

While other travel & little guitars tend to produce bright and thinner sounds, the Martin LX1E (which is known as little martin) projects the classic Martin sound, just slightly miniaturized.

The Fishman ISYS T with a preamp combo system on the LX1E features built-in tone shaping, volume control, and phase controls giving you a whole new level of customization regarding sound.

This mini guitar ​definitely lacks a punch of dreadnought and bass, but it possesses an exceedingly useful palette of sounds loud enough ​if you play it through a pre-amp.

Acoustically speaking? Not too good.

​Guitarists on the go looking to splurge for having the honor of owning a Martin guitar should seriously consider purchasing ​either one of their high-end guitars, or another brand's guitar within the same price range.

I recommend the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany as you will get much more value for ​your money.

​For its top, Martin used solid Sitka spruce, like they do in most of their guitars (​this feature looks nice on electric guitar as well). Thanks to this material, guitars can sound bright and more dynamic.

On back and sides, we can find Koa pattern - HPL, which stands for high pressure laminate. That's just a standard in this price range, nothing else to expect. It also looks really nice because of this.

​Saddle ​is made out of TUSQ, which is​, again, standard in most guitars in this price range, or even in the high-end ones. That's ​a synthetic material, but far from cheap plastic.

Nut, on the other hand, is built out of Black Corian and the bridge out of Black Richlite.

The neck or the Stratabond is also laminated with approximately 35 strips of layered wood glued together. The material may be human-made, but the bridge and fingerboard resemble dense ebony evoking a classy feel and look.

The LX1E model lacks position markers to the fingerboard face and features less decoration.  

Despite its size, the LX1E Little Martin is a fully capable guitar​, but like I said, you should at least consider checking out the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany as a​ better alternative.

The contour switch adds some crispness, add the pushy acoustic voice and you will have fun playing. 

You will also love the chrome-plated Gotor Tuners and the appealing Martin Logo on the peghead.

The Martin LX1E is suitable for a whole range of players.

Its small size means it's most suitable for individuals with smaller hands and small stature as opposed to people with a bigger stature.

Players with a more significant stature should not worry though as they can quickly adjust.

​It may be smaller than you would expect, but that is certainly not its weakness. LX1E is a ​good choice for beginners as it does not require much stretching, but also a great fit for experienced players who travel a lot.

However, if sound is your #1 priority, consider checking out the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany as it has so much more to offer​ and costs nearly the same!

It's also worth mentioning that there are different editions of this guitar - ​the most popular ones ​are definitely Ed Sheerans edition and the classic Signature edition.

Some people also want to know the difference between Martin LX1E vs GS Mini guitar, stay tuned because we'll post the comparison soon.

• Stratabond low oval-neck
• Highly pressured mahogany laminate at the top, back and sides.
• 23. scale length Richlite fretboard
• 20 frets in total
• ​Belly bridge style
• Hand rubbed finish.
• Onboard electronics, Fishman Isys for plug-in-and-play flexibility
• Richlite fingerboard material
• Mortise neck joint
• Inlaid Bolter on rosette without red fiber​
  

​If you decide to purchase this guitar, it's worth mentioning what kind of strings fit on it. Most people prefer light strings such as Takamine GS330S (with eXP lights on it).

Another great option is also Elixir Polyweb Medium strings.

• Nice ​preamp
• Very portable
• Durable laminate
  

• ​Sound is not ​too good
• Not the best playability
  

​Considering it's price,​ it didn't quite meet my expectations in terms of sound and playability. ​But, because ​it's so small and portable,​ it would be a perfect choice for people who like to travel.

Hope you enjoyed reading this Martin Lx1e review.

​If you want something that sounds great and has a good action, I recommend reading our Taylor GS Mini Mahogany review and consider buying that one.