Martin LX1E Little Martin review

A three-quarter size acoustic that sounds bigger than most of its competition

Martin LX1E Little Martin review
(Image: © Future)

Guitar World Verdict

This is a well made travel-size guitar, with a great pickup system that only suffers a touch acoustically from having a smaller body.

Pros

  • +

    Great sound for the size

  • +

    Compact

  • +

    Easy and comfortable to play

  • +

    Great amplified sound

  • +

    Well made

Cons

  • -

    Suffers a little in the low-end

  • -

    Lacks projection of a full-size acoustic

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Martin LX1E Little Martin has been one of the most popular acoustic guitars of the last 10 years, largely thanks to Ed Sheeran’s prolific use of one early on in his career, before his relationship with Lowden began.

The LX1E is a 3/4 size acoustic electric guitar, boasting a solid sitka spruce top, high pressure laminate back and sides, 23” scale, Richlite fingerboard and a Fishman Sonitone pickup. It’s smaller than a regular acoustic guitar, which makes it ideal for travelling with, or for children (we even rate it as a great acoustic guitar for beginners). It also comes shipped with a padded gig bag.

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Richard Blenkinsop

After spending a decade in music retail, I’m now a freelance writer for Guitar World, MusicRadar, Guitar Player and Reverb, specialising in electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and almost anything else you can make a tune with. When my head’s not buried in the best of modern and vintage gear, I run a small company helping musicians with songwriting, production and performance, and I play bass in an alt-rock band.