Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar - Acoustic/Electric

I will deffinately keep this guitar for many years, as I know it will probably outlast me.

Features: This is an absolutely wonderful little instrument. It deffinately lives up to the Martin Guitar name.

Playability: Has a great feel and action on the fretboard.

Sound: It is as loud as most larger acoustic guitars that I have played.

Durability: Its great to travel with instead of taking my full size guitar with me everywhere I go.

For the price it ain't bad. Just don't expect a great Martin sound quality. It is what it is.

Features: This guitar represents the very basics in a travel guitar. The strange body shape is an attention getter and starts lots of conversations with strangers. The neck is vintage Martin with great action and hold it's intonation great. The tuning machines are super for a low end guitar

Playability: Playing this guitar can be a challenge without the strap. The small, light body is difficult to hold and moves around alot. With the strap you can "weight" the guitar with your arm and stabalize it enough to play without a problem.

Sound: Let's face it, you're not going to be playing Carnegie Hall with this thing. It sounds super tinny but what do you expect for a small body like this? However, even with the small body the sound is remarkable.

Durability: This is one tough baby. I'm an outdoor outfitter in Costa Rica and bought it to take on overnight kayak camping trips. We pass it around the campfire and have a few drinks so it's had rum and coke spilled all over it and it has held together. Left it out one night and the dew was pretty heavy but it survived with no problem.

I would buy this guitar again (but i think its unlikely to get lost or stolen since i never let it out of my sight!), although i would probably get the (even smaller) acoustic only model. i don't think too much of the pickup and i mostly just play it acoustic anyway. its not a main instrument but it is a good instrument. i've really warmed up to this little guitar. i need never be without a guitar ever again! if you are the kind of person that would noodle and practice 24 hours a day if not for that nagging need to sleep and eat, this guitar is for you! its so light you can add it to your luggage without feeling like its too much.

Features: Made in the USA. very nice woods used in construction. only 17 frets, but enough for most practicing, warming up, jamming, etc. one acoustic pickup inside, jack at the base of the guitar. weird but wonderful shape. i definitely need a strap to play it, but mine came with one. i had problems with mine when i broke a string. the pegs holding the strings down were glued in place. i took it to the guitar shop for help and they broke the pin and had to drill it out. they fixed it for free. but i wish martin hadn't glued the pegs in in the first place.

Playability: Excellent action, i can play as i normally do. the action can be raised or lowered on this guitar, included instructions tell you how. the neck is a little on the fat side but it doesn't hinder me. i miss the extra frets a little, but its not my main guitar. the body style takes some getting used to, but with a strap its no problem. its a perfect travel axe. i bought this guitar so i would never be stranded at my parents house without an instrument. its perfect for that purpose. very durable. great included gig bag. amazingly light, it weighs only like 4 pounds!

Sound: I tried running it through my POD and haven't had much success. i play mostly classical and jazz and this guitar is fine for most styles. i really just use it as a practice guitar, i take it to lessons when i don't feel like packing up a full-sized guitar. very nice bright tone even unamplified, and much louder sounding than one would think from such a small and skinny instrument.

Durability: Not for live performance, unless your idea of live performance is sitting around with friends and jamming or singing along. i've taken this guitar from the trunk of a car in below freezing conditions and played it right after in my warm loft where it was still in tune. extremely durable, can be crammed in the overhead compartment on even a crowded flight.

Overall, this is a great travel axe. I looked at several travel units before I decided on this one and I am very happy with my selection. Rush out and buy one for yourself today!

Features: Made in the US from mostly Mahagoney. 6 strings, 16 frets, strictly acoustic.

Playability: Because the neck is solid Mahagoney and the body is so small, it is very "neck heavy". The guitar tends to slink to the left if not properly supported. This is easily fixed with a dual shoulder strap.

Sound: This has a very rich, full sound for a guitar of it's size.

Durability: Durable is the key word. Designed for camping, hiking, etc.

This not a regular guitar. This a Backpacker --- And I love it !!!

Features: Hecho en Mexico

Playability: No flaws-action is fine

Sound: Lite sound as expected- It's different...

Durability: Solid little "instrument"

This could be a preety good guitar if it weren't for the shape. It is okay for some light campfire type strumming. But for serious practicing it's a distraction to deal with the uncomfortable, but aerodynamic, shape of this tomahawk.

Features: This is a nice looking very portable travel guitar. I have two issues with it. 1. The thing is shaped like a delta wing airplane and is unwieldy to play sitting down. You definitely need a strap - you can not cradle this in you lap. 2. This is a more personal issue the neck is fat like a semicircular and it seems a little wide. So me who likes skinny fast necks stumbles a bit. I think the whole thing is solid woods. It comes in a classical, nylon string model and a steel string model. The sound is faint.

Playability: This is a bit awkward for me to play. I also have an applause backpacker which has much better action. The toughest thing is holding this so you can play it. I always have to use a strap to keep it in position.

Sound: The sound is much fainter thant my applause. Not that I expect booming tones from this box, but this is very weak and cigar box sounding.

Durability: This seems to be very durable. I've lugged it around for two plus years. No problem, no breaks, no warps etc...

I'll probably keep it forever. It bounces around in the truck of my car and in airplanes. Lot's of fun for little money. Probably a good campfire guitar.

Features: Lightweight practice guitar for travel. Made in Mexico with good quality. Keeps the calouses in shape while allowing you to keep searching the next great song. Not for stage, not for recording, this is personal music.

Playability: It can be hard to play until you get used to its weird shape. Playing while seated is tough... it's body is too small. Stand up using the strap and it's just right. The neck is not as great as other Martins but its fine for practice.

Sound: This sounds way better than you would think, but it has its own funky personality. You may want to record a track into something else that you are recording -- just to add a different sound! Good for finger picking, slide and walking two finger chords. Not for rockabilly.

Durability: Bullet proof construction and nice gig bag with shoulder strap and outside pocket. Throw it into the airplane overhead compartment and don't worry.