Backpacker Review

For their size, Martin Backpacker guitars have a surprisingly rich and loud tone, due primarily to the combination of a lightly braced solid tonewood top with a solid mahogany neck, back and sides.

Features:	9
Sound:	8.5
Action:	8.5
Reliability:	7.5
Impression:	8.5
Overall rating:	8.4
Users rating:	8.2
Comments:	8

overall: 7.6

Reviewed by: dk13, on june 11, 2008

Price paid: £ 120

Purchased from: thomann

Features: My Backpacker is the newer version and was made around 2004/2005 in the US. It has a hand finished spruce top and solid tonewood back, sides and neck. Martin has sacrificed the number of frets for the size of frets (a wise choice) so it only has 15 frets. It has small pegged chrome tuners which are very sensitive when tuning and make the guitar stightly headstock heavy. It comes with Martin's own super-light bronze 80/20 strings and to be honest these are the best one's for a guitar such as this. The shape of the guitar itself as you can see is very original and space saving when travelling and has a decent gig bag with a pocket on the front that is much larger than it looks. The bridge is unique to the steel string Backpacker and is made of east indian rosewood. Oh yeah, it also comes with a Martin strap (which you will be thankful for, trust me). // 8

Sound: The guitar has to compensate for an obvious size disadvantage to other acoustics, but with it's combination of solid woods and light strings and finish, it does this surprisingly well. The sound was nothing like I was expecting, I though it would be tinny, empty quiet, like playing through a milk-carton, but no. It is a bright little guitar which can be forgiven for it's unconvincing bass, however when strumming happily in the middle of a field or on a beach on holiday, you neither notice the lack of bassiness or care about it. This guitar is perfect as a songwriter's guitar: portable and good to strum. It is okay at fingerpicking styles but don't expect to be heard as clearly when fingerpicking to a roomful of people. This guitar packs a sound way above it's size, a much more lively sound than the Taylor baby, which I have also played. Always use ultra light picks for best sound and care to strings. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Well, when I got the guitar it wasn't in tune, but that's forgivable I suppose. What is annoying is that the height of the saddle can make the guitar hard to play. Not that it already isn't hard to play with it's shape, for the sake of comfort use the strap and you get used to the slightly different playing position. The saddle that I mentioned is very easily fixed with a fine file so don't be too put off. the neck is very, very lightly finished for tonal quality so it isn't too smooth but if you use Fast-Fret then you won't notice as it helps to erradicate the problem (or stop your fingers noticing anyway). Also as I said it is not well balanced with the small light body at one end and the headstock and chrome tuning machines at the other. Even considering all of the above, it is still marginally easier to play than other travel guitars and half sized classical ones as this has proper sized frets. // 7

Reliability & Durability: It's a Martin, made for travel and outdoors so it would survive Live playing, but it wouldn't be heard as it's not semi-acoustic but it would probably be funny to use one at a gig. The hardware on it is fine if not a bit underfinished at some points (all in the name of sound quality of course). The strap buttons look rather delicate but they're quite stable the only thing is that, if you even look at them funny, they go out of tune, they're too sensitive. The finish is nearly non-existant but it still looks good after a few hot holidays of playing, and that reminds me, I've never had to humidify it. The strap buttons are very flimsy, they look small even on this guitar. // 7

Impression: I play mostly chord stuff like Jack Johnson and James Blunt on this guitar but it also performs oddly well with slides and bluesier stuff. Strictly spaeking this is a travel guitar but it is so good I have rated it compared to normal acoustics, had I rated it purely as a travel guitar though, it would have to get a ten as it's the best one out there. If it were stolen, of course I would buy it again, it's the funnest guitar I own. // 8

overall: 9.2

Reviewed by: Minderbinder, on november 30, 2006

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Brookdale Music

Features: Made in the US. 15 frets, solid top solid spruce top, solid hardwood neck select hardwood fretboard, body style unique to backpacker no electronics option. Chrome w/small knobs tuners, steel string (also available in nylon srtings), construction, bracing, and size all unique to backpacker instuments. // 10

Sound: I play the span of the sixties. I really like this guitar because it is light, small, and portable. It sounds like an acoustic, but since you use it with extra-light strings, you can slide and bend notes like an electric, unlike full-size acoustics with thicker strings. It is a travel guitar, so it doesn't make a lot of sound. If you mic it up though (as I frequently do), It sounds great. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: I buy from a music store where the acoustics are in this large room with a door and the humidity kept up for the guitar year-round. Anything that was wrong at the factory would have been fixed. It has held up for me, so I guess it's a 10. I can't bring myself to believe that Martin would send out an instrument poorley set up. I just can't. A good name like that, I would imagine, got its name not only by great products, but also great customer satisfacyion. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is tough. Since it is so small, it is completely solid. The tuners are good, the action is low, but the end pins it came with I wouldn't trust at all. I changed them within the first two weeks I owned the guitar, because I would just be playing, when all of a sudden, it would fall. I caught it every time, but it was risky. One drop could kill this thing. Also, be sure to use a .75mm pick at the heaviest. Otherwise, you get all sorts of slapping noises and dents in the wood. There is no option for a pickgaurd, and if you look at a picture, you'll see why. The sound hole is almost as wide as the body at it's narrowest point. // 8

Impression: I play everything on this guitar because it sounds like an acoustic and plays like an electric. One thing to make sure of, though: Get the newer model. The older model (like I currently own) has a smaller body, and therefor produces less sound. It also doesn't fit on a normal guitar stand. I had to buy a mandolin stand for mine. Make sure you ask or look before buying. I also compared this to the Washburn travel guitar, but it is onley a half size guitar at full price. It sounds a lot fuller with no mic, but it was outside my price range. Plus, I love when people see it and don't recognize it as a guitar. If your looking for a good travel guitar cheap, you found it. // 9

Comments

[Abnormal_Omish]

i hate the sound of this guitar. It sounds like your playing your guitar through a tin can. Its awkward to play unless your using your strap. Saying that it is very portable

[Cobalt Blue]

it's cool, there was one in the store i used to work at.. it's the cheapest Martin you can get... but for 200 bucks your better off buying a full sized acoustic maybe for a little more money

[TheGuitaristMan]

To me, it's one of those guitars you would get and mess around with it for a while, then it would be in the closet. For 200 bucks I would say say up a little more for a better travel guitar. This has a funny shape that is hard to play sitting down. It is a martin and is high in quality but the sound is odd. Kind of flat and it doesn't come with a hardcase so you can forget taking on rough trips or checking it at the airport, that is unless you want it to be completely decimated.

[Minderbinder]

TheGuitaristMan wrote:

To me, it's one of those guitars you would get and mess around with it for a while, then it would be in the closet. For 200 bucks I would say say up a little more for a better travel guitar. This has a funny shape that is hard to play sitting down. It is a martin and is high in quality but the sound is odd. Kind of flat and it doesn't come with a hardcase so you can forget taking on rough trips or checking it at the airport, that is unless you want it to be completely decimated.

You say that it doesn't sound much like a guitar as a negetive aspect, but that's what I like about in my personal recordings.

[zippyfloon92]

i agree its awkward to play. the sound is very unaccoustic in my opinion. i brought it on a week long trip one time, and the whole week i regreted not just bringing a full size guitar. get a baby taylor instead.

[deepestpurple]

This guitar is UGly

[Zoozy]

I have this guitar and I have to say it was very convenient during my travels in the U.K, Australia and New Zealand. Airlines accept it as carry on luggage and the "gig bag" has enough room to throw in things you might want as carry on anyways. (i.e.: Book, Ipod, camera, change of clothes, meds, etc.)

If you are going to travel for a while staying in hostels (as in dorms not hotels) and campgrounds, and want to be able to practice, this is exactly what this guitar was designed for. It sounds especially nice when playing finger picking styles.

The only limitations are that the low strings sound pretty shallow when played hard and it is very hard to play unless standing up using the strap. (Because you can't just rest it on your thigh like a normal guitar).

Also, customs officials will ALWAYS ask you what it is?

[dk13]

In my review in the 'Reliability & Durability:' section, the first time I talk about the strap buttons it should really say tuning pegs, my mistake.