Little Martin Hits the Road!

My Little Martin LX1E is the perfect travel companion. Here it is on the front porch of our cabin in the forest. On the neck is Planet Waves' NS Capo.

If you are getting ready to head off to college or guitar classes this fall, allow me to let you in on a little secret. The Little Martin LX1E is a great 3/4 sized guitar with a solid spruce top and a pickup. We took it along on vacation and its small size really was a plus when it came to packing. In fact, it will fit in a bus or plane's overhead compartment so you won't need to check it. This can save you time and give you peace of mind for the trip.


Rugged Little Guitar

If you are going to be traveling to areas of high humidity or fluctuating temperature extremes, the Little Martin will be right at home. While my other two Martins have solid wood backs and sides, the Little Martin has HPL on all but the soundboard. This high pressure laminate does not react to humidity and temperature changes the way my solid wood guitars do. It stays in tune longer because it is not affected by the wood's swelling or contracting. The well padded gig-bag, (see tent photo here), is also a plus. Very lightweight but quite protective, it sports the official C.F. Martin logo. The outer pouch has two heavy zipper pulls and is large enough to accommodate sheet music or standard sized song books. The bag also has backpack straps and a handle so you can carry it two ways.

Now after having played full sized Martin Dreadnoughts, I would have to say that I am quite spoiled when it comes to tone. The Little Martin is not a full sized guitar obviously but it does have good projection acoustically. I've played it in the company of multiple Martin D-18's, D-28's and D-42's and was not in the least embarrassed. It is after all still a Martin, only smaller. Many other Martin owners even asked if they could play it! If it sounded bad, trust me, they would have had nothing to do with it. In fact when we visited the Martin Museum, we noticed quite a few "parlor" guitars that were not much bigger than the Little Martin. Where it really shines, however is when you plug it into a good clean amp. I play it in the studio over my Tech21 Trademark 60 amp and it is hard to imagine all that full, rich sound is coming from a 3/4 sized guitar! Played through the clean channel of this solid state 60 watt amp, the pickup and preamp help reproduce the rich, woody tones Martins are known for. On the road, I perform and tour with a vintage Crate amp and this guitar can definitely keep up.

On Board Pick Up-The Fishman Mini Q

What I really like is the position of the pickup and 1/4 inch jack on the Little Martin LX1E. The Fishman Mini Q system is an under saddle piezo with the pre-amp battery compartment mounted on the side just under the strap button. Down in the lower bout of the guitar, it is out of the way making it less likely you will hit the dials during a song. I have a Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend on my Martin D-16GT so I am well acquainted with more complex preamps and pickups. The Fishman Mini Q gets the job done with a minimal amount of fuss having only tone and volume controls to adjust. The battery is easy to change as it pops out of the compartment without having to remove the strings. This is such a fantastic value as this guitar can be used for performance as well as travel.

I use SpectraFlex braided guitar cables with a silent plug feature, (see their banners), and get wonderful tone with this guitar. It comes with Medium Martin strings but on a guitar this size, you may be able to get away with Lights. I use the smaller and more compact NS Capo by Planet Waves because it fits more proportionately. The new Planet Waves Headstock Tuner is also best to use on this guitar. Other tuners often do not register the low E and other bass strings at all. The 1/4 jack means that you can also plug it into a tuner like the BOSS TU-2. Choices!


The Wrap

The Little Martin LX1E is a lot of guitar for the money. The list is $499.99 but street is around $350.00. It is the guitar that you won't mind taking out on rainy days or throwing into the back of a sun warmed car. The solid spruce top is a real plus as 90% of the guitar's tone is generated from the soundboard. Well made and sturdy this is the guitar I use in my music ministry. People love to touch your instruments and I believe instruments should touch people. The smaller size also allows me to use it while visiting in hospital rooms when a big body guitar would be awkward. It is perfect for young people and women because its smaller scale makes it easier to fret as well as hold. Made with pride in North America by the world's oldest and most respected luthiers it will be accompanying me to guitar class this September. See the complete Litttle Martin Series at:

C.F. Martin Guitar Online


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This fall we will be offering more FREE Guitar Gear Give-Aways plus our picks of Best Guitar Gear for 2010! Also, hot reviews of equipment from Audio-Technica, T.C. Helicon, Monster Cable, Planet Waves and MUCH, MUCH MORE. Be sure to check back!

Guitar Gear Give-Away!

Congratulations!!! John Montalbano is our Top Winner of C.F. Martin Guitar and Banjo strings PLUS the legendary Planet Waves NS Guitar Capo! Thanks to all who entered...

We all should look for the "freebies" in life these days! C.F. Martin and Planet Waves want you to have a super summer so they are joining with Eclectic Sound for another fantastic guitar gear give-away. You can win everything here except for the $40,000 Martin Guitar! First, let's talk about some of the prizes and how they will benefit your playing.



Planet Waves NS Capo

This is my favorite capo and the only one I use on my Martin guitars. It is so lightweight and compact, I can get it on quickly with nearly one hand. No buzzing and it won't pull your guitar out of tune after using it. A capo is very handy for when let's say the key of G is too high but you don't want to change the chording when you transpose the song to a lower key. Simply place the capo on the fourth fret and play the same G pattern chords only now you will be playing in the key of B. Easy! You'll also find that playing up the neck, the frets are closer together, more so than in 1st position. Capoing can relieve the stress of over stretching your fingers, making playing your guitar much more comfortable.

Using a capo can also add texture to multiple guitars. Many of the earlier folk groups such as the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary were said to have used a capo to set one guitar's tone apart from the others. Chet Atkins even used a capo! Ned Steinberger is the genius behind this capo design, hence the "NS" in its name. Works wonderfully on 6 and 12 string guitars. Lightweight aluminum adds virtually no weight to the guitar's neck when in use. Everyone who borrows mine says, "Wow, this is nice!" So here's your chance to win one for yourself. Visit Planet Waves online for more useful capos and guitar accessories: Planet Waves http://www.planetwaves.com

Martin Acoustic SP Light Guitar Strings-MSP4100's

These are the new strings that I had put on at the Martin Guitar Clinic this spring. These are the LIGHT gauge, (.012-.054) premium phosphor bronze

strings. The SP stands for sustained playability and I have to say they live up to their name. These are the strings I am now recording with on my Martin D-16. The lighter strings are a joy adding to greater bending and slides. Plus they are perfect for when too much volume could induce feedback in my sensitive studio condenser mics. With the pickups installed on my D-16, I can get away with more intricate tone because I needn't "drive" the guitar for it to be heard on the recordings. These strings have ultra-high tensile strength steel cores that resist breaking. In fact, I've never yet broken a Martin string. The acoustic bronze electro finish provides greater string life and looks beautiful against the solid spruce top.

Martin Custom Shop

It's great to know that the same strings that are being put on this $40,000 Martin D-100 are on my humble D-16!

During Martin Owner's Club Day we got to stop in at the custom shop and see all kinds of Martin Guitars receiving special details and pearl inlay. Some are in for repairs or after being rescued from neglect and damage. No matter. They all get a new set of premium Martin strings before leaving the shop to sound their absolute best. Take the Martin Factory & Museum Tour yourself! The Martin Owner Club event is being held this year on Friday, July 31st 2009. Get the details under the events listings, CONCERTS-WORKSHOPS-JAMS.

Martin Acoustic SP Guitar Strings-Medium MSP4200's

One of the things that you can do is experiment with different string gauges. These strings offer the same features as the other SP acoustic strings only in a MEDIUM gauge, (.013-.056). If you are playing with lighter strings and you want more "boom" in your bottom end, you might try using heavier strings. These are the stings that I had put on my Martin D-18 in sustainable cherry. These medium strings allow me to drive this dedicated acoustic to greater volumes as my D-18 doesn't have a pickup. The cherry also does not offer the same "boom" of the mahogany or rosewood models but with the right strings, I'm able to definitely be heard. Having a guitar with a different wood construction will also allow you to stand out in the mix. It is said that the cherry is more balanced with a medium or mid range tone. You want to offer something a little different that what everyone else is playing. I really enjoy my D-18 with these medium strings. I even gave a set to my guitar teacher. His guitar sounded like gold once he got them on! Visit C.F. Martin & Co. online: http://www.martinguitar.com

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!!! GIVE-AWAY ENTRY DETAILS!!! So are you ready to win all of these sweet prizes? Two sets of Martin Acoustic Guitar or Banjo strings and the Planet Waves NS Capo can be yours! Answer this question by clicking the COMMENTS link below: "What was the first song you used a capo with?" That's it! Deadline is 12 midnight, July 31st, 2009. Be sure to leave your email address so that we can contact you if you win. Go for it!