Martin Steel-String Backpacker Acoustic Guitar

Next year my wife and I will be living out of backpacks and traveling for six months. Going for months without a guitar is unthinkable to me, so I began considering my options for a travel guitar that I can take on a plane. A lot of folks really really hate the Backpacker, calling it "junk" and not befitting of the esteemed Martin name. The guitar I bought is actually of very good quality. The finishing is top-notch (no sharp fret ends or dead spots or buzzes), the neck is straight, and it holds its tuning as well as any of my "good" guitars. It comes with a decent gig bag and strap too. Of course, it doesn't sound as rich and fulsome as a "normal" guitar, how could it? The body is about the size of a shoebox! But that doesn't mean it sounds bad. Despite its frequency limitations, it has good sustain, it has bloom and natural reverb, it's pretty lively, and it is very responsive whether picked or played fingerstyle. In other words, it's not a crappy toy but a real guitar that succeeds within its limitations. I also like the fact that it is almost entirely made from genuine wood, not plastic. That is not to say that it's not without its infamous quirks. Yes, the Backpacker lacks a trussrod, so Martin compensates by making the neck pretty beefy. The thick neck and small, lightweight body causes neck-dive if you don't anchor it with your forearm. The skinny body also creates balance problems; the guitar wants to flip itself around with the strings facing up, so you have to contort yourself just so in order to play it. After some experimentation, I have figured out how to manage that. Using it with a strap (provided with the guitar) is a must whether standing or seated. How high or low you wear the guitar is very important because it will not be stable if you don't position it just right. Some say that it should be worn pretty high, but I found that it caused my left forearm to cramp up. I have instead positioned it so that it sits right at my belly above my hip, which keeps it from trying to flip over and frees up my arms so that they don't have to stabilze the guitar so much. After some acclimation, it's actually not difficult or uncomfortable to play. I should also mention that the guitar came with fairly high action. The lightly built Backpacker requires extra-light strings (.010-.047), so it's easy to play even with high action, but I decided to carefully sand down the saddle to where I like it, and ended up through trial and error pretty much at Martin's published factory specs of .065"/.090" @ the 12th fret. Now it plays beautifully up and down the neck.

Love the sound it is like playing a guitar/ukulele/mandolin. It can be brought anywhere. Must have in your collection.

Yes it's high end strings are "airy" , so it's NOT full like my 12 sting Larravee or my Martin SC 13E at home. But it is absolutely GREAT for what it is designed for, in our case backpacking and our Sprinter van, - limited space and solid box that can handle being bonked around a bit. It IS neck heavy, due to the lack of the body mass. As other reviewers have stated, a strap easy takes care of that. Luckily I opened the carrying case up at the register and took back the start I had selected. Martin knows the issue and the fix so includes a strap in the package. I love it and play D lightly.

My Backpacker from GC does what I wanted—a reasonable fret board for practice and decent, if twangy and a little banjo-like, sound. Thin and flat enough to fit into airplane overhead compartments on top of other bags. Comes with a strap, which is needed due to neck weight.

Couldn't sell it used fast enough! Doesn't play or sound like a guitar, and can't be played without the strap to hold ot due to its shape and size. that Martin label just increases the price to not making this worth it, and it doesn't sound like a Martin either. There are soooo many better and cheaper real travel guitars. Whenever I played it, I was asked what instrument it is for reasons stated above. Better as a conversation piece than to play.

I've owned one of these for years. It doesn't hang well (neck dive), has the sound that you'd expect out of a shoebox sized cavity (no bass), and is over priced. The only reason for owning one of these is if you are severly cramped for space. Get a Baby Taylor, instead of this thing. They are close to the same price, the last time that I checked.