Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar Ultimate Review

Travel-sized guitars are perfect if you have ever had a guitar damaged by airline baggage handlers or tried your guitar on the subway during rush hour.

Today, I’m going to share one of the travel guitars: Martin Steel String Backpacker Guitar Review (or Martin Travel Guitar). There are so many options on the market, but why did I choose Martin Backpacker Guitar for review? Let’s continue reading and discovering by ourselves.

Martin Steel String Backpacker – Review

Martin Guitar Company has been around for over a century and a half, producing the finest acoustic instruments in the world. They have survived through succeeding generations over the years, starting from 1833.

The company has shown remarkable adaptability to societal and technological changes and demands in product designs, manufacturing and distribution methods. All these are evident at Martin’s expanded facility in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

The Martin’s brand is synonymous with quality in instrument making because of its versed experience in six-string acoustic production. While it is true that the widespread opinion that their products can be a bit heavy on the pocket is unknown to many, the company does offer affordable quality guitars that usually deliver top performances that make them a bang for the buck.

Martin Guitar Company is a top dog known for producing guitars with quality materials and construction. This Martin Steel-string Backpacker model’s craftsmanship reflects the company’s high guitar-making standard.

The option in the review is the steel-string choice. There is also a nylon-string option, and this is the only travel guitar that offers this option.

The Martin Backpacker model is one of the best cheap guitars from the Martin brand, I have to say. I know it will appeal to many people players, especially beginners, as its superb craftsmanship. It is made with quality materials which makes the guitar durable.

When I received the Martin Backpacker guitar, I was wowed by its peculiar shape, design, and compact size. It came with a protected black padded gig bag and a Martin woven strap for easy storage and transportation.

It is ideal and popular among guitarists that need a travel guitar that won’t be much of a problem carrying as it will be less convenient carrying a full-sized guitar. The six-string Backpacker tries to eliminate the need to carry a full-sized guitar when traveling. Its compact size makes it easy to fit in small places. It is small enough to fit into airplanes as hand luggage.

The Martin Steel String Backpacker feels light when held and is quite rugged. This is mainly due to its weight of about two and a half pounds. It is designed to withstand the abuse and harsh conditions of the outdoors, so you have nothing to worry about.

The Backpacker is less fragile when compared to alternatives like the Martin LX1E. You don’t need to expose your expensive guitar anymore to dirt and other harsh elements, and you should do that with the Martin Backpacker guitar instead.

The Martin Backpacker will be a great music companion when camping with friends and family, sitting around a bonfire, hiking, or off-road traveling, as it is music on the move.

Martin Backpacker Review: Build quality

Martin Guitar company is known for producing quality and durable instruments, and the Martin travel guitar is no exception. Although their products are usually on the high side, Backpacker is different, as the price is quite affordable.

Surprisingly, this did not affect the quality of the materials used. It has the Martin signature written all over it. The build quality is top-level, which is quite visible when the Backpacker is made with ergonomics, and convenience is the top priority at first glance.

Its unique shape is the first thing that quickly distinguishes the Backpacker from other acoustic guitars like the Martin Ed Sheeran X Signature and the LX1E Little Martin Travel Guitar.

The Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar has an oar-shaped body that gives it the “I am different” feel. This felt weird to use on my first trial as it needed you to get used to it. I got the hinge of it in subsequent tests.

An exciting aspect of the Martin travel guitar is its application of solid wood throughout its construction. This decision has its effect, especially on the sound of the backpacker, as I noticed the sound is more profound than what is produced by the LX1E Little Martin Travel Guitar.

On close observation, I noticed the backpacker comprises Mahogany and spruce. This materials combo is quite popular in guitar making as it offers stellar quality and sound.

The Backpacker features a braced spruce top and a solid tonewood at its back and sides. The neck, back, and sides are made of Mahogany, which gives the Backpacker protection from abuse and a surprisingly big projection. The neck has a contour shape and a pack of six tuners in two groups of three across the Martin headstock.

The Backpacker is quite attractive, and a contributing factor is it has a hand-rubbed finish of urethane. Further, the neck is fitted with high-quality chrome enclosed tuners.

One great feature I love about the Backpacker is that the fretboard is full-sized. This is cool, as you can quickly switch from a little Backpacker to another guitar without feeling off. After playing, you can slip it back into its protected gig bag for safe storage.

The fingerboard is a 15-fret fingerboard and a bridge with materials made from Richlite.  The length of the Backpacker is the 24-inch scale length, and it has white dot inlays.

It lacks a pickguard or a rosette detailing, but that’s not a problem is it? Martin Guitar Company tried to churn out a great sound with natural resonance despite the compact size of the backpacker.

Martin Steel String Backpacker Review: Sound Quality

This is the most critical aspect of any instrument, and the Martin Backpacker guitar has its share. When I got the Backpacker, I was disappointed it wasn’t in tune. The sound produced was not well balanced. I had to do a little tuning to get it in shape.

Honestly, though, the sound quality was close to nothing I had in mind. I thought it would be flat and tinny, but the sound was pretty decent.

Its sounds are influenced by its size and the quality of materials used in production. The six-string Backpacker sounds like a banjo in my perception, but it still resonates right and makes a booming sound thanks to its mahogany body makeup.

For its size, the Backpacker Produces rich and loud sound, and this is because of the combination of a lightly braced solid tonewood top with a solid mahogany neck, back, and sides. The Backpacker is kept in tune over an extended period by the sturdy chrome-enclosed tuners.

Even if the hardware is somewhat necessary and on the minimal side, each component of the Backpacker does a relatively fine job. I can hear the impressive intonation and action delivered by the bridge right out of the box.

The sound is relatively warm and offers a deep tone but not as deep as the LX1E Little Martin Travel Guitar. Also, the frequencies are strong, but they seem well covered. It would help if you watched for a high dose of the higher pitch.

Another thing I found excellent and least expected was the absence of fret noise, as it is a well-known fact that guitars of this price range tend to struggle with this. Thumbs up to Martin Guitar for that.

The six-string will be ideal for solo practice, any impromptu performance, or if you need an accompaniment with vocals. Like every acoustic guitar, one of the downsides of the Backpacker is there were a few trade-offs for its compact size and quality, which reflected primarily and its sound quality.

The Martin travel guitar is just too small to produce the quality of sound expected of a full-sized acoustic guitar. This is evident in the bass response you get when played, as it is below par compared to a larger model.

Among all the travel guitars I have tested, they seem the easiest to play.

Martin Travel Guitar Review: Pros and Cons

Body and Neck

The Body and neck are made of quality materials like mahogany and a solid spruce top.

Hardware

The hardware is excellent but with a minimalistic look making it unfinished at some ends, all in the name of portability.

Sound

The sound is not the best, but the lack of bass makes it quite disappointing.

Value

Many sacrifices were made because of the size and portability of the Backpacker; this affects its overall value.

Verdict/ Conclusion on Martin Steel String Backpacker

The Martin Backpacker guitar is one of the best travel guitars for its price tag. This is so because it is easy to carry because of its lightweight and portability. The guitar is made for the traveler who desires music on the go. This is evident in its convenience and ergonomics.

The name says it all: it is more of a recreational model. So if you need a guitar for camping, hiking, or a bonfire, the Martin travel guitar will be a great option. The Backpacker sacrificed its sound quality (especially the bass) for its portability, so you must bear that in mind when making a choice.

I recommend this guitar for players who love traveling and need a portable acoustic guitar for fun playing.

It scores a 4.3/5 on my scale.

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