Little Martin LX1 Mini
Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 3:21 pm
Is anyone else here playing a Little Martin LX1/LXM or one of the other mini guitars (Baby Taylor, GS Mini, etc.)?
I just picked up an LX1 for a good price, both out of curiosity and to try out for a student of mine with small hands. The 23" scale is around 2 frets short, but the neck width and string spacing are standard. And the body is small single-O sized. So it's a bit like playing a parlor guitar capoed at the 2nd fret, and it feels fast and agile. A strap helps to manage the size, and it comes with a strap button on the heel (as well as an endpin, of course). The bridge is actually full sized, so it takes standard Martin saddles and pins.
Build quality is top notch, with interesting materials. Only the top is "natural" - solid spruce, and a nice piece of wood. The rest is "manufactured" - plastic back and sides, laminated birch neck, melamine fingerboard and bridge (both faux rosewood), Tusq saddle. Bracing is modified X like my M-36. It feels heavy for its size, around 3.5 pounds, and solid. The included black gig bag is well-padded and very nice.
The sound is also interesting. Not the "typical" Martin sound, but similar to the small Taylors - including the GS Mini at twice the price. There's a strong body resonance on the D string, instead of around G/A (A string) on most full sized guitars. This gives it a punchy midrange that actually reminds me a lot of a cittern or zouk. The overall tone is enjoyable once you get used to it. And it's very "alive" with surprising volume for its size.
Makes me think that the LX1E acoustic-electric would also make a handy gig guitar if it can be EQ'd to sound like a larger instrument.
Idiosyncratically, the lack of a pickguard drives me crazy, since I tend to anchor. But an aftermarket pickguard is available.
I haven't yet played out with it, so it will be interesting to try it for trad backup. And I'm still fooling with strings and saddles. Right now it has .012 lights, and I've lowered the saddle considerably for up-the-neck playing. But I may throw on a set of .010 extra lights and use it mostly for handy practice and knockaround. You can't quite keep it on your desk next to your whistle, but it's close.
Anyway, I'd be curious to hear of others' experiences.
I just picked up an LX1 for a good price, both out of curiosity and to try out for a student of mine with small hands. The 23" scale is around 2 frets short, but the neck width and string spacing are standard. And the body is small single-O sized. So it's a bit like playing a parlor guitar capoed at the 2nd fret, and it feels fast and agile. A strap helps to manage the size, and it comes with a strap button on the heel (as well as an endpin, of course). The bridge is actually full sized, so it takes standard Martin saddles and pins.
Build quality is top notch, with interesting materials. Only the top is "natural" - solid spruce, and a nice piece of wood. The rest is "manufactured" - plastic back and sides, laminated birch neck, melamine fingerboard and bridge (both faux rosewood), Tusq saddle. Bracing is modified X like my M-36. It feels heavy for its size, around 3.5 pounds, and solid. The included black gig bag is well-padded and very nice.
The sound is also interesting. Not the "typical" Martin sound, but similar to the small Taylors - including the GS Mini at twice the price. There's a strong body resonance on the D string, instead of around G/A (A string) on most full sized guitars. This gives it a punchy midrange that actually reminds me a lot of a cittern or zouk. The overall tone is enjoyable once you get used to it. And it's very "alive" with surprising volume for its size.
Makes me think that the LX1E acoustic-electric would also make a handy gig guitar if it can be EQ'd to sound like a larger instrument.
Idiosyncratically, the lack of a pickguard drives me crazy, since I tend to anchor. But an aftermarket pickguard is available.
I haven't yet played out with it, so it will be interesting to try it for trad backup. And I'm still fooling with strings and saddles. Right now it has .012 lights, and I've lowered the saddle considerably for up-the-neck playing. But I may throw on a set of .010 extra lights and use it mostly for handy practice and knockaround. You can't quite keep it on your desk next to your whistle, but it's close.
Anyway, I'd be curious to hear of others' experiences.