Description of Martin Steel String Backpacker:
I recieved this as a gift about 3 months ago. The ultra portable backpacker begins its life as a solid piece of mahongany and is carved down to a neck with attached and hewn-out sound box. It has no truss rods, so (except for sanding down the saddle, which is set WAY TOO HIGH) there is no way to correct any action problems that come off the line. And this one has quite a bit. Mine came with the optional Thinline 332 pickup, which actually sounded decent -through a deeply notched-out EQ [pedal]!Martin Steel String Backpacker Tone Rating:
3/10Comments about Martin Steel String Backpacker Tone:
It is what it is folks: It is a hardwood piece of wood, hewn out to create a distinctly unimpressive, dank, tinny, uninteresting sound - even allowing for the shallow and narrow body, I am remain very unimpressed with it, acoustically. To begin with, it has taken anywhere from 1 to 2 hours to "warm" this guitar up (or is it "warm up to it"?). Now that I have sanded the saddle down nearly a millimeter, it is sounding better, but still not that good.Martin Steel String Backpacker Quality Rating:
4/10Comments about Martin Steel String Backpacker Quality:
A lower action certainly would have been expected from Martin, and this was a miserable ommission on their part. One would think that owning a Martin would constitute some level of bragging rights, but in this case. The ultra portable backpacker begins its life as a solid piece of mahongany and is carved down to a neck with attached and hewn-out sound box. It has no truss rods, so (except for sanding down the saddle, which is set WAY TOO HIGH) there is no way to correct any action problems that come off the line. And this one has quite a bit. In addition, the intonation is poor, at best - noting the angle of the saddle to be at much more of an angle than normal on most every guitar I've ever known; the nut is off-center, causing a considerable amount of unwanted damping at the high E string, especially in first position.Martin Steel String Backpacker Overall Rating:
3/10Martin Steel String Backpacker Pros:
Portability is no doubt a plus, and I figure that the mahogany will stand up to the test of time fairly well.Martin Steel String Backpacker Cons:
A lower action certainly would have been expected from Martin, and this was a miserable ommission on their part. One would think that owning a Martin would constitute some level of bragging rights, but in this case, I simply advise to find another brand for travelling guitar. This will disappoint anyone with a considerably well-tuned ear and talent. It is uncomfortable and very clumsy, indeed - standing or sitting. Good grades for portablity, but low, low ones for workmanship, sound, and set-up. The sound is what it is, folks: It is from a dense, hard piece of mahogany, hewn out to create a distinctly unimpressive, uninteresting sound - allowing for the shallow and narrow body, I am remain very unimpressed with it, overall. I wouldn't have bought it myself, and I figure that I will soon get another from a different maker.
Submitted by: Drew Ferraro
Playing Experience: over ten years
Musical Tastes: blues, country, folk
