"I love my Martin Backpacker. I've been backpacking through the Middle East and Europe for the last 6 months and being able to bring my music with me has been integral in shaping my trip. I've passed away countless hours just strumming, honed my guitar skills and maybe more importantly, met some female friends."- STEVE
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The Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar
- Scale length: 24" 15 Frets
- Solid tonewood top
- Solid mahogany neck, back, and sides
- High quality chrome enclosed tuners
- Includes padded gig bag and strap
What are people saying - The Good
- Travels well and keeps playing I'm not saying you can paddle down the river with it but this thing can handle the abuse associated with the rigors of camping, backpacking and air travel.
- When size is everything The Backpacker Performs Small Size and weighs less than 2 1/2 lbs.
- It plays Right It's setup correctly, has great harmonics, the frets are accuarte, accurate intonation and the scale is correct.
- Inexpensive For whatever reason the price has dropped over time and is pretty reasonable. Yes there are other viable choices that are less expensive, just check "BestTravelGuitars.com" but this is a solid choice for the money. Ofcourse there are better travel guitars then the backpacker but they will cost you alot more.
"I've heard some say the guitar sounds anemic or thin but I like the sound. It's true, this guitar does have its own vibe going on and because of its smaller size the projection just isn't there. Still, you can get some nice melodic tones and it fits my finger picking/strumming style well. You can also do some crazy bends on this guitar that make it just fun to play. I find myself playing the backpacker not just on the road but at home as well, I pick it up all the time. Highly recommended." — Jason
"Despite the mixed reviews I went ahead and bought one anyway. I wasn't real impressed at first and thought it sounded more like a mandolin then a guitar. The more I played it though the more it started to sound like a guitar as I messed around with some alternate tunings, drop D and open D. Then I read multiple reviews that suggested putting some Martin Silk Wound Steel Strings on and what a difference! It improved the sound and playablity alot, the tone is altogether different. I suggest anyone that buys this guitar do the same, you will be pleasently surprised." — Alaina
What are people saying - The Bad
- Awkward and unwieldy OK, yes this is true, its a bit top-heavy due to the headstock and tuners. You either need to be sitting down or using the strap to play comfortably. Personally, I prefer to stand and play using the strap, feels fine.
- High Action This is a common complaint but then it seems split down the middle. Some say its bothersome and some say its not or they prefer slightly higher action. Personally, after I changed the strings to the Martin Silk and Steel I found the playablity greatly improved as well as the tone.
- It sounds like a Mandolin or Banjo Yeah, its true, this thing didn't scream nice sounding guitar at me but again, change the strings. I guarantee you this will change the character of your Martin Backpacker altogether.
- The Baby Taylor is better! For some reason people keep making this comparison and its dumb and unfair. It's like comparing a apple to a orange. The Baby Taylor is a 3/4 size guitar with a standard shape and relative dimensions. The Martin backpacker is a completely different animal altogether. It's completely unique in its shape, size and weight. It serves a purpose called traveling and no 3/4 size guitar can provide the same convience a martin backpacker travel guitar offers.
"To say the least this is a interesting instrument. I hesitate to call it a guitar because the sound is so thin. If this is a guitar then my practice pads are also a full size drum set. I can't say I don't recommend it though because I can see how it could serve a purpose. I haven't been able to take it with my yet on a trip but I will soon so maybe once I do this it will grow on me."
—Johnny P.
Best Review Tip
The Best Tip we got for the Martin Backpacker Steel String Travel Guitar is to change the strings. Many people have reported a better sounding, better playing guitar when the Martin Backpacker Steel String Guitar is strung with Martin Silk & Steel Strings. (Note: The Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar comes in Steel String, Nylon String, and Acoustic Electric versions.)
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