Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar Review (Hands-On & In-Depth)

This Martin Backpacker review takes a look at this fun travel-sized guitar from Martin. This is an amazing guitar that you’ll want to own if you travel a lot or want a small-sized instrument.

Martin has a wide range of acoustic guitars to choose from, and the Backpacker fits a specific role. The guitar offers the player expanded portability because of its small size and nice tone compared to other travel guitars.

I’ve played many acoustic guitars, but I always come back to Martin because they sound great. The backpacker is no exception, and it has the added bonus of being small, compact, and affordable. Let’s have a look at this amazing guitar.

Martin Backpacker Review: About the Martin Backpacker

This Martin Backpacker review is all about this little travel guitar. The Backpacker has an odd shape, but don’t let that fool you. The guitar has a great tone, and it’s easy to take with you wherever you go. Here’s a little more about it.

Body

The body is made from select hardwoods, and the top is made from spruce wood for a great tone and resonance. The body shape reminds you of the guitars from the Renaissance era. The guitar fits comfortably in your lap.

It’s easy to play standing or sitting as there are two strap buttons for your strap, so feel free to play the guitar how you like. It’s got a standard soundhole and bridge with end pins to hold down the strings.

Neck

The neck features 15 frets which are smaller than the 21-22 fret standard acoustic, but this is more than enough room to play some great guitar. The neck is made from select hardwoods. The neck has a 24″ scale length.

The headstock is standard with six machine heads, the Martin guitar logo, and fretboard markers at various positions along the neck.

Other Parts

The saddle is made from Corian, and the nut is Micarta. The guitar has standard machine heads to stabilize the tuning. You get two strap buttons to hold your guitar strap.

Gig Bag

This guitar ships with a handy gig bag for your Backpacker so you can take it with you wherever you go. The guitar is small enough to fit into cramped spaces.

Pros & Cons

Martin Backpacker Review: My Experience with the Martin Backpacker

When I was younger, I worked in a music shop where I checked all of the guitars. I had to play them all and give them a stamp before they were sold. Martin was one of our top brands, and I played quite a few Backpacker guitars.

I thought the Martin Backpacker looked odd, and I was curious about it. When I played this guitar, I was quite impressed with the guitar’s overall tone and feel. It plays like a regular acoustic, yet it’s portable.

This is the ideal guitar for camping or those trips where you don’t have the room to lug around a full-sized guitar. It projects a good sound, and it stays in tune well without having to be fiddled with.

Martin Backpacker Review: The Sound

This is a basic guitar, yet it has a decent tone. It’s fine for playing chords and strumming campfire tunes. The guitar has a solid spruce top, which improves the tone of this small travel guitar.

Chords in the open position sound nice and full. It plays pretty well, considering its small size. You’re not going to record with it, but it will get the job done when you want to strum some chords or play simple melodies.

This guitar is capable of fingerstyle as well. The instrument is lightweight and small, so it may be easier for some to fingerpick with it when compared to larger-sized guitars.

Setup

While this guitar sounds great, the action is a bit high, so make sure you lower it. Take the guitar to a guitar shop and have them work on the guitar until the action is how you like it. The guitar plays nicely with a setup.

The neck is quite thick, and there’s no truss rod. It’s thick to ensure neck stability and to keep it straight. Only the action on the guitar can be adjusted.

Strings

Use a lighter gauge of string for this guitar. It’s not recommended to use medium gauge strings. I find it sounds best with a lighter gauge. You’ll have less tension on the neck with light strings.

See more: Best Acoustic Guitar Strings Buyer’s Guide

Playing

Spend some time with the guitar. You may need to adjust your playing a bit as the guitar body is quite small. It may feel a bit odd at first, but you’ll soon get used to it.

Make sure you try different picks and strings to find a setup that you like. It’s fun to experiment with this little guitar as it’s got so much going for it.

Martin Backpacker Warranty

The warranty will depend on where you bought it from. Check with the online store or your local shop about guitar warranties before you order.

Should I Buy a Martin Backpacker?

Whether you decide to buy this guitar is up to you. The best part about it is that it’s portable. It’s easy to take it hiking, camping, to lessons, or on a longer trip. The guitar is lightweight and comes with a carrying case.

The Martin Backpacker has a decent tone for the size. The guitar is well suited for chords, strumming, and simple lead lines. This is not a guitar for acoustic lead guitar, and the neck is too small.

If you need a small guitar for practicing or don’t like playing a full-sized acoustic dreadnought, this little guitar can be ideal. It’s also a good choice if you want to strum some chords from time to time.

The guitar does have a moderate price range, but you’re getting a solid guitar that you can use for many purposes. In my opinion, it’s well worth the price you pay for it.

What Are the Drawbacks to the Martin Backpacker?

In this Martin Backpacker review, it was important to include some of the drawbacks to his guitar, so you know what you’re getting. It should be noted that this is a basic practice or travel guitar.

The Backpacker doesn’t come with a built-in pickup or any electronics. You’ll probably want something else if you want to record with your guitar or play live. This guitar isn’t built for that purpose.

Some people may not like the small size since it takes some getting used to. You’ll need to play the guitar a bit until you’re comfortable with it.

The neck only has 15 frets, so it’s not a guitar built for fast acoustic lead playing. It’s fine for chords, strumming, and some fingerpicking, but it’s not designed for lead guitar playing.

Where to Buy the Martin Backpacker

There are a few places where you can buy a Martin Backpacker. I prefer to shop online because there’s a wide selection of products to choose from, fast shipping, and you don’t have to deal with traffic and other hassles.

Amazon

Amazon is my first stop for online shopping. They always ship my products fast, and the selection is always good. I’ve been very satisfied with the customer service, and I like reading the product reviews before ordering my music supplies.

Order Online

Sweetwater and Guitarcenter are two other locations where you may want to purchase your Martin Backpacker guitar. They have a great selection, fast shipping, and plenty of products to choose from.

Your Local Store

Your local music store may stock the Martin Backpacker, but not every store will have it in stock. You may have to wait a long time for it to arrive if it’s out of stock or special order it.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my Martin Backpacker review. This is an excellent guitar from Martin and perfect for beginners, travelers, or those that only want to strum a few chords.

This guitar is portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go, and it ships with a handy gig bag. It’s got a decent tone and is quite easy to play due to its smaller size.

Please like, share, or leave a comment on this article. What do you think about the Martin Backpacker? I think this is a great guitar that serves a specific purpose for today’s guitar player.