Left Handed Guitar Acoustic For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

Kona guitar is as good as a guitar for any would be guitarists that's just sarting. The strings aren't the best out there, but a quick purchase of a better pair of stings makes the okay guitar into a good guitar. Soild for the price I would recommend to anyone who is just a beginner, and needs a starter guitar.ltarod5599-3

I was pretty disappointed. I was expecting it to be a decent entry level guitar. The sound is fine but the neck wasn't straight making it hard for a beginner to learn.Samzilla

Guitar But Needs to be setup, I would recommend buying not a drop shipper, but a real music store that sets up their instruments before shipping, otherwise you might get sharp frets bowed neck high action and poor intonation. It's cheaper to buy one pre-setup than to do it after the purchase. In fact, it's not even a parlor guitar, the manufacturer made a mistake and they a;; copy it.guitarasaur-guitars-ukuleles

I was very excited to see and play a highly reviewed 12 string that costs pennies compared to my 12 string Takamine, Yamaha and Ibanez. Once I got through the box I saw the guitar had the look of some cheap pressed wood. The sound was as weak as a cup of Finnish coffee. The darn thing couldn't stay in tune to save mine or its life. How this guitar gets rated so highly MUST be a result of fake reviewers OR I simply got the ONE Rogue 12 string that seemed to be made by the Fisher-Price Company. This is NOT a musical instrument. It IS an instrument to make noise with. My edition was not worthy of the effort one has to put forward to learn and play guitar. One must have to have an instrument meet the musician at least half-way. With this "musical" instrument, you have to cross the block, pick the guitar up and fight against it to produce close to a tone that sounds musical. Best to buy a used good name 12 string guitar. Or save your pennies and get a Takamine or Yamaha. The latter will be excellent and cost in the $350 range. But a Yamaha will play forever and stay in tune. I recommend my Yamaha over my ash Ibanez. The former just has a fuller tone. If possible save for the Takamine which is on another guitar plane altogether. But don't buy a guitar based on price and/or name. I've discovered many of the friends I play with can't tell if their singing and/or playing is in tune!!. And yet, they own $5,000 MARTIN GUITARS!! Haha. Quite simply a waste of money. Be like me buying a red-green "masterpiece" oil painting, as I'm red-green color blind. But I DO have a good ear and this Rogue of a guitar is worthy of no one's money or effort. M.F. has many more-though more expensive-options that will bring the performer YEARS if not DECADES of playing happiness. Only misery lies in a 12 string Rogue guitar. Avoid.muskoxmike

Purchased this around December hoping to get my kids into it. As usually happens, it ended up being much more of a display use. I would imagine it was picked up about 12 times max total. It sat on display being ignored primarily. Still, by mid-June (in under 6 months) the bridge has warped and started to detach from the main guitar. I noticed this as I walked past it. The glue did not hold. Surprise though, because you can't just pull up a website for Rogue. I called Guitar Center for help to contact the manufacturer as this should be covered under their warranty. Guitar cCenter took my information and said they would forward it to their "contact" for the company and I should receive a response in 3-5 business days. It's been a few weeks now and I'm not impressed. No one called me back, they wouldn't simply give me an 800 number to call to handle it myself, and I still have no solution and no idea who to contact in order to make a claim on the manufacturer warranty. I am more than disappointed with Guitar Center's negligence to truly stand behind a beginner product they seem to offer a great deal of.Amanda V.

I'm so impressed by my RD 90. I think some reviewers are hesitant to give it the praise it deserves because it is an inexpensive guitar. I did a little work to lower the action and now it is perfect. Humidity and temperature changes cause it to need occasional tuning, no different that my other two acoustics. It has a full, rich tone. It plays easily. It makes me feel like I got a real bargain; I don't know how they turn a profit at this price.Charles

This is an amazing sounding instrument for the price. The quality of craftsmanship is that of a much more expensive instrument. And to top if off, it sounds great. The neck feels better than more expensive Martins. I liken it to an Australian Maton. And it comes with a solid gig bag. Highly recommended.Beninem80

This guitar sounds Amazon, incredibly easy and fun to play. I called to order this and spoke to Jeremy, he took great care of me, hooked me up with a discount and was incredibly helpful.David

I love love love this guitar! Keep in mind what it is. It is a recreation of a "catalog guitar" from the 30s. It has a very particular bluesy/rootsy sound. If you play this kind of music it will add an authenticity to your playing that a standard modern dreadnought cannot. Please do not knock this guitar for what it isn't, which is a modern dreadnought. When most people think of what an acoustic guitar should sound like they think of a modern dreadnought sound. While the modern dreadnought sound is a nice one with its deep bass and long sustain, it is by no means the ONLY sound an acoustic musician might want to use, especially for roots music. The short sustain and somewhat "chalky" tone of this Recording King instrument is part of its beauty and charm. It has an old-school sound but with modern construction and playability which is great. I love that companies like Recording King are bringing these sounds back, making them affordable, and adding discrete pickup systems to these instruments so we can not only record with them but also play out with them. Well done Recording King! Again, if you want a standard acoustic guitar sound please don't buy this guitar because it looks nice and then detract points because of its sound. Its sounds just like it should. A lot of great early blues, folk, and country music was made and recorded with catalog guitars like this one and we should be glad to have this color available to us again in a brand new instrument. If you really want to get an authentic 30s sound then throw a set of Monel or "Retro" guitar strings on there. The short decay of the basses will add an even more vintage sound and feel to your playing.DJ

The first string 8th and 9th frets sounded the same C note. Additionally, the third string 11th and 12th frets played the same F sharp note. Highly disappointing and a huge quality control issue. How did this item ship without a thorough check?Geno

Guitar, for the price, is excellent. Replaced the strings for better ones. Excellent timbre with a big sound for a smaller guitar. Other than the G string which sounds dull on the lower frets this guitar sounds amazing. I'm sure the dull string can be settled. At this price, you'd be daft not to…Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Having relatively recently started learning guitar on an electric stratocaster-style guitar this was a great transition to the acoustic segment. The thinner body makes it much more comfortable to play than say a dreadnought and the neck is comfortable to transition too, yet the guitar doesn't seem to sacrifice as much sound as you'd expect from a thinner guitar. The finish of the guitar is that of a more expensive guitar for example the rosewood finger board. On arrival I actually thought the guitar looked better than the pictures on the website suggest but do note that because of the finish it is prone to showing finger marks which would need cleaning time to time. I would highly recommend this guitar.Richard P.

After suffering a permanent back injury I could no longer play my elictric guitar as it was too heavy or my acoustic electric guitar because it felt like it was twice it's normal size because I could no longer find a comfortable position for myself to play it. I bought a keyboard thinking that I could still play music. Afterv two weeks of playing around with the keyboard I gave up pllaying. Then I saw on the internet one night an advertisement for a 3/4 size Yamaha acoustic electric guitar guitar with a slimline bosy which looked like a nice guitar so I checked out males and females playing it and sounded very nice so I bought one. Man am I'm so glad I did. I got the sunburst like this one on sale. I was excited as l took it out of the box and went straight to my mancave and started playing it. It was perfecty in tune and for a guitar of this size it's got such a beautiful tone playing ACOUSTIC. So I plugged it in and it's as good as it sounded on YouTube. As an 67 yesr old man who started playing guitar when I was 16 years old, this is a beauty. I recommend this guitar to beginners, anyone with small hands and even people who want a good guitar to take with them without taking up much space in your car. Yep, it's a beaty.Deano

I was nervous ordering a guitar I hadn't put my hands on however I am quite pleased with my new guitar. The only regret I have was not purchasing the live version. I was tempted to return it and grab the live one but since receiving this one, I have been playing it at least 3-4 hours every day and it just feels too good to part with. I kept the original strings on for the first week and a half. It sang nicely right out of the box, aside from it being a tad out of tune (which was expected and easily fixed). I did put some Elixir strings on (Phosphor Bronze w NANOWEB Coating) however I didn't like the sound it produced and ended up replacing that with a new set of Ernie Ball strings (Medium Light Earthwood Phosphor Bronze) and it sounds amazing now. 10/10 This guitar was just going to be a place holder until I purchased a Taylor GS Mini-e Koa (I'm still learning guitar, so that was going to be a "when I get good" present to myself) but at this point, it's no longer a goal. The look, feel and sound of the Oliver Jr makes me want to play and keeps me playing.Drew B.

..So it's been two weeks now since I received my new Oliver Jr Mahogany Live from Orangewood Guitars. I wanted to spend some time getting acquainted with it before I just fired off my opinions of it fresh out of the box. I am an old guy who has been playing/performing for decades but retired from live gigging in 2015 and pretty much just put away all of my "stuff." However, as a guitar player, I have always admired acoustic fingerstyle players and now have decided I want to try tackling that style more seriously. I thought the best way to start this journey would be on a 3/4 size shorter scale or "parlor" size guitar which I've always thought were pretty cool anyway, and on a model that wasn't going to break the bank..ie., I didn't want to spend more than three hundred bucks! So I researched several guitars in the size and price range I wanted and found the old saying "you get what you pay for" to be very much alive and well. After trying the Yamaha F Series offerings, the Fender C-100, the Gretsch Jim Dandy, an Ibanez PN12E, an Epiphone, and some others.. I didn't like any of them! So it looked like I was just gonna have to drop big bucks on a Taylor or a Martin or something like that in that price range to get any satisfaction. Before doing that though, I decided to take a chance on the Oliver Jr. Mahogany, of which I had seen several reviews on You Tube, etc., etc. I figured if I didn't like it I could send it back. Well, guess what? I'm keeping it! It looks great, I love the size, it sounds very good for a small guitar, even better than I thought it would, and after a tweak or two of the truss rod it plays great. Of course the Ernie Ball "medium light" strings were killing my fingers for the first week or so but I decided to leave them on to see I could get used to them which I eventually did and they seem fine now. I'll probably go to a lighter gauge when the time comes but for now I'm just gonna stick with the factory issue strings which Orangewood recommends. So while the Orangewood is not a Martin, Taylor, Zager, etc.,in my opinion, you cannot get a better value at a great price on a quality instrument than this Oliver Jr provides. I'm glad I gave Orangewood a shot and I'm definitely a satisfied customer. Sorry for the long review!Dan M.

I have taught guitar for 15 years to students of all ages. This guitar has revolutionized how younger players can get up and running very quickly due to the amazing playability, solid tuning, and wonderful sound of this instrument. If you are a parent thinking of. getting your child started on guitar this is hands down the best quality for the price point. Too many times I have had parents spend money on instruments that look good, but are cheaply made, tough to play, and never hold tune….which only frustrated the student as well as myself. I only recently came across this company and directed two of my students to purchase this guitar and they are now up and running faster than any of my other students. Even barre chords are.a breeze. I now only recommend this guitar to parents looking to start their child on guitar. It is worth every penny.Marshall M.

I bought this guitar to check out a budget friendly offering from Yamaha. I have to say I was not disappointed! Excellent tone and volume, the top really resonates. The guitar was really well setup right out of the box. It needed about 3/4 of a clockwise truss rod adjustment, no prob. Other than that it didn't need any fret dressing whatsoever. That's really impressive for a Chinese guitar. Heck even one of my Mexican Martins needed fret dressing out of the box! Also intonation was spot on and this also is important in your guitar. Very impressed with this guitar, intermediate/advanced feel but priced at a beginner budget. You won't regret picking one up, I assure you!Big Bone Murphy

There is a point of quality when an instrument reaches when it stops being seen as "better or worse" but rather just a different flavor. This Yamaha has reached that point. You can play it alongside a guitar costing 5x more and it stands up well. Yamaha is also one of those rare companies with a long history of top quality across all kinds of products, and guitars are an area Yamaha knows well. This is just a beautiful guitar through and throughout. You can get beautiful uncompromisingly great studio recordings with this guitar. Hitting the low strings hard with strumming gives a nice deep and rich tone. Also, the hardware / tuners are nice.Scott

I've owned many acoustics over the years, MANY, and this Yamaha is one of the best sounding I've ever owned. Went to GC just to check out a few lower end acoustics to pick up for jamming on, and tried almost every one in the room. Picked this one up last just before I was ready to leave, and immediately was blown away by the sound and playability, brought a couple friends to listen and tell me which one they thought sounded the best, and hands down this won over all of them. It has the tone and warmth of a Martin D34, which I have owned a few, and it plays like a dream. The neck is so sliky smooth, easy to fly up and down with no effort. It has amazing sustain and beautiful tone, I fell in love with it and just couldn't put it down. I didn't expect a guitar of this price range to sound as good as it does, got it home and I couldn't put it down. Played for 4 hours straight, and even after trying to put it down to go to bed at 1am I found myself playing a for a few more minutes before I could actually go to sleep. Love this Yamaha more than any guitar I've bought in the last decade. The best thing about it is, It gave me the desire to pick up playing guitar again, after hardly touching any of my other guitars for almost a year it's the one I want to play more than all of them. Great guitar, wouldn't hesitate to buy another in a different color, if you want something that you won't be able to put down this baby has the sound and feel your looking for.Johnny D

I had been looking to get back into the guitar after a long hiatus. I didn't want to jump in the deep end with something expensive at the start, but still wanted something decent to play with, after some research decided upon the CC-60S. The guitar does exactly what all the reviews say it does for beginner learning. It feels comfortable, sounds great and isn't as tough when navigating the frets with chords and notes. PMT delivered the CC quickly, was securely packaged and I've found no defects. Would recommend anyone thinking of learning the guitar to purchase this from PMT.John O.

My guitar does not have any obvious defects in it's construction, which is more then I can say for some other guitars around this price point. The lightweight strings it came with make it easy to play for an acoustic. Sounds pretty good to me. Even smells nice, faintly like cut hardwood.SEAN

I like this guitar very much. It sounds beautiful, it looks beautiful and it plays well. The action on the guitar was a bit too high(0.012" on the 1st E string above the 12th fret). I had to adjust a truss rod a little anyway(instructions are provided with a tool included). It lowered the action a little(to 0.010"). Still not enough, so I will have to remove some saddle with sanding paper-a simple task, down to 0.007"-0.008". Eventually I want to replace a saddle, nut and pins with a natural bone and a new set of phosphor bronze strings, which will notably improve the sound…I can barely wait. A cost of these parts is affordable and well worth it for this beautiful guitar. For somebody who is new to these tasks, there are videos on You Tube that show you how to do all that correctly and it's a fun challenge. TWO TIPS: 1) There is a plastic film cover over the sound hole. It will leave some adhesive around the sound hole, when you remove it. Don't get frustrated by it. It gets easily removed by using Naphtha-a safe dissolver used by professionals, that won't damage guitar's finish, if used correctly-sparingly on a piece of cloth. 2) A pickguard is covered with a transparent film. Don't bother removing the red sticker, just remove the whole film along with it. Hope it helps…best wishes.dusamajstorovi_0

I lost my finger a few years back in an accident at work and hadn't played since then so decided to get back into it and try again a friend recommended this guitar as he plays professionally this I an excellent guitar and excellent quality Highly recommendjamie b.

A nice guitar – it is from an American company but made in China (of course), but I am surprised at the quality of sound that such a slim-line guitar has. I'm only a learner but have owned guitars before and quite like this one.How long it will last is anyone's guess but finish seems to be good. NOTE: the built in equaliser is just that – it is NOT a tuner, so you will need to buy a tuner or download an app for your cellphone. I bought this guitar because choices of cheap left-handed guitars are very limited.ridin_for_life

I ordered this when it dropped to $100 It arrived 2 days after I ordered UPS held it for a day after banging up the box. It was pretty close to playable right out the box, I had a local guitar shop set it up and swap strings. It's now very playable and has a nice sound for an all laminate guitar. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a beginner or someone wanting a travel / outside guitar. I have to say the sunburst finish is prettier in person.Larry

Now I was reserving my excitement until I saw the product. $120 for a guitar? It cant' be that nice. But WOW. Aesthetically it's a beauty of an instrument. The finish is pristine and it looks top notch. The feel is amazing. The neck is thin and easily maneuverable with very low action. The thin-line body feel perfect against your chest as you play. It just sits nice. It plays like butter. But what about the sound? It's got a much more rich, fuller tone than any acoustic I've played. There's slight fret buzzing, but that's an easy fix. It seriously plays beautifully though and makes me sound better than I actually am. I haven't had a chance to plug it into an amp or DAW yet, but I'm excited. Nothing but good things about this guitar. It is beautiful. I'm in love.GirlWonder23

An extraordinarily well designed and made guitar. The scale is a bit shorter than most guitars so it's easier to play, the bevel on the body makes it more comfortable to play, the fit and finish is perfect. It sounds good acoustically and plugged in. Really nice for finger style, and surprisingly good with a light pick. The back and sides are layered Sapele wood, the top is solid Sitka. The neck is maple. The tuners keep it in tune. I've played quite a few smaller body guitars in my 4 decades of playing, and this one is right at the top of the list along with Martin 00 and 000 models. It's not only for students, its just a really good guitar.Boomer

I had been looking for a reasonably priced mid-range acoustic guitar. In most of the reviews I read they said that the Taylor Academy was a great "beginners" guitar. I have to say this is an incredible guitar all around and works well for any level of guitar player. Absolutely loved being able to go into the Sam Ash store and look at the guitar. It was already setup perfect and the staff was super friendly. Would definitely recommend both Taylor guitars and Sam Ash to anyone!bcsman

Needed a compact guitar with full sound (sailboat dinner cruises – tight space). Plugged in through the board with a chorus pedal sounds as good or better than the full sized guitar I had been using with a lot less passenger head bumping. Easy to play. Quick change battery compartment.Nick

I purchased this guitar to get back into playing during COVID, after selling off my HD-35 and an older LX1 many years ago for personal reasons. Even back then, the LX1 which is nearly the same as this one besides this one handing electronics and a rosewood “paint” job, I often would defer to my LX1 over my HD-35. Part of the reason is the ease of use while still offering a distinct Martin sound, and the design instills confidence that I won’t lose sleep if I ding it or I let a drunk friend play a few tunes. I had that original for many years, and have had this version for about a month. The guitar itself has a surprising amount of heft, and I think many will be surprised by its projection. The solid Sitka spruce top is the mvp here, and should be a must unless you’re concerned about humidity and/or purchasing this style for absolute travel readiness. The solid top will hold up well in changing climates and travel, but the HPL top of the standard LX may be a safer bet if that is a concern. I think most people will benefit from solid top, so that’s my suggestion, plus you get that Martin smell, albeit faintly, with the solid top. Playability-wise, the guitar is clear and punchy while playing fingerstyle or doing solo runs, and strumming offers a surprising amount of boom and clarity. The only caveat is the transition or light strumming to full strumming, as it seems the guitar needs to rev up a bit to get into its full potential. However that could be some of my cobwebs I’m still throwing off. I’ve only used the onboard electronics is few times and they are about what you’d expect from a guitar in this price range. The plugin is on the lower bout near where the guitar sits on your right leg, and is powered by a 9v. Two control dials are available through the sound hole, and overall reproduce the guitar well enough, but a secondary EQ will most likely be required for serious production/recording… works great for just throwing down a songwriting session though! To round it off, the guitar comes with an included soft gig bag, which can be worn as a backpack or hand carried. Which is something I love, it also has a large pocket for whatever small items you may need. And the guitar comes with a 1 year Martin warranty, which should be enough to weed out any manufacturing defects. Overall, I am proud to have this guitar back in my hands, and love the durability, ease of use, value, and most surprisingly the sound of this guitar. This is truly a great guitar and is a lot of fun to bring everywhere!Dan K

Have only had it for a few days, but already it seems like a steal for the price. The guitar looks nice, sounds nice, built in tuner is great. Overall, for the price, this guitar is quite a good deal.NebZ

I bought this guitar because I wanted a cheaper camp fire guitar and love it. I changed the strings to Elixir and filed the saddle down as well as tightened the neck adjustment and it plays as well as my electric guitar..i play it often. I am happy with it. sound quality matches my more expensive guitars..123ford5

I bought this guitar to check out a budget friendly offering from Yamaha. I have to say I was not disappointed! Excellent tone and volume, the top really resonates. The guitar was really well setup right out of the box. It needed about 3/4 of a clockwise truss rod adjustment, no prob. Other than that it didn't need any fret dressing whatsoever. That's really impressive for a Chinese guitar. Heck even one of my Mexican Martins needed fret dressing out of the box! Also intonation was spot on and this also is important in your guitar. Very impressed with this guitar, intermediate/advanced feel but priced at a beginner budget. You won't regret picking one up, I assure you!Big Bone Murphy

There is a point of quality when an instrument reaches when it stops being seen as "better or worse" but rather just a different flavor. This Yamaha has reached that point. You can play it alongside a guitar costing 5x more and it stands up well. Yamaha is also one of those rare companies with a long history of top quality across all kinds of products, and guitars are an area Yamaha knows well. This is just a beautiful guitar through and throughout. You can get beautiful uncompromisingly great studio recordings with this guitar. Hitting the low strings hard with strumming gives a nice deep and rich tone. Also, the hardware / tuners are nice.Scott

I've owned many acoustics over the years, MANY, and this Yamaha is one of the best sounding I've ever owned. Went to GC just to check out a few lower end acoustics to pick up for jamming on, and tried almost every one in the room. Picked this one up last just before I was ready to leave, and immediately was blown away by the sound and playability, brought a couple friends to listen and tell me which one they thought sounded the best, and hands down this won over all of them. It has the tone and warmth of a Martin D34, which I have owned a few, and it plays like a dream. The neck is so sliky smooth, easy to fly up and down with no effort. It has amazing sustain and beautiful tone, I fell in love with it and just couldn't put it down. I didn't expect a guitar of this price range to sound as good as it does, got it home and I couldn't put it down. Played for 4 hours straight, and even after trying to put it down to go to bed at 1am I found myself playing a for a few more minutes before I could actually go to sleep. Love this Yamaha more than any guitar I've bought in the last decade. The best thing about it is, It gave me the desire to pick up playing guitar again, after hardly touching any of my other guitars for almost a year it's the one I want to play more than all of them. Great guitar, wouldn't hesitate to buy another in a different color, if you want something that you won't be able to put down this baby has the sound and feel your looking for.Johnny D

Overall: While this has a decent tone, it's not going to improve with age as the top is a laminated top–not solid spruce.Moreover, since this is a guitar targeting the beginning student, I mark it down because the setup is NOT conducive to the beginner. The action needs to be lowered and the Fender branded DuraTone strings it came from the factory with feel more like a medium gauge than a light gauge. I have a 12-string Yamaha that is easier to play than this.But to give it some props–the price includes a hardshell case–something no other guitar in this price range offers. And the abalone rosette is a nice cosmetic touch.The tuning machines turn smoothly and it does hold a tune very well.And for those who object to Chinese-made guitars, this was made in Indonesia.David

Generally, it is a great guitar. Many of you would expect a low volume for a mahogany top, back and side guitar. However, it's dreadnought style compensates for this and thus you will have a warm mellow toned guitar whilst still having plenty of volume. The guitar looks a lot better in real life than on the photos you may see on the internet. Contrary to the CD60S spruce top (built in Indonesia), this guitar is manufactured in China. The tone difference between CD60S spruce top and this one is small as the spruce top also has mahogany back and sides. This guitar however is one with great overtones. Being a novice, it is a great starting guitar. My only complaint is that the nut and saddle are plastic. The nut, in particular, causes the guitar to be in need of tuning every 2 or 3 days. However, this disadvantage is very manageable and if you prefer, you can spend a tiny bit of money to replace the nut with a bone nut at a guitar shop. If you webchat with a guitar center rep they might be able to give you a discount to cut the cost of this guitar to the price level of the cheapest possible for a major manufacturer's acoustic guitar.Dan the Beginner

My daughter bought this for me a couple years ago because I spend a lot of time on my butt with chronic back pain. Once I adjusted to it's larger size easily can lay down playing it. I'm 56 years old and been playing guitar since I was12. Let me tell you the beautiful tone that comes out of this instrument rivals instruments 5 times the price. I put a set of electric 9's on it so I can bend the strings and it's country and blues heaven. I love this axe! She's a looker too. Real easy on the eyes.Antonio

I haven't played in a few years but the pandemic had me searching for something to get my mind off working crazy hours. There would be few guitars I'd buy sight unseen but I rolled the dice because I'd played Martin's first backpacking incarnation and was familiar with their quality. This little guitar wouldn't disappoint! It is a smaller scale but my fingers fit on the fret board and it's easy to just leave out and pick up when you need it. The sound is really good for the size and it's easy to strum or pick. It was exactly what I was looking for but a little more. I honestly didn't expect to be this happy with how much guitar I got for the price. If you need something to stick by the desk or play by the fire, this is a good optionBob

I played a friend's dreadnaught sized Martin and fell in love. I already owned two other guitars at the time (Samick and a Fender Redondo Player acoustic) and I didn't want to spend the money in a Martin at this time. This happened to pop up as a stupid deal of the day and so I bought. I wasn't sure about the laminate at first, but it feels and plays like a well made guitar. It sounds bright and it is a tone I enjoy hearing. If someone had given me advice as a new player I would have wished they told me about this guitar. It is concert size so it is a little smaller than a dreadnaught. It is easier for me to practice barring chords and doesn't feel as awkward on my body as my dreadnaught. I love both guitars, but I definitely still use this one as I advance as a player. I noodle on it when I am watching tv, take it when I go way for the weekend, and bring it to play for my friends. This is a fantastic guitar and I can proudly say I own a Martin :).RockstarAsh

I've owned one of these for years. It doesn't hang well (neck dive), has the sound that you'd expect out of a shoebox sized cavity (no bass), and is over priced. The only reason for owning one of these is if you are severly cramped for space. Get a Baby Taylor, instead of this thing. They are close to the same price, the last time that I checked.Ken

When I first saw these in the CF Martin catalog, I thought how weird looking they were. When I asked at a local shop about them, I was told they would order one for me, but I would not like it! But I liked classical, nylon string guitars and I wanted to own something from CF Martin. Other than this, Martin GTR does not make anything else like that, unless they invented something since I quit looking. I was very fortunate to discover Musicians Friend, and they at one time had these with a passive pickup. These were on sale at a very good price! I ordered one, it arrived in very good shape, in very good time. I fell absolutely totally in love with it, weird shape and all. You could tell it was a Martin, it reeked quality. It's small, the tone is great, but the volume is not huge. Use it for travel, camping, hanging on the wall for odd moments of practice. It's not a case queen, fussy little guitar, but protect it from too much heat and moisture, it is made with wood and glue. With a pickup you could probably blow away a concert hall with it. Look in the sound hole, it will say where it was made there, and tell you to always use extra-lite nylon strings. No truss rod was standard for ages with nylon string guitars, the Backpacker does not have one. Most guitars eventually need the action adjusted to suit the player, including ones costing 10 to 20 times as much as this one. Mine came with a very nice strap and a special gig bag, both very useful. If this appeals to you, don't hesitate to give it a try. I've had mine for years and still love it. Check on you-tube.Still Learning

I have had mine for 10 years or more and enjoy it very much. It's not full body sound it's there to have something to practice and play when on holiday or outside on the deck enjoying a cold one. It doesn't take up much room when packing the car either And yes the one I have is an actual classical backpacker guitar that Martin made years ago. I use it with high tension strings DAddario Pro Arte at standard tuning and it holds up very good stays in tune never have a problem with it going outGerry

Great guitar. Unbelievable sound for this price range. You can distinctly hear each string ring out when you strike a chord. Rich, sweet, balanced and full. Great play-ability after a truss rod adjustment. I still need to lower the action at the saddle and nut another mm, but the action is super fast and easy as it is right now. The frets are well crowned and smooth. They aren't sharp, but they do protrude at the ends a bit. Filing them back won't be a big deal. Otherwise, fit and finish was perfect. I've owned a lot of acoustic guitars in various price ranges and the more I play this, the more impressed I am. I wouldn't hesitate to gig anywhere with this. I'm delighted. It's a keeper.c-cat1

I am a semi-pro musician with a guitar collection. I bought this for my daughter, a lefty, to learn on. There aren't many short scale, lefty acoustics on the market. I was skeptical with the low price, but this is an excellent guitar. Well built and looks good. Sounds very good for the price and the fact that it's a plywood top. Nut and saddle are a composite bone material (most cheap guitars come with awful plastic appointments). I will have to do a set up to lower the action a bit, (b/c my daughter is a beginner with no callouses!) but overall very happy with this purchase.mandojam8k06

Good looking tradition wood, fit, and finish. High quality tuners. Nice tone. Good quality guitar and right size for a young player. Will last a lifetime with proper care. Good size for a travel guitar. Neck is wide enough for and adult. Can use and keep for an heirloom for the next generation. I have purchased four for my grandsons and set them up professionally. A guitar of lower quality can discourage a beginner. This model is a winner. No problems. Best in class at this price point. Thank you Oscar Schmidtdixiedangler