Martin 3/4 Acoustic Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

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 was looking for a small guitar to practice with when I travel. The big dread takes up too much space so the small LX makes sense. Even my wife was good with me getting another guitar, imagine that! Anyway, sounds good, plays great like a Martin should. Made in Mexico and of high-pressure laminate it should not be affected by humidity or lack there of. I feel like it is a great value for the money. I even find myself picking it up around the house more often than my other guitars because the smaller size makes it comfortable on the couch. Buy it, you wont regret it.xrayman8

This is a sweet little guitar and it's not just for kids. I have trouble with my shoulders, so holding this is not a problem, like it would be with a larger guitar, for long periods of time during practicing. It should not be expected to have the same big volume as any full size performance guitar, but it has a good depth of tone, and is just plain fun to play. It is sturdy and stays remarkably in tune for long periods of time, which is surprising. I have owned this guitar for over 5 years now, and it is no worse for the wear. Love it!Blaise

This is my third Little Martin. I love the sound plugged and unplugged. I am a therapist for children on the Autism spectrum and other special needs children and music seems, in many cases, seems to pause the child's disability and let them attend with great eye contact and focus. Children who are verbally limited sing songs (e.g., Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald etc…) and in that moment you see that child smile/and or laugh and learn, and thats what its all about. My Martin's are my weapon to battle Autism and all disabilities that plague our young children.Frank

I am a petite female and love the size of this Martin Little! I had considered purchasing a baritone ukulele with 6 strings because I wanted a very small body. The Little is larger than a baritone uke but is still within the range of PERFECT and came with an acoustic/electric option so I can jam! I have larger guitars but this little gem is easy to travel with and durable with great sound! I purchased a tuner cause the pick up didn't come with one. Absolutely love the colors on the neck! So happy with my purchase!Chelley

I have had my Little Martin for a couple of years at this point and of the four guitars I own, this is the one that gets played the most. This is because due to the small size and very stable construction materials and techniques, it is always near by, ready to pick up and play at a moments notice. While I keep more expensive and delicate guitars in their hard cases with humidifiers to maintain homeostasis as much as possible, the Little Martin is quite at home on a Jamstand next to my desk. I do keep a Planet Waves humidifier between the strings, even when the LM is on the stand because I live in the NE USA where the winter air in my home is very dry due to forced hot air heating. Since the body of the guitar is the High Pressure Laminate (HPL), it appears to me unaffected by changes in temperature and humidity, but I have found that without the humidifier, the bracing seems to dry out more and the sound can become a little 'pingy'. In fact this was my first impression when I picked it up at the local GC after ordering online. If I had not been able to play one in-store previously, I would have been disappointed with the tone and probably returned it. Instead I put on a new set of strings and put the humidifier between the strings and kept it in the quality Martin gig bag that came with it. Within a week it was sounding much better, more like the one that I tried in-store previously. Since the GC stores have good humidity levels in the acoustic rooms, this is a good way to try out a new guitar (after making sure it is in tune). The only reason that I ordered online to pickup in store was that when I was ready to buy, my local GC did not have it in stock at the time.Ron the eternal guitar novice

I am a petite female and love the size of this Martin Little! I had considered purchasing a baritone ukulele with 6 strings because I wanted a very small body. The Little is larger than a baritone uke but is still within the range of PERFECT and came with an acoustic/electric option so I can jam! I have larger guitars but this little gem is easy to travel with and durable with great sound! I purchased a tuner cause the pick up didn't come with one. Absolutely love the colors on the neck! So happy with my purchase!Chelley

I have had my Little Martin for a couple of years at this point and of the four guitars I own, this is the one that gets played the most. This is because due to the small size and very stable construction materials and techniques, it is always near by, ready to pick up and play at a moments notice. While I keep more expensive and delicate guitars in their hard cases with humidifiers to maintain homeostasis as much as possible, the Little Martin is quite at home on a Jamstand next to my desk. I do keep a Planet Waves humidifier between the strings, even when the LM is on the stand because I live in the NE USA where the winter air in my home is very dry due to forced hot air heating. Since the body of the guitar is the High Pressure Laminate (HPL), it appears to me unaffected by changes in temperature and humidity, but I have found that without the humidifier, the bracing seems to dry out more and the sound can become a little 'pingy'. In fact this was my first impression when I picked it up at the local GC after ordering online. If I had not been able to play one in-store previously, I would have been disappointed with the tone and probably returned it. Instead I put on a new set of strings and put the humidifier between the strings and kept it in the quality Martin gig bag that came with it. Within a week it was sounding much better, more like the one that I tried in-store previously. Since the GC stores have good humidity levels in the acoustic rooms, this is a good way to try out a new guitar (after making sure it is in tune). The only reason that I ordered online to pickup in store was that when I was ready to buy, my local GC did not have it in stock at the time.Ron the eternal guitar novice

I really liked this little guitar, BUT…I read the reviews and decided to buy in-store so I could play the guitar before buying, and I'm SO glad I did. I went into my local Guitar Center and played THREE of these Martin LX1E guitars, including one that had been specially unboxed so I could try it after two others failed my examination. All three guitars had a very pronounced buzz in the frets. It was not that noticeable when I played them acoustically, but the buzz was very noticeable when I plugged them in to an amp. I even tested the amp with other guitars, to make sure it wasn't the amp. It wasn't. Its a great little guitar, great tone and very playable, BUT my advice would be not to buy this one on-line. Play it first. Play up and down the whole fretboard, and plug it into an amplifier and play again. I have been playing for more than fifty years and have never experienced playing three brand new Martins that were simply not up to snuff. Weird!Tele Playr

The guitar itself can have five stars. Nothing wrong with it. The problem I have is that it is not the old LX1E lefty that Martin used to make and I used to own. It is advertised incorrectly here as containing the Fishman I-sys electronics that contained a volume, base/treble controls and a phasing button for feedback. It also no longer contains the tuner. This is basically the LX1 Little Martin with a Sonitone pickup under the bridge and tone/volume control in the sound hole, which I despise. I prefer the old version where the tuner and controls were on top side (as shown in the picture variety). This needs to be updated!!! I now have no tuner on this guitar when I fully expected one. I would recommend the Little Martin guitar but it needs to be advertised correctly.Jules

I bought this guitar for my son so he can have a smaller guitar to lug around in school. We were surprised when we received the product that the pickup that was installed is a Sonitone pickup instead of what's advertised – an Isys T preamp. The Isys preamp has a tuner, phase and tone control whereas the Sonitone is built into the sound hole and only has the volume and tone control. I brought this up with customer support saying I only wanted the product that I thought we were buying. I received excuses and a repeated offer to return the guitar. We chose to keep it because we need it and like the Martin sound. However MF does not stand up to what they advertise and could not provide a reasonable explanation why the product was switched. Even as I write this review, the description still says it has the Isys pickup. Good luck to future buyers and know that you are buying a different product.Pasigenyo

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

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

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

Absolutely amazing guitar. I had been shopping for a while, and tried an OM-21 in my local GC. The overtones, the warm tone, I just had to have it! Definitely a forever guitar and could not be happier. Get your hands on one of these!K

I really love this guitar! I purchased in a sunburst finish. There's nothing to dislike. Martin's come with the action a little high, this is to be expected. I took it to a tech to have the action lowered to my taste. Because it's plek'd from the factory, you can really get the action quite low. It's is now the best of my guitars. The sound is so balanced, it's beautiful to behold and to play. I never want to put it down. I've waited a bunch of years to commit…it is everything I wanted and imagined it could be. Martin standard series are all amazing. They Are the Martin sound defined, the reference point. They are not a cheap investment, but they are worth it. Whether you like a short scale hog (000-18), or a long scale Rosewood dread (D-28), you will not be disappointed. I love the long scale OM with rosewood. I wanted a sunburst with understated dark bindings to blend with the sunburst. This is my guitar…it is stellar in every respect. If you can acquire any model of the standard series of martins, you will be blessed with tone and beauty. It will be a lifetime guitar.GGC

I don’t like buying mid to high end guitars in the blind. Even if it’s a Martin, Collings, Taylor etc… but I was able to play 3 M36’s at a store in Nashville and they all sounded the same. I had to think about it because I have a Martin HD28 and it was very close. The thing about the M36 is that it having a OOOO (Jumbo) size body, I got bolder low ends. Finger style was easy and picking was bright and articulate. Problem solved not needing to bring more then one guitar to the recording studio and didn’t have to worry about gigging with it because of the affordability. American Musical Supply always makes it easy with the nice selection and 12 months interest free to get one. I installed (myself) a K&K pure mini pickup and this guitar sings. Thank AMS!T Galloway

I think the M-36 is a hidden sleeper in the Martin line. I researched this guitar for over a year and it checked off all the boxes for me. A great value for the price point. The 3 piece back is what drew me to the M-36 as I own a D-35 and a D-35 12 string and both are canons. The neck and feel of the M-36 is exactly like my 30 year old D-35. Very comfortable if you are used to a low profile neck and like low action. This is a great guitar for finger picking and the tone is balanced and clean with good base resonance. It already sounds like a seasoned instrument. I have Fishman pick ups in my other guitars, but this Ellipse Matrix system is the next level. Hard to put it down.Derek

I play many types of music and this guitar fits many perfectly. Set up great right out of the box.When I want her to sound sweet, she's sweet. When I want to rock, she rocks. All up and down the neck she responds beautifully. Doesn't matter, country, rock or simple sweet music, this guitar singsR.Eastepp

Simply stunning. Went in with a determined mind to try and buy a D28 (lifelong ambition) Played the D28, exceptional guitar, spied the M36 next to it, picked it up for a quick play and it felt like an extention of me straight away. Bit more expensive but it was simply destined to be…Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Always wanted a Martin and the X-series brought a Martin package into my price range. I didn't know much about HPL, but what it stands for "A sustainable material" helping preserve the environment for future generations, I'm all about it. The Rosewood finish on the body really is pretty, the neck is nice to look at as well. The Richlite fretboard with mother of pearl is a nice touch. Overall a very nice looking guitar in person. Body feels solid but allows for a nice resonance. The sound is absolutely great live and plugged in. The concealed tone and volume dials are a classy touch. I haven't put it down since it was delivered. Easy to play and overall great sounding guitar.SezDave

Sounded and played great at first. After about 3 months the back of the Guitar is coming apart. Never been dropped or even taken out of my house. Was told by GC there is nothing they can do for me. (After 30 day return)Brad