I bought a Martin DX1 Acoustic Guitar after reading a lot about what a great deal they are (a Martin guitar without the Martin price) and reading a lot of really positive customer reviews (in fact out of the dozens of reviews I found for the guitar I don’t think I read a single negative one.)

Besides the combination of a reasonable price and great sound, another thing that actually drew me to this guitar was that it’s more durable than more expensive Martin guitars because it’s not made entirely out of wood (which is also the main reason it’s less expensive.) It has a solid spruce top (I love the way it smells, is that weird?) but it has an HPL body.

So what do I think of it so far? I think it’s a huge upgrade from the acoustic guitars I was playing before (mostly a Hohner HW300 which is a very cheap guitar, good for those on a serious budget.) It’s intonation is much better (now I’m in tune wherever I play up and down the fretboard.) It’s much “brighter” & “richer” sounding. It fills the room with sound. It’s just a whole new world really, it’s amazing how much difference playing a quality guitar like this really makes.

How about as far as how it compares to the more expensive Martin acoustics? I don’t know. I’m not an expert but I have read many positive reviews from people who are familiar with more expensive models. It’s hard to imagine that the D-28 is really worth the extra $1800 though ($2300 vs $500 at GuitarCenter.com)

www.GuitarCenter.com (free shipping)