NGD (from two months ago): Martin 00X1AE

[pagedr]

So as the thread title indicates I actually got this guitar around two months ago, but just now getting around to posting an NGD/review. I was in the market for a bit of a knock around guitar that I could take on road trips and other adventures where I didn’t want to bring one of my more expensive instruments, and something that I could leave around the house and not worry as much about humidity spiking. I love 00 body guitars (my main two guitars are a CEO-7 and an old 00-18) so I was looking for something around that size - looked at a number of different brands and models but I’m a Martin guy at heart so really not surprising this is where I ended up. I hadn’t spent much time with any X series guitars prior, and had never played the 00X1, so it was a bit of a shot in the dark ordering one online in the middle of Covid shutdowns, but I was able to get a good deal.

Glad I took a chance on this little guy because I’ve ben really pleasantly surprised by it. Starting with the sound, it’s got a pretty nice acoustic tone despite having HPL back and sides. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but Martin has really improved the way these laminate guitars sound over the years. Could also just be that my ears have changed, but it seems like even in the last 5-6 years they have really made some improvements. It also comes with a Fishman Sonitone installed, which isn’t my favorite system but it gets the job done. It does add a bit of weight to the guitar and probably takes away from the acoustic tone with the whole system under the sound hole and a battery in the lower bout, but again, still sounds plenty good unplugged.

The setup is what surprised me the most. The guitar had pretty clearly never been opened by the dealer that I got it from, meaning it likely was last touched in the Martin factory. I’ve seen standard series and better guitars straight from Martin over the years with some pretty bad setups, saddles that are too low, etc. But this thing was spot on right out of the box - action was perfect at 3/32” at the 12th fret, saddle has plenty of height, nut was slotted perfectly. Honestly it was better set up than my CEO-7. The neck is really comfortable too and the rest of the guitar was as it should be. The tuners were the one thing that didn’t impress me at all, they are cheap and I have some open back button Gotoh’s on the way that will work and look much better. I also wish they would’ve put a thin bit of binding on the top like they did on the back, I think it’d look a lot better that way, but that’s a pretty minor grip.

Overall I am really pleased with this guitar, I’ve taken it on a couple road trips and that sort of thing so far and it’s held up really well. It does have a solid spruce top so it’s not completely indestructible, but it is nice having a guitar that I can leave in the car for a little bit and not worry much about it while I grab lunch or something. I actually took it camping this past weekend, just kept it in the car at night and had no issues. Would definitely recommend it as a travel/beater guitar or even to someone who would prefer to use something cheaper for gigging as opposed to their more expensive guitars. Would still probably recommend one of the many solid wood guitars in this price range to a beginner who wants to upgrade from their Yamaha FS/FG or whatever. Though I do think it’d be nice if they made these X series models without pickups too, I really think the Sonitone hurts the tone a bit, at least in a 00 or 000 size body. If anyone is interested I can record a brief sound clip to give an idea of what it sounds like.

[BrunoBlack]

Very nice, congratulations.

[ishtar]

I did the same thing. Lefty version for me. But how glorious to have the option as a southpaw! Sounds great plugged in, IMHO.... Congrats to us!

[Marty C]

I purchased the same guitar for the same reason. Bought a $25.00 gig bag off Amazon. Great travel guitar and does sound pretty good plugged in. Plays easily and isn’t affected much by changes in temperature or humidity. Good value.

[catdaddy]

I have the 000X1AE version, and I couldn't be happier with it. The X series Martins are great values.

Congrats and enjoy your new 00X1AE!!

[pagedr]

Appreciate it everyone! Yeah I went on Amazon and bought a gig bag as well, I went with a Crossrock and I have to say it's really nice, especially considering it was only $25.