Martin DX-1

When I first the DX-1, I found it to be pleasantly unique. It seemed to have a simple, elegant charm to it. The Spruce top did seem, simple yet overall, it seems to have a very warm and beautiful look. I am very pleased with the simplicity and design of the guitar.

Like many others have noted, I reviewed a slew of other guitars (Takamine, Taylors, etc..). After playing each other guitar, my attention was always drawn back to the DX-1. It has a sound that seems to fit any genre of music. It has a nice bright and tone, that resonates well. My greatest regards to Martin for producing such a great,economical instrument

The Action on the guitar was another key factor deciding my purchase. The action seemed comfortable, and chords seemed to be produced on the fly. The guitar fares well on fast lead work as well. It does well when I play blues licks. The finish is very warm as I mentioned earlier.

The guitar seems to have a rigid, sturdy construction, although I would never put it through a blender! I feel that this guitar should fare well for travel and gigging. I did buy a case, however. I am very proud of owning this guitar!

Suppourt is standard, by default I suppose. Is Marting known for Quality? Enough Said!

I have been playing for seven years, and this is my first "true" acoustic. I have played others, and this by surpasses other in the same price range. This guitar should provide years of good old strumming.

Martin dx-1 2002. solid spruce top laminated back and sides. no finish on this type, but who needs it!!!! no case, micarta fretboard which feels alot like ebony, very nice

Ok, for a 420$ guitar, it rocks!! It has tons of tone, and bass, just try a droped d tuning. Chords are easy to fret, fairly low action. This guitar has lots of sustain, not as much as its more pricey brothers but for the price it cant be beat.

set up was very nice from martin company. no flaws noted on my guitar. I mean come on...its a martin. At first i didnt like the finish but now its had grown on me, it looks like a dull blonde color and doesnt have that blinding gloss finish. Finish feels very grainy, yet smooth, but very nice i think.

At first when i bought this guitar, i thought it would be just a beat up guitar to horse around with....was i wrong. this guitar sounds soooo good that it doesnt leave my house. it would be perfect however, for gigs. it stays in tune well, and the finish seems durable, but time will tell.

lifetime warranty, c'mon...its martin!

Martins entry-level acoustic. 20/14 frets. No fret inlays or lacquer finish - but that's the reason it is priced inexpensively.

Rich, full sound - incredible bass tones. Great sustain. Not as bright or as loud as I would have liked, but there is no mistaking that this is a quality Martin sound/tone.

Action is what was the deciding factor for me. I went the route of 'Martin' replicas and some other sub $400 dollar acoustics: none came close to the incredible playability of the DX1. It has instantly made me a better player. The fretboard is smooth Black Micarta - feels like ebony. This was the 2nd deciding factor for me. No other guitar felt as good as this one.

Of course there is no real finish on this guitar, and that's one of the extras you skip to get the lower price. The back and sides are Mahogany Pattern HPL Textured Finish (fancy terms for 'not real wood'). So what? Ovations are some of the best sounding (and selling) guitars around and they do not have word backs/sides. It's the sound that counts and the DX1 has it.

No reason to beleive this guitar will not last as long as you want. The hardware is quality and it shoudl be no different that any other acoustic.

Haven't had to deal with them - but hey - it's Martin!

I've been playing 30 years and have a few quality electrics (Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker). Always had a 'beater' acoustic around for something to do while watching TV, so this is eqasily the best acoustic guitar I've owned. The non-finished look is growing on me (makes it look blonde instead of a shiney lacquered yellow) and the fretboard is the best feeling board I've experienced. Some inlays would have been nice, but again, price, price, price. It's OK - I can live without them. I'm sure if I looked around long enough I could have found something similar for less, but you can't go wrong with a Martin. They don't make any bad guitars.

Standard DX-1 setup. Solid spruce top. Laminate mahogany sides and back. No case. No inlay on the fretboard. Nice looking guitar.

This is what sold me on the DX-1. I played 20 different guitars in this price range (200-1,000 USD) and I kept coming back to the Martin DX-1. It has such a full rich sound. Most of the other guitars in this price range sound too trebly. I prefer and richer sound, and this guitar is perfect for that.

The action was high for my tastes. The strings were rough. My local dealer lowered the action and put new strings on and the problem was solved.

Unkown. Time will tell.

Again, unkown. Haven't had to contact Martin yet.

I've been playing for five months. Started out on a basic Johnson model. I was ready for a solid top guitar with a nice, full sound. Fell in love with this guitar the first time I played it but since I just started looking, didn't buy it right away. I spent the next month visiting every music store in my area and playing everything in my price range. I kept on coming back to this guitar. The sound was pefect, it was in my price range and it was a Martin. I know that shouldn't matter, but I couldn't help but get excited over a guitar company that made the guitar that the Beatles played. Someday, I will but that Martin D-28 but for the next few years, the DX-1 will be my main guitar. Buying a guitar or anything else is a very personal matter so my advice is always try as many different guitars as possible and but the one that sounds the best. For me, it was the Martin DX-1.

2002 dx-1 / this guitar needs no features
at the price you can steal it at. anymore and you would pay!

let me start by saying i purchaced this guitar right after i purchaced
a brand new taylor 410ce simply because i am frightend to death that
playing my taylor everyday will encounter a ding or chip. so i decided to buy the martin dx-1 for everyday use. i picked the dx-1 from
reviews submitted. it came with no case and that was fine with me
for i was going to hang it on the wall and grab it when ever needed.
wrong! after playing this for 2 or so more hours the case was ordered.
this is not a cheap sounding guitar by far! it will be locked away the same as my taylor but will be handled more simply because of the cost factor.
i do not play outside of my home and take care of my toys.
i dare you to try to beat the sound vrs. dollars.
it wont be done!

action ok but not a problem for playing. you still cant complain. finish looks good to me. real natural looking piece!

time will tell!!

i called about some glue that had been dripped on the sides.
support was great. but when i seen that i started to wonder.

THE PRICE!!!! THE SOUND!!!! KILLER!!!!!

The basic 2000 year DX1 dreadnought. 20 frets, 14 open. Made in USA. Spruce top, satin finish, with real wood fretboard (new ones are micarta I think) mahogany "patterned" HPL sides and back. NOT Mahogany laminate, but instead mahogany patterned laminate. Nice "grover?" tuners. Very plain in appearence. But then who cares what it looks like if it doesn't sound good ? I saw a beautiful guitar the other day, told the guy it was beautiful and he said "ya, but it sounds like s__t, wanna buy it" I said no thanks.

I have only played for 2 years, but this guitar sounds very nice. A highly skilled friend helped me choose between 3 DX1's the store had on hand and each sounded a little different. This one was the best we thought. My friend and a good friend of his both like my guitars sound a LOT!!!! One plays a Takamine, one a DXM, but we all agree the DX1 sounds the best. I have played higher priced Martins in the store since then and none sounded any better than mine. Some were clearly worse than mine for twice the money. I have not played a D28, but then I would hope the 28 would sounds better for 5 times the price.

No flaws, no problems, good quality overall. No complaint whatsoever but since I am still a newer player I won't call it a "10" for action, I will call it a 9. All I can say is it is easy to play bar chords, which is more than I can say for some guitars.

I take goood care of my guitar/s, the DX1 being my best, and again,, I have no complaints. The top does not seem overly soft as some have said. Mine seems good. Stays in tune !!!!!!!!

Life time warranty (limited). I did call Martin about the bracing, to understand it better and they were very very helpful. No repairs have been required.

Like some others have said, this guitar makes my so-so playing sound good. Yes........I would buy another. My 2 friends who are "real" guitar palyers love my guitar and want to trade all the time.

Nice simple dreadnaught. Solid spruce top, back and sides are high-pressure laminate.

Great sound for the price. Folk, blues, rock... good to go. Very deep, and resonates well. Purrs like a kitten, or like a Siberian Spider Monkey when you need it! Very warm, but not to the point where it drowns out the crisp high-end. It doesn't seem to play as well finger-picked as it does with a pick, though it still works fairly well for that (I might have a bias towards nylon strings for fingerpicking, though.) Also, the guitar seems to represent strumming and picking really well. You can get a good variety of sounds by picking/strumming in different areas (bridge, neck, soundhole).

A 10 for the sound in relation to the cheap price.

The DX-1 is unfinished, but very well constructed. No sloppiness here. Everything is very smooth. This is a sexy guitar. The action is nice and low, but not so low that you get fret buzz.

Here's where the sacrifice comes. While the guitar seems very well constructed, the body's wood is fairly thin, especially on the top. And as mentioned previously, it is unfinished. It isn't going to fall apart on you, but the DX-1 isn't something you can whack someone on the head with. Of course, the thin wood and lack of finish is what gives it that beautiful sound. For $450, you aren't going to get sound AND an incredibly solid build. That said, I'll take the sound anyday.

It isn't that bad though, and it definitely not a big deal if you're like me and you take care of your stuff.

While I mostly play a couple electrics (Strat, Epiphone SG), I do a decent amount of acoustic work. Renaissance-ish stuff (which is more of a nylon stringer's job), blues, folk, and rock. Sounds great for all of it. Sounds even better when I think about the price. If you're looking for sound for under 500 bucks, or maybe even $1000, give this one a try. If you're looking for a travel guitar however, you may want something that feels a bit sturdier, but you're probably going to pay a decent bit more if you want it to sound this good.

Very basic Dreadnought acoustic. Martin has removed ANY extra features from this guitar which makes it very basic and plain, but they have put the money and engineering into the SOUND which is what I was looking for.

Very solid bass sound without being overly boomy. Well balanced for for the style I play which is pick-strummed blues and folk-rock. I have a friend who plays this guitar finger picked and it would not be a great choice for that, price not with standing. I have an electret mike style pickup mounted to one of the braces right by the soundhole and its very clean tet with a lot of punch.

The action on this guitar was very good, and the neck has av ery solid comfortable feel for me. One of the areas where I feel the guitar is lacking is the finnish, or actually absence of one. The solid spruce top has no finish gets stained pretty easily. The neck could use more of a finish too. My only regret in ourchasing this is how it might look in four or five years. It seems very well made though.

Hardware seems good, and this guitar stays in tune probably better than any guitar I've ever had. The neck seems really solid but the body is really light though I'm not sure that means it won't stand up. Once again, I think the top is where you would have a problem. I play a regular version left handed and I started to dent the wood with my pick right away. I have an Ibanez PC300 that I've played that way for four years with no pickguard and no problems.

I e-mailed Martin to buy a lefthanded pickguard to stick on my right handed guitar and they mailed one out to me right away for free. I though that was pretty nice.

I've been playing bass and guitars almost 20 years, and acoustic seriously about 4 years. I really like the Martin sound but I didn't think I could afford one and I didn;t even no about this model until I got to the store. I went to buy a Gretsch Acoustic ELectric for about $600 and I played the Martin and there was no comparison in the sound what so ever. In fact, I felt the Martin sounded better than any other guitar they had for less than $1200. I also really like the understated quality of this guitar, not flashy at all but solid.

I think you have to really put it into prespective value wise too. FOr less than $450 this is one hell of an acoustic guitar.

US made 2001 model. HPL mahogany sides and solid spruce top. I think even the neck is some laminate wood.

A very plain looking dreadnought. Nothing fancy to look at. Satin finish close to no finish.

I actually went to buy a Martin D1 but tried the dx1 i found in the store and then there was no turning back. To be true I was in quite some agony because I didn't want to buy a guitar that plain but after a few hours contemplating I went back and bought the demo dx1.

The sound is just fantastic - doesn't sound like $400. The tone is deep and very warm with rich bass sound. This is not a loud guitar wich makes it ideal for home use but I've used it onstage as well where it sounds just as great.

I especially like the fact that the guitar is very forgiving of my stinky technique and makes my barre-chords sound chrystal clear.

I bought the demo ex from the shop since it was the last one they had but this way I knew was I was getting. The guitar was very well set-up. No flaws whatsoever.

Someone pointed out a small problem about the first string being a little to close to the edge wich sometimes dulls the string. I'm experiencing the same thing. I do not really regard this as a problem because it can easily be adjusted by applying the left-hand technique my teacher once tried to learn me.

The HPL sides and back makes it ideal for travelling and can take more harsh handeling than solid wood. But the almost non-existant finish on the top makes it sensitive to dings and scratches (the wood on the top is quite soft). The lack of varnish-coating on the top leads to it getting dirty easily as well but that doesn't really bother me. The one thing that do raise i small concern is however the top will withstand liquid (coffe, beer, water etc.) due to the lack of varnish.

On the whole it seems really solid and I do not hesitate to take it upon stage with me.

Nothing to camplain about. Came with the usual Martin limited lifetime guarantee.

I play a lot and have been playing for 20 yrs. both at home and onstage. I play both acoustic and electric and own far too many guitars (at least thet's what my wife says). The dx1 has become my favourite guitar today. I'm in the process of buying yet another Martin (spd16) but if I lost my dx1 I would probably buy another one. I would probably go for a dx1r (rosewood) but thats just because it looks better.

The main reason i chose the dx1 before the D1 was the, at least according to me, great sound. The fact that it's reasonably priced is a huge plus in that you do not have to pamper it like a baby.

The only thing I miss about it is dot-inlays in the neck but that's purely from an esthetical point of view.

2001 Model; US Made; solid spruce top; HPL back and sides; very simple finish and appointments; this is a purely functional guitar, nothing flashy here. I have to rate the features fairly high due to the fact that this each of this guitar's features serves a specific purpose - producing wonderful tone

I just recieved this guitar as a gift - I was always a bit wary of someone else buying a guitar for me - but since I recieved it I've fallen in love with it. So far I've found its full and responsive bass tones to be well suited to an even-handed blues style as well as a wide variety of modern rock and alternative styles. The DX-1 has that famous Martin tone that will cost you $1000+ from another company. Play a D-42, play a Taylor, then play the DX-1. Forget that it looks plain. It sounds great.

Right out of the box the action was superb. Bridge, nut, frets, all display superior craftsmanship. Martin did not skimp on the workmanship of this guitar in order to keep the price down. Can you find another guitar at this price with this kind of attention to detail?

I've played lesser quality guitars live and had no complaints, so I think when I get my DX-1 on stage I'll be more than pleased. I am concerend about the strength of the wood (HPL) that is used in the back and sides. If you don't have a hard case, go get one. The very thin satin finish is a nice addition in that if will allow the spruce in the top to breathe a bit. As far as humidification goes - I'm not certain that much is necessary as the back and sides are High Pressure Laminate. As with any Martin this guitar should be cared for. If taken care of and not abused I think the DX-1 should be quite dependable.

I've delt with Martin in the past and found them to be most accomodating. Don't be a jerk and try to hose them out of free labor or materials though. They won't bend over backwards for unreasonable customers. The warranty on this guitar is fabulous. Limited lifetime just like on their Standard Series guitars that sell for thousands of dollars.

I've been playing long enough to know what kind of sound I like out of an acoustic guitar. The DX-1 suits my tastes and my playing styles far better than a sub-$500 is expected to. If this guitar is stolen I will break down into a sobbing mess of tears and anguish because its the first guitar my future wife as bought for me and also because it is fast becoming my new best friend. I love that this guitar is simple and clean and elegant and is not pretentious or flashy. I love that I can customize it as I see fit - I've already purchased a set of Martin Style 45 abalone inlays for the neck and bridge to give it a personal touch. I love that it has such a rich, warm sound that didn't break the bank. I do wish that it had come with a case (from Martin they're running about $152) and a strap pin at the base of the neck would also be nice. But my complaints end when I hear it played.

Very basic features. Mine has a solid spruce top, laminate back and sides (which means pressed mahogany,) a rosewood fretboard and bridge and mohogany neck.
there are satin finishes on the back and sides and there is no finish on the top, which actually lets the guitar breath.
It has chrome tuners, a tortise shell pickguard and very understated features throughout. there is a strap button in the back but none on the neck so you gotta do the tie thing by the headstock. i don't rate by the number of features but by their usefullness so i'll be generous and give an 8 here.

it suits my blusy style well. a lot of bottom end for such an inexpensive guitar. the treble has that nice subtle martin quality. it really does not have the tin can sound of a lot of guitars in its price range, but it does not sound like a $1,000 and up martin either. pretty close though, and after about a year and a half of playing it, i can honstly say it still gives off pleasing sounds, even as my ear has improved. it's not really compelling for finger picking, but anything with a plectrum will sound great, especially open chords.

the finish is pretty much non existant, but again, it allows the wood to breath. the disadvantage is that the unprotected spruce top suffers dings very easily (mine has a few) and will also start looking darker over time.
also, the rosewood fingerboard will pick up finger oils and darken with age. as a matter of fact, it started staining about the second week of playing it. the action, like most martins, is pretty high, though not by any means unplayable. it has no flaws. nothing is poorly cut or oxidizing.

it's a light guitar. i would not recommend it for heavy gigging. it's more of a nice at home or practice guitar. it can hold up well to takamines and the like in a jam setting. (sounds much fuller than takamines in my opinion) i could also see it singing in the hands of a good lounge guitarist. but if you take it out, use a solid case or sturdy gig bag.

well, they gave this guitar the same warranty as other martins, i believe limited lifetime. that's pretty good, considering it isn't the most rugged guitar in the world. i did call with a question once and they were pretty helpful, though i did get the feeling they were not as accomodating as they would have been to someone who owned a $7k d-45.

Overall, I'd say its a fine-souding, but not dazzling, mid-priced acoustic. If you're looking for something with a nicer finish and better durability, it's not for you. but if you are looking for a good, warm, bassy sound, it is. after playing it for a year and a half, i have somewhat fallen out of love with the guitar and have upgraded to a taylor 710. (my new love) but my martin, she served me well. now i'm selling her and can honestly say i'm passing off a quality souding instrument for the price.

spruce top with laminated sides, workmanship is great, looks are plain

the sound of the dx1 is great, really great when strings are new

action was bad from the factory, but took it to a dealer under warrenty, and was taken care of, but first string is a little to close to the edge, and some times in a C chord my palm dulls the string. seems like the first and sixth are not the equal distance in

everything seems great

no problem with warranty setup

the sound is great, looks are plain jane, first string to close to edge, like it mainly for the sound

All features are standard and utilitarian, just as you'd expect with a mid-range priced guitar.

I played many, many guitars and decided to buy this one soley based upon its nice deep, bassy sound; not just because it was made by Martin. Its a perfect Blues and folk guitar. Tonally this guitar holds its own against much more expensive guitars. If you prefer a more trebely tone, I wouldn't recommend this guitar, though. MOST people do play and listen carefuly to a guitar before they buy it, so I can't comprehend why someone would actally shell out the cash to purchase this guitar and then decide they hate its tone. Life's a mystery...

The action thus far has been consistantly good. During the dry winter months, I've been careful to always keep the guitar in my humidified bedroom. The intonation is great.

I've owned my DX-1 for well over a year now, play it almost everyday (I also play electric) and so far it has been rock solid. I really love the soft natural wood finish. And by the way, it is real wood to correct the last reviewer. The construction is solid, but may seem fragile since it does not have an armour-like varnish finish as some other guitars have. The lack of a finish also contributes to its nice deep tone.

NA

If your looking for a bassy Vs. trebley accoustic guitar, the DX-1 is best in its class for the money. If this guitar were lost or stolen, I'd most likely purchase the same model over again. I've been playing for over 15 years and appreciate the fact that you can finally buy a guitar that sounds this nice for less than $800.

1999 Martin DX1. This guitar has a solid spruce top with mahogany grained high pressure laminate back and sides (This is a nice sounding term for fake wood). This guitar just goes to show you that just because a guitar says U.S.A on it, doesn't mean it's good. I am not a guitar manufacturer, but I do build acoustic guitars. Martin has a pretty nice bracing system on this guitar, but it does not make it sound good like the sales pitches say. I don't care how good your bracing is, you can't make fake wood sound like real wood. The satin finish is less than impressive. The neck feels nice, but right out of the box, it needed some neck work. The only good thing I can rate is the solid spruce top. Although I have heard much better sounding spruce, I have to give it a 3.

The sound is not very good at all. I now feel like this guitar should have been priced half of what it was. I play various styles from jazz to funk to rock, and the only good sound it produces is on the low end strings. I recently bought an ALL SOLID WOOD larrivee D-03 for less money, and it sounds much, much better.

Action was terrible. The strings were actually on top of the frets, and I have to do a series of adjustments before I could actually here notes. The finish looked okay, but by the sound you can tell it is not a real laquer. The guitar is very, very light and I'm afraid if I hold it to tight, my fingers will break right through the fake wood. The truss rod was almost tweaked all the way when I got it.

This guitar will not withstand live playing, nor will the hardware last. I can tell that the wonderful bracing is already falling out of wack. (Does that mean it is still wonderful). It is totally undependable in any live situation. However, the solid top does give it an okay sound for a practice instrument.

N/A

I have been playing for many years, and this guitar has been my worst investment yet. As I said before, my larrivee D0-3 sounds light years beyond the martin and I spent $500 on it new. My advice to anyone looking for an affordable guitar: Stay away from the martin line for affordable instruments. Get an all solid wood larrivee for less money.

2001 model, made in USA,14 frets accessible, 20 total.
Solid Spruce top , laminated sides and back, black micarta fretboard, solid neck, no finish, enclosed tuners, no fret markers or inlays, very clean fretboard. extremely basic.

sound is very rich and deep. very close to that of a taylor.great overall balance to the sound. not cheap sounding.

fretboard is very smooth. great action. best acoustic i've played for under $1500

sounds great, plays great, but is still very basic, no gimics

The martin DX-1 is your basic dreadnought style guitar. It has 20 frets (14 exposed) and a very beautiful solid spruce top. The body is a wood fiber composite laminate, which is basically like a formida kitchen counter- top. I wasn't to crazy about this at first but just leave it to Martin to take a counter-top and make it into a work of art. Just looking at the body you could never tell that it isn't real mahogany. But atleast it won't scratch easily. I was looking for a good acoustic at a price I could handle, and for the price you will not find better craftsmanship or sound.

The sound is awesome! I've been playing guitar for 15 years and play mostly acoustic gigs now. The sound is so crisp and clear and when you hit the low notes it gives off a nice bass tone with very good resonance. I use a Dean Markley Pro Mag acoustic pick-up with mine (running into the PA) and it sounds great. Best of all, even at the low price and despite its wood fiber composite body it still sounds like a Martin.

The action is among the best I've ever played in an acoustic guitar. It is very easy to play. I have a 10 yr old Gibson Chet Atkins Tennesean (electric semi-hollow body) and the DX-1 plays almost as good as the Chet Atkins. Like I said before the craftsmanship is excellent. Everything fits together perfectly and there is no sign of glue or anything like that. It is almost flawless in design. The solid spruce top is very attractive and is exellent in quality.

This guitar will probaly withstand live playing if you are careful with it. It is kind of light but seems rather strong because of the type of bracing, however not quite as strong as real wood. The hardware is of good quality. Pretty much everything on this guitar looks strong except maybe the body. Like I said before just be careful with it.

I don't have any comments on this due to not having to deal with any customer support.

I've been playing for 15 yrs. I own a Gibson Chet Atkins Tennesean, an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, a Fender Twin Reverb with Celestion speakers (I put those in myself), many effects pedals and other stuff. I like playing good quality guitars, and the Martin DX-1 will make a nice addition to my little collection. If I had asked something before I bought this guitar it would be concerning the materials that the body is made of. Honestly, when I bought it I just picked it up, played it, and looked at the fact that it was a Martin in an excellent price range with super sound, so I didn't even ask what the body was made of. I love the looks, playability, and sound of this guitar. I'm not to crazy about the body material, but only because I don't know how strong it is. I do wish that Martin could make this same guitar with a real mahogany body for the same price, but I don't see that happening. Overall this is a really good guitar for any purpose, whether it is learning to play, playing live, or just sitting at home or anywhere else and jamming. It is quite remarkable that a Martin in this low of a price range still sounds and plays better than the higher end price ranges of some other popular brands of guitars. I would recommend this guitar to anyone who wants a good guitar at a low price.

Guitar has SOLID SPRUCE TOP with one piece Mahogany grained high pressure laminate back & sides. Inlaid Boltaron Rosette around soundhole. Neck is 1 11/16" wide at nut, 20 frets total-14 frets clear, scale length 25.4". Fingerboard & bridge are black Micarta. Guitar is full sized. Basic Dreadnought really. Looks basic, but because its a martin, it's simple, elegant, and beautiful!

Sound is amazing for a guitar in this price range. It sounds like it could easily sell for over a grand. Bass notes are boomy but not too boomy, and the highs accent this perfectly. I play newer rock, ex: Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Our Lady Peace, etc. Perfect for this style.

The craftsmanship on this Martin as well as almost all other Martin's is flawless. No glue to be found, fret wires are perfect. Action suits me perfectly, not too high or low, kinda medium. Could not make this thing buzz if I tried.

Seems like it would require a good case to make sure it doesnt get damaged. Guitar is VERY light and probably brittle too. Just be careful with it, like any acoustic, especially a MArtin, be careful! Get a nice hardshell case, it's worth it. If you bang up a Martin, you're an idiot, period.

Unsure about this part, but I hear martin is fairly reasonable with customer service/warranties.

Been playing for a few years now, I own a few other acoustics including an Ovation Celebrity, a washburn D-10, and a few older pieces of crap. This one blows them all away. If it were stolen I'd hunt that person down and end their days. Even though it's fairly inexpensive, you'd never know that by the sound of this baby. Bottom line people, it sounds better than any other acoustic around for under $1,000. I even sat down with some martins that were well over $1200 and even some guilds, gibsons and taylors that were $1500+ and this one blew them all away. Hard to believe I know, but I speak the truth. Buy one if you find one.