Martin LX1 vs LXM - Laminate vs Solid Wood Comparison 

I take my LXM in the truck. It gets knocked about, has to endure big temp.changes. Humidity goes from desert to rainforest and is straight as a plank. Any wood guitar would be bananashaped.

Finally finally finally! The comparison is back!!! Wow

If your using it as a travel guitar it makes sense to get the laminated one

I would normally say always go for a solid top guitar but i love the sound of the lxm , it sounds really warm and bassy, i have the lxk2 and for what it is its brilliant

As some people have commented, the LXM makes a more durable axe for traveling. My only issue with it is that the rosette is a decal which eventually seems to wear off from the pick whereas the rosette on the LX1 is either inlaid or done in ink which is more durable.

Thanks for helping me to decide.

I bought a lxm for 100 bucks it was broken and had some neck issues but after i did a little work i had it working nicely,but i took it with me on a canadian backpacking trip and on a few long distance dog sled races .and it survived my constant abuse

I own the lx1. Great guitar, I personally love the tone of this Guitar! Would never sell it.

LXM sounds warm. LX1 sounds a bit too brash and thin . but I would expect that mellow over the years.

In Martins website it's a 30$ difference, i would go for solid but i guess if you know it's gonna get a beating maybe i would go for something cheaper all together...

I have the LXM. I played them both at GC and decided that I liked the LXM better. I guess the warmer sound made the difference for me. It is loud as it is. I also bought the DXK2AE because, how much I liked the little Martin.

I travel with a solid spruce top and haven't had issues yet but even if I did I would budget for the sitka spruce going bad every few years at

Why not just an lx1 with a simple binding like the lxm? It seems complicated for Martin, but that's what we'd like. no?

So basically the plywood one sounds like plywood and the solid top one sounds like a solid top. Simple enough.

Generally prefer solid woods, but on this size guitar, I think the laminate actually sounds better. The solid top is too bright and thin sounding, but it definitely projects more volume. Nobody ever mentions it, but you can also augment the sound quite a bit with different nut/saddle & bridge pin material, string gauge, etc…all things being equal, I prefer a warmer sound akin to rosewood, and the LXM sounds closer to it.

The top bracing is different as well.

I'm going for the LX1E

LXME or BT1/2E? Help pls

I came into this absolutely positive that I would like the LX1 best. Nope. I was wrong. I would rather have a travel guitar with less volume but decent tone and balance (and durability) than have one with more volume but lousy tone and balance. Hotels and camping are not places where more volume is appreciated by your neighbors anyway. How rare it is to prefer the less expensive Martin.

These Little Martins have some serious MOJO. And yes. They DO open up over time. A dread it is not but they’re Great for that old time blues sound. I’ve had an LX-1 for a few years now and play it all the time. It’s great for working out bluegrass leads and fiddle tunes because it’s so easy to play due to its short scale. At first I thought it was pricey for what you’re getting but I now feel it is worth it. Especially now that its improving in sound over time. I wonder how it;; sound after 20 years! Don’t overlook this little gem.

I liked the laminate top better because being so small, it doesn't need to be brighter. It sounds smoother, less tiny. This is my second comparison. It actually sound way better to me than the solid top. It will be tougher/stronger aswell.

Wood for home and kids. Laminate for back of the truck.

Stopped liking laminate tbh, defo going for the LX1

no comparison there! solid top wins by a country mile :)

Which is cheaper? I need answer plz.

can you review hex guitar from korea,but made in indonesia review ... sir... icant find rite review for this brand.. only shitty review :(

LX1 is more bright and clear.

LXME all day!

Ed Sheeran didn't choose LXM. :)

LXM all the way...the solid top sounded to thin.

I thought the LX1 is a Sitka top ?!!?

As Paul said its perfect application is to put it in a fire for the camp.

Night and day - the LX1 easily sounds like a full-size guitar

Lx1 horrible bright, LXM wins.(for me...)

The chicken plucking does little to compare the two guitars. You should redo the video if you want to make a comparison video.

the laminated one was left a little bit out of tune to make ppl want the more expensive solid top more

Not even close. Wood wins.

Test guitar like a beginner...

Why do you have a herd of elephants on all your videos?

people get so hyped up with Ed Sheeran using the little martin, imho its not a proof that lx1 is a decent guitar, its a proof that sheeran is an amazing musician that makes shit guitars work, it is what it is, a travel guitar with boxy sound. Listen to Sheeran's live loops, the boxy sound is there, its still quality music but it would be better with an hd28 period.

Thank's God, my religion is against laminated body guitars

The laminate tops, not good.The compress end anonymous timbre sound.

Say whatever you want; plywood by any other name still stinks!

I have the Taylor GS Mini much better than either of these.

Blah, blah fucking blah! Play the things!

horrible vox dudes!

Why would anyone pay $1000 + dollars for a shitty laminate guitar even if it is a martin?

$330+ for trash plywood? martin has lost its mind.

What I have never understood, and would appreciate if someone has an explanation; Why is it that HPL top guitars lack highs? I would have thought that the HPL, being stronger with less flex for vibrations, would affect its ability to produce low end, not highs. The strings vibrating faster are not hindered by the body or chamber of a guitar, the lows I can see benefitting from the body resonating. I'm obviously missing something.