We have the battle of the small acoustics – Baby Taylor Vs Little best Martin Acoustic Guitars. We are looking at a comparison of two of the most popular travel-friendly guitars from the top-tier instrument brands! Great acoustic for campfire sessions, child, traveler, smaller-framed student practice!
The main difference between the Baby Taylor and The Little Martin is the shape of the bodies. The Little Martin has a more hourglass shape with a narrower waist, while the Baby Taylor is more traditional in shape.
Both of these 3/4-size dreadnaughts are just like a full-sized dreadnaught but smaller.
On one side, we have the Baby Taylor, with a solid Sitka spruce top, Sapele layered back and sides, and finally, an ebony fretboard. While on the other side, we have the Little Martin with an HPL spruce pattern top, a Mahogany pattern on the back and the sides, and finally, a Micarta fretboard.
It’s eccentric yet worthy to compare two of the most popular travel guitars as these have set benchmarks for premium guitars in the world of acoustics. A quick answer to the comparison may sound somewhat like – both happen to have distinct features & and constructions, making them different from each other and worthy in their ways.
Nonetheless, there isn’t any less curiosity or intriguing dimension while comparing these two champions in the world of acoustic guitars. We have our analysis commence with the constructions and the make-over of the guitars and end up with their playability, sound production & specific pros & cons to look at. Let the fretting of the fretboards of our contenders begin.
Take a look at this Taylor vs Martin instrument models comparison.
| Baby Taylor | Little Martin |
|---|---|
  |   |
Check Current Price | Check Current Price |
Baby Taylor BT2 Acoustic Qualities
The former contender in our battle of acoustics and their qualities, the Baby Taylor comes with around 22.75” small hand-friendly scale length and is pretty comfortable irrespective of your build – be it while in your teenage or a fully grown 6ft man.
The Baby Taylor, with its ¾-size & a dreadnought made with a solid Mahogany top, happens to be an absolute beauty to be held in hand. Let’s have a more detailed look at this beauty’s constructions.
3/4 Guitar Body Style And Construction
As for the construction of the Baby Taylor, the below format offers a clear perspective of its unfolding:
- Body (includes back and sides): made up of Sapele Laminate.
- Top: made up of solid Tropical Mahogany.
- Neck: concludes with solid Sapele.
- Fretboard: West African Ebony.
- Gives a warm, woody, and dark tone and sound.
- Comes with an X-pattern bracing.
- Die-cast chrome tuners
- Thanks to the ¾-sized dreadnought material that makes the acoustic great for travel and basking.
Although the solid wood neck is prone to warping in extreme temperature changes, with proper attention & care, the acoustic makes the Baby Taylor ready for traveling and sounds excellent!
Playability
The fretboard of the Baby Taylor, made of Ebony, tends to bring in a perfect responsive requirement as it is played. Also, the natural oils of the board tend to allow free movement while passing on from fret to fret and chord to chord.
One peculiar feature is its unique system for mounting the neck, i.e., it is attached with two bolts instead of having a usual heel. This comes in handy since this eases the access of the higher frets.
All in all, the former contender of this instrument battle is not too high to be challenging to play and simultaneously not too low to generate those extra fret noises.
Sound Quality And Tone
The Mahogany and the Sapele, both being tonewoods and sharing similar characteristics, bring in a complete platform for producing a pretty rich sound in harmonics and overtones. More precisely, the solid Sapele neck tends to add up a high-end sparkle and, when further carried to the ebony fingerboard, outputs a warm, woody, and soothing tone.
Read our full Baby Taylor review here. Also, please take a look at our picks for the best Taylor acoustic guitar here.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Ø Produces a loud sound and rich tone with rich harmonics and complex overtones. | Ø Its solid wood neck is prone to warping in case of extreme temperatures. |
| Ø Comes with bolted necks to enable easy access to higher frets. | Ø Doesn’t have a classy look because of bolted necks. |
| Ø Comes with an arched back for the extra spicy volume. | Ø For some players, the sound quality and warm tone may lack a certain brightness. |
Little Martin LX1 Acoustic Guitar
The right contender of our battle comes with a 23” small hand-friendly scale length and ties in the comfort aspect with its contender. Little Martin acoustic guitar features a concert-style body and comes with quality standard and is pretty durable.
Body Shapes And Construction
As for the construction of the acoustic, the below format offers a clear perspective of its unfolding qualities:
- Body: made of Mahogany high-pressure laminate.
- Top: covered with solid Sitka spruce.
- Neck: Birch laminate
- Fretboard: Richlite
- Sealed chrome die-cast tuners
- Gives crisp, clear & bright tone and sound.
- Comes with an X-pattern bracing.
Similar to its contender, its neck is prone to warping with extreme temperature changes. However, the Richlite and the laminate material tend to somewhat resist any damage due to fluctuations in weather.
Playability
Thanks to its concert-style body, the acoustic is quite easy and comfortable for handling even for players with smaller hands or shorter arms. Also, the Richlite happens to give an Ebony fretboard like look and makes for a smooth and comfortable playing surface. Of course, it tends to have a good response too.
Overall, the acoustic is set just right to avoid any fret buzzes and still be playable for the underdeveloped fingers.
Sounds
The Mahogany sides and the back tend to dampen brightness that some players need and hence balance out the tone with a decent low and mid-range response. Overall, the acoustic sounds great for small unplugged sessions and other likewise venues.
There is also an acoustic-electric version with pickup systems.
Check out our full Little Martin review here as well.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Ø The laminate and Richlite tend to resist some damage from weather fluctuations. | Ø For higher registers, it tends to have a tinny tone and sound. |
| Ø Comes with certified sustainable wood. | Ø For lower registers, it tends to lack tonal complexity. |
| Ø Perfect size for undeveloped fingers and for traveling. | Ø The fretboard and the bridge happen to be vulnerable because of their synthetic material. |
Baby Taylor Vs Little Martin Conclusion
Some other comparable guitars:
- Taylor GS Mini
- Taylor BT1
Overall, as both models are built solidly with similar qualities, it comes down to the tone as the desired factor and price. As for the tone, popularly players favor the Baby Taylor over the Little Martin as their personal preference. That should settle the battle!
Looking to compare the entire brands? Check out our article on Taylor Vs Martin.