Martin is best known for making premium acoustic guitars, but it is actually possible to get your hands on one on a budget. Starting at $399, the LX1 – Martin's cheapest full-bodied acoustic guitar – is a perfect guitar for a beginner or smaller player. Martin’s Mexican-made guitars populate the sub-$1,000 section of the Martin product list, and they are all fantastic – but on some models, you’ll only find a solid top, with the back and sides made from a high-pressure laminate (HPL). These guitars are still brilliantly resonant, and in some cases more durable than their all-solid counterparts, but they don’t quite have the same vibe and feeling as an all-solid, USA-made Martin. That being said, there are few better acoustics you could buy for under a grand.
USA-made Martins start at around $1,500 with the 15 series, so if the country of manufacture is something you’re precious about, then this is the place to start your search. All guitars from this point onwards are made entirely from solid wood, so you can expect the typical Martin resonance that they’ve become so well known for. Although the 15 and 17 series are killer guitars, Martin’s famous D-18 comes in at not much more – around $2,600 – so if you’re after an investment as well as an amazing guitar, then we’d start here.