Little Martin Acoustic Electric Guitars: Ed Sheeran 3 Divide

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It’s hard to argue against owning a Martin acoustic electric guitar, if you can afford it. The Little Martin acoustic electrics are the slightly more affordable models. The Ed Sheeran custom model mentioned above is a variation of one of the two basic Little Martins.

In this overview and review, I’ll look at these two (or three, depending on how you count) models to help you decide which one you’d like best.

If you are in a hurry and just want to check the availability and pricing of these Little Martin acoustic electric guitars at Amazon, you can click a link in the list below.

• LXME Little Martin
• LX1E Little Martin
• LX1E Ed Sheeran 3 Divide

If you want to skip ahead to a certain section of the article, you can click a link in the list below. Otherwise, you can simply keep scrolling and reading as usual.

How Do the Little Martin Guitars Compare to Each Other?

Tables are good for comparisons, so I give you the three below so you can see how similar these three models are to each other. Remember, as you scan down the rows, that the Ed Sheeran is really a special edition of the LX1E.

Also note that “HPL” stands for High Pressure Laminate.

Model	LXME	LX1E	Ed Sheeran
Construction	Mortise & Tenon Neck Joint	Mortise & Tenon Neck Joint	Mortise & Tenon Neck Joint
Body Size	Modified 0-14 Fret	Modified 0-14 Fret	Modified 0-14 Fret
Top	(Spruce pattern) HPL	Sitka Spruce	Sitka Spruce
Back	(Mahogany pattern) HPL	(Mahogany pattern) HPL	(Mahogany pattern) HPL
Sides	(Mahogany pattern) HPL	(Mahogany pattern) HPL	(Mahogany pattern) HPL
Neck	Rust Birch Laminate	Rust Birch Laminate	Rust Birch Laminate
Neck Shape	Modified Low Oval	Modified Low Oval	Modified Low Oval
Rosette	Herringbone Ink	Multi-Stripe	Multi-Stripe
Bracing Pattern	X Brace	X Brace	X Brace

Model	LXME	LX1E	Ed Sheeran
Brace Shape	Non-scalloped	Non-scalloped	Non-scalloped
Brace Material	Sitka Spruce	Sitka Spruce	Sitka Spruce
Nut Material	White Corian	White Corian	Black Corian
Headplate Material	HPL	HPL	HPL
Headplate Detail	Rosewood pattern	Rosewood pattern	Black
Headplate Logo	Script Ink	Script Ink	Script Ink
Fingerboard Material	FSC® Certified Richlite	FSC® Certified Richlite	FSC® Certified Richlite
Fingerboard Width at Nut (in.)	1 11/16	1 11/16	1 11/16
Fingerboard Width at 12th Fret (in.)	2 1/16	2 1/16	2 1/16

Model	LXME	LX1E	Ed Sheeran
Fingerboard Inlay	n/a	n/a	Blue plastic
Fingerboard Inlays	White dots	White dots	Division signs
Scale Length (in.)	23	23	23
Frets	20	20	20
Bridge Material	FSC® Certified Richlite	FSC® Certified Richlite	FSC® Certified Richlite
Bridge Style	Junior Style Belly	Junior Style Belly	Junior Style Belly
Saddle	Compensated White Tusq	Compensated White Tusq	Compensated White Tusq
Saddle Radius	16	16	16
Bridge Pin	White plastic	White plastic	Black plastic
Bridge Pin Dots	Black plastic	Black plastic	Blue plastic

Not much difference between the LXME and the LX1E, is there? To see the only major difference, you have to scroll back up to the “Top”.

There you’ll see that the LXME has a high pressure laminate (HPL) top, whereas the LX1E has a top made of Sitka spruce. The only other tiny difference is in the rosette pattern.

As I mentioned, the Ed Sheeran 3 is an LX1E with custom decorations. It has more blue and black accents than a standard LX1E, plus the signature division sign which is related to his third album produced in 2017.

All of these models are lacking a pickguard. All are made in Mexico and has Fishman Sonitone electronics. You also get a soft gig bag to protect your purchase.

LXME and LX1E Little Martin

The Martin website has this to say about both the LXME and LX1E guitars.

“While the Little Martin is our smallest guitar, it is very big on tone, quality and versatility. It’s ideal for travel, student practice or for just playing around the house or campfire. This model includes sustainable wood certified parts.”

It seems that it’s the “big on tone, quality, and versatility” part of the description that endeared Ed Sheeran to the LX1E, as you’ll see below.

LX1E Ed Sheeran 3 Divide

Here’s another interesting quote from Martin about the 3 Divide edition.

“After selling millions of records and taking a year-long creative hiatus, Ed Sheeran has re-emerged in 2017 with a new chart-busting album and his latest Martin Custom model, the Ed Sheeran ÷ Signature Edition. Built upon Ed’s love of the LX1E Little Martin, and continuing with his mathematical themed album cover art, the “Ed Sheeran 3” forms a trilogy of signature guitars that have supported Ed along his soaring career path to pop stardom.”

There’s nothing more to really say about the 3 Divide because it’s just a LX1E with a custom look. You have to look at the pictures to get a good idea of the differences.

Here is a brief video that gives another good look at this custom guitar.

What’s the Verdict on the Little Martin Acoustic Electric Guitars?

Here is what some owners have to say about their Little Martins.

“I can honestly say this is one of the best investments I’ve made.”

“This guitar may be little, but there’s nothing little about the sound, and it’s definitely a Martin.”

“Most Travel Guitars sound like a tin can. This one sounds like a full sized guitar!”

So it sounds obvious that the Martin quality is there, even in this smaller sized instrument. If you like the idea of a guitar that is less than full sized – perhaps for a child or a small adult – then one of these Little Martin acoustic electric models could be just what you need.

Get your Little Martin guitar at Amazon today!