Acoustic guitars are popular among people who need an easy-to-play guitar. It’s one of the best guitars for beginners since it’s easier to learn. It is designed to produce sound by vibrating strings above the guitar’s hollow chamber. In addition, it produces a rich sound but choosing the right acoustic guitar is important.
For this reason, we have Ibanez AC240 vs. Martin guitar comparison in this article because Martin has an exceptional range of acoustic guitars available!
Ibanez AC240 vs Martin Overview
| Features | Ibanez AC240 | Martin (LX1) |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Small grand concert body | Intermediate |
| Suitability | Fingerstyle and blues music | Folk and country music |
| Electronics | No | Yes |
| Scale length | 25 inches | 23 inches |
| Sound type | Mellow, warm, and well-rounded | Bright as well as warm sound |
Ibanez AC240 vs Martin
Ibanez AC240
This is an acoustic guitar from the Artwood range of Ibanez and is popular for the solid mahogany top with an exceptional natural finish. The guitar has a premium design and aesthetics, but it’s still very affordable. This guitar has been designed for people who prefer the focused sound as there are some overtones.
There is an open pore finish on the guitar, which creates a rustic and appealing appearance. In addition, it ensures that the wood’s pores aren’t sealed, so you can see the wood grain. There are dot inlays on the fretboard, which makes it easier to personalize the music and orientate on a fretboard.
There are advantage bridge pins on the guitar, which are easier to replace and remove. In addition, they promise better sustain, clarity, and volume. The guitar has chrome-plated Grover tunes for easy and reliable tuning. The guitar’s bone saddle and nut improve the sustain and won’t develop any nicks.
Moreover, it’s a pre-strung guitar and has steel strings. Overall, it’s a well-designed and well-appointed guitar, which makes it a suitable choice for people who want to learn how to play guitar.
Design
The guitar is constructed with a solid mahogany top that helps produce a full and warm sound. In addition, the sides and back are made from laminated mahogany to improve durability and appearance. The guitar has a small grand concert body, making it a suitable choice for fingerstyle players.
The guitar is popular for accurate projection, which means you can play it comfortably, whether you are standing or sitting. The mahogany wood adds a different grain to every guitar, which means each guitar looks unique. The neck is wider as compared to other acoustic guitars on the market, and there is an ovangkol fingerboard.
This wood is dense, soft, and durable. This material results in richer overtones and exceptional sustain, which contributes to a warmer tone. Also, this wood is extremely smooth and easy to work with, which means controlling the fingerboard is easier. However, the fingerboard is not suitable for guitarists with small hands.
In addition, the scale length of this guitar is 24.9-inches, which is why it’s convenient to bend the notes – this is because the short scale of the guitar lowers the string tension. Also, there is a dovetail joint in the neck for higher playability. On the other hand, there are no electronics in the guitar, which is the primary reason behind the low price.
Overall, the design is suitable for beginners, but if you want to amplify the sound, it’s recommended that you invest in a high-quality pickup. Last but not least, the open pore finish of this guitar needs extensive maintenance and care.
Sound
The guitar is integrated with a solid mahogany top, which helps create a well-rounded, mellow, and warm sound. The tones are extremely accurate and articulate. In addition, it has a significant low end, and there are limited overtones, given the small concert body.
This guitar is known to have some punchiness in the sound, and since it has a smaller body, the guitar is perfect for blues musicians. Also, the compact size of the guitar makes it suitable for fingerpickers. The guitar is integrated with a wide mahogany neck, which allows more space to fret the notes.
The guitar has a dovetail neck joint that’s combined with a mahogany neck, resulting in a secure joint. In addition, this secure joint maximizes the shift of string vibrations to the guitar. As a result, the players will be able to feel the notes. The open pore finish of the guitar leads to a raw finish, leading to maximum resonance.
Martin
Martin Guitars is one of the best choices for people who need an acoustic guitar, and the company has been manufacturing acoustic guitars since 1833. Their acoustic guitars are known for high-end sound, but LX1 is the most popular acoustic guitar (we will talk about it in the following sections).
In addition to acoustic guitars, Martin has high-end fingerstyle guitars. The acoustic guitars are designed to produce a bright sound. The Martin guitars produce a high-end and bright tone, which is perfect for recording as well as live performances – they respond well in every environment.
These guitars can work with heavy as well as light strings, making them perfect for people who want to try out various strings and experiment with the music. The best thing about Martin guitars is that they have the electronics, promising easier feedback protection and tuning. Martin guitars also offer a free neck reset.
Design
When it comes down to Martin’s acoustic guitars, LX1 is the most popular choice. This is a suitable choice for beginner musicians and has a durable construction. The guitar has a solid sitka spruce wood top, which lends a great tone. In addition, the guitar has non-scalloped X-bracing, which can lead to slow response at times.
However, it has a modified concert body – it’s an intermediate size, which makes it suitable for adults as well as kids. The sides and back of the guitar are made from HPL (high-pressure laminate) mahogany, which means it has exceptional sustain.
This is because HPL is a composite wood with various layers of thin wood sealed together with phenolic resin. In addition, the HPL is weather and water-resistant, which eliminates the chances of warping, even if you play the guitar in humid conditions. The fingerboard is made from rust birch wood, promising better resonance.
The scale length of this guitar is 23 inches, and there are twenty frets – the neck joints the guitar body at the 14th fret with the help of a strong tenon joint. For this reason, it helps produce full-range sound, irrespective of the music style. The guitar has a shorter scale length, which makes it easier to access the frets.
As far as the appearance is concerned, the guitar has unfinished sides and back, a hand-rubbed finish on the top, and a headstock that’s overlaid to complement the guitar’s mahogany body.
Sound
The guitar is perfect for different music styles. However, there are no fret inlays in the guitar, which is why you need to remember the chord shapes and finger placement. The tuning machine is made from steel and has chrome plating, which makes it more durable.
The availability of the sitka spruce wood soundboard helps create a bright tone, while the mahogany sides and back add evenness to the music. The lower and middle ends are extremely responsive, and the low registers produce warm and clear sound without overpowering the guitar’s high end.
The best thing about this guitar is that there is no fret buzz, harmonic complexity, or muddiness. For this reason, this guitar is recommended for people who want to play folk or country music.
The Bottom Line
Selecting a reliable acoustic guitar can be challenging, but Martin and Ibanez have made it easier for the players. Martin’s acoustic guitars are perfect for people who like variety, but LX1 has outperformed all other models.
The guitar seems too loud for its size and helps produce a variety of sounds, including warm, rich, crisp, and bright tones. On the other hand, Ibanez AC240 is a promising choice for people who prefer mellow, warm, and well-rounded music.