My new friend: Martin Backpacker

This is my new friend, a sympathetic Martin Backpacker. This little instrument I brought home from Boston, when I were there last year to attend a course at Avid. When I saw this little one at the local Guitar Center I was immediately struck and bought it right away. There were two, but this one made a connection with me through its rougher grains and deep black scale. 

Yes, it does not have much bass, but this is the way it exists. I sanded the tailpiece a bit to ease the strings hight and now it has a perfect action. I use the recommended low tension strings (Martin). 

This instruments, along with its mysterious beauty, has a very accurate tuning throughout the whole scale and harmonics are very present, which enriches the sound. In the beginning I struggled a bit on trying to hold it securely to free my left hand, but now I have learned two ways to hold it tight so it does not request a strap when seated. One way is to gentle sit the lower part of my right arm on its body while it stays by my side, pictured above. The other one is to sit it on my lap and have its rear body against mine. This is an incredible instrument and I love it very much.