Guitar Interactive – Issue 66 2019

(^124) Guitar Interactive Issue 66
World-renowned for their ability to craft beautiful guitars perfect for the work-
ing musician. Martin guitars, with their rich history, stunning design and effort-
less playability, continue to prove why they are considered one of the very best
acoustic manufacturers around. In this issue, Tom Quayle reviews the latest
from the brand, in the form of the extremely competitively priced:
Martin Dreadnought Junior DJR10E.
many acoustic guitar manu-
facturers these days, Martin
produces a whole range of smaller-bodied
instruments to suit the needs of their cus-
tomer base, ranging from their travel-friendly
‘Backpacker’ series to their diminutive ‘Lit-
tle Martin’ guitars. The Junior series is de-
signed to sit in between these mini guitars
and a full-sized Martin, thanks to its smaller
Dreadnought body proportions, ‘000’ body
width and 24” scale length. The DJR-10E is
perfectly suited to those players looking for a
big Dreadnought sound in a smaller package
and, unlike some of Martin’s smaller guitars,
this one features all solid woods for a more
authentic Martin experience.
Our review DJR-10E or Dreadnought Junior
featured a solid, satin-finished Sitka Spruce
top and cherry stained, satin-finished Sapele
back and sides. Martin also offer a Sapele
top for those wanting a darker overall look
and perhaps a slightly brighter overall tone.
The hand rubbed finish neck is constructed
from select hardwood, sporting Martin’s
high-performance taper for a smooth playing
experience that matches beautifully with the
shorter 24” scale length. The comfortable,
thinner ‘000’ body width is enhanced with
softer, contoured back edges that are a sur-
prisingly welcome addition over the standard
hard edges you would find on a larger Dread-
nought guitar. Comfort is the name of the
game here and the DJR-10E is a delightful
playing experience that makes switching back
to a full-size guitar a slightly disconcerting
experience.
The DJR-10E is a classically good-looking
instrument thanks to it’s natural, satin finish
and handsome, understated aesthetic touch-
es. The Mother of Pearl rosette and fretboard
dots are all tastefully executed, matching
beautifully with the Tortoise shell pickguard
and the classic Martin headstock is adorned
with a dark wood veneer and gold-script
Martin logo, completing the classy, without
ever being over the top, look.
The Dreadnought Junior is available with
or without electronics – our review model
featured a Fishman Sonitone pickup; a su-
perb addition that sounds great and stays
out of the way thanks to the controls being
Martin DJR10E-02
THE QUIETROOM_GUITAR REVIEW THE QUIET ROOM MARTIN DJR10E-02
LIKE