Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 20, 2007
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 400.77
Purchased from: www.dangleberrymusic.co.uk
Features: Not sure about the year of manufacture, or for that matter, where, but I think perhaps Korea/China? Anyhow, the details are as follows: solid spruce top, mahogany back & sides, mahogany neck with ivory maple binding to both body and fingerboard, sound hole pufling made from layered walnut, gold Die-Cast tuners (unknown brand) with amber mushroom pegs, satin finish, fishman classic 4 electronics (peizo pickup) with bass, middle, treble, brilliance and volume controls. // 9
Sound: A lovely, even tone acorss the entire fretboard, with ample volume tho' perhaps it may be a bit bright for some, but I love it and it will only get better as this guitar ages/matures. The Fishman gives lots of tonal variety and captures the acoustic sound pretty well. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: Overall, barring one slight fault with the ivory binding on the neck near the nut, the actual finish was superb. The factory setup on the other hand, at least the action, was poor. It was by no means unplayable, but the action was way higher than it needed to be imo. I booked it in with my local luthier for a full setup, which involved routing the saddle slot, then shaving a certain amount off the bridge to compensate for the now lower saddle/action. He also dressed the frets and oiled the fretboard as it was a touch dry. This work didn't cost a lot, and resulted a superb guitar, that now plays as well as it looks and sounds. For the life of me, I don't understand why manufacturers go to the trouble of using quality woods and materials, then let the finished product down by having such a poor factory setup. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I've not had it long enough to form a opinion tbh, but everything seems like it will be reliable. My only concern is the weight, it's a real featherweight, it feels almost flimsy, but this could be down to the fact this is the first acoustic I've owned for a number of years. It's likely all acoustics are similar to this one weight wise. // 8
Impression: Even including the extra cost involved in having it setup, I've still spent less than £300 GBP on this guitar. I doubt I could buy anything of a similar quality for less than £500+, in fact it's only the lack of a 'famous name' on the headstock, that prevents it being in the £500+ price range. The bottom line is, this guitar is a gem, an absolute steal at the price, and while I maybe wouldn't replace if stolen or lost, I'll be doing my damndest to make sure neither happens. Highly recommended. // 9
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