This limited-edition beauty feels like a bespoke guitar, and it truly shines whether flatpicked or fingerpicked.
Emile Menasché December 6, 2023
Ask the Expert
Martin Keith is a luthier, repair and restoration expert, and working musician based in Woodstock, New York. He’s been answering your questions about guitars and gear for Acoustic Guitar since 2019.
Here’s a guide to understanding the acoustic guitar nut, a critical area where a few thousandths of an inch can make a big difference in intonation and tuning stability
Neck repairs are a common occurrence on a vintage acoustic guitar and can enhance the sound of a valued instrument. Don’t feel nervous about getting this repair done.
Crafting YouTube content can lead to major breakthroughs for artists, but to gain traction, you’ll need to ensure that your videos are of the highest caliber
The L.R. Baggs Voiceprint DI uses Impulse Response (IR) technology and has the ability to make your pickup sound like the natural acoustic sound of your guitar.
If I had to pick two words to describe the Furch Blue MM, they would be “Play me!” Right out of the box, this mahogany acoustic-electric dreadnought felt ready to make music.
This Santa Cruz OM Custom was made with several storied tonewoods, including Tunnel 13 redwood; Brazilian rosewood; and figured mahogany sourced from the Tree.
The Martin GPC-13E acoustic-electric guitar is an easy choice for players needing a reliable, handsome instrument that sounds good acoustically and plugged in.
Drawing on three decades of experience building guitars for stars and students, Del Langejans’ small outfit near Lake Michigan has developed a signature sound by using thick, rigid sides and rosewood necks.
The Bose L1 Pro16 is an amplification solution that combines clear sound, plenty of power, and uniform dispersion, while being portable and simple to set up.
The Beyerdynamic TG I51 is well-built, affordable, and has a very wide frequency response. For the acoustic guitarist, it has something to offer both on the stage and in the studio.
Dan Erlewine's pioneering reference works and instructional content have made him a mentor to three generations of guitar maintenance and repair geeks.
Fender’s American Acoustasonic Jazzmaster is a sleek, comfortable, stylish, and versatile instrument. This guitar has the iconic offset body style of its solidbody electric ancestors but is really a different animal altogether...
Doug Young tests the Mojotone Quiet Coil NC-1 magnetic soundhole pickup, a lightweight option for acoustic guitarists seeking natural, balanced amplified tone onstage or in the studio.
Cole Clark did not set out to build a guitar to compete with a traditional acoustic. Instead they designed the Angel to be the best-sounding amplified acoustic you’ve ever heard.
Augustine Strings has relaunched the premium Imperial and Regal classical guitar lines with new packaging to enable guitarists to easily identify which of the four sets will best serve them.
Guild pairs its classic jumbo guitar body with a long, 27-inch-scale neck and the more affordable production of its Chinese-built Westerly Collection. The idea is to offer an accessibly priced, fully featured instrument for players who know the satisfying, rafter-rattling power of a baritone and might be curious about exploring the low end.
Photos by Claire Bégin The sound of a customer fingerpicking a 1950 Gibson CF-100 in the front showroom of Folkway Music, in Waterloo, Ontario, an hour west of Toronto, drifts into owner Mark Stutman’s office. On the floor lie guitar cases with instruments ready for repair. On one wall is…
The PRS Tonare Parlor SE P20E guitar evokes the spirit, sound & form factor of a classic parlor while bearing the imprint of PRS’ signature aesthetics and playability.
The guitar has a soft, warm tone that works great for fingerpicked chord patterns and breezy strumming. When strumming chords with a pick, I found it definitely sounds best to approach the FGX3 with a more delicate touch—a thinner pick and a soft strum can go a long way—while heavy-handed strumming and picking tend to get harsh. Approached with a light to medium touch, chords sound rich while maintaining a clarity that allows individual notes to shine.
Fishman’s new PowerTap series mates either a soundhole or undersaddle pickup to its new TAP (which stands for Touch, Ambience, and Percussion) body sensors. The sensors are designed to capture percussive elements, body resonances, and performance dynamics that pickups alone tend to miss.
The Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT lets you tap into a certain live electricity at apartment volumes, in kitchen-sized spaces, and at motel room locales. That's creative gold right there. It's true that the amp won’t supply the audience for you, but on second thought, the version of you that passes through its circuit board may well help you find one.
How do you choose which guitars to review? Our writers are guitar fanatics, just like you. They’re always on the lookout for new or updated offerings to recommend. We’re sometimes asked why we don’t publish negative or one-star reviews – there are so many great guitars being produced today that we’d rather share our balanced opinions on the instruments we do think you should consider.
Do companies pay for you to review their instruments? No. We are proud of the firm separation between advertising sales and editorial coverage that we’ve held strong since our founding in 1990. We only accept endemic advertising – meaning, you won’t see ads for products or services unrelated to making music with an acoustic guitar; inevitably that means we’ll review products made by companies who advertise with us, but you’ll see just as many reviews by companies who do not. We have never (and will never) take money or gifts in exchange for a favorable review.
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