Blueridge BR-160, Saga Musical Instruments, (650) 588-5558,
Saga, The Source!.
Carvin Cobalt C250, Carvin Corp., (85 487-1600,
Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio.
Crafter D45, Hohner, Inc., (804) 515-1900,
Hohner, Inc. -.
Fender GD-47S, Fender Musical Instruments Corp., (480) 596-9690,
.:: Fender®.com ::..
Ibanez AW500NT, Hoshino USA, (215) 638-8670,
Ibanez Guitars, Hollow Bodies, Basses, Acoustics, Amps & Electronics....
Martin DX1, C.F. Martin and Co., (800) 633-2060,
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc..
Seagull Mosaic, Godin Guitar Co., (514) 457-7977,
Seagull Guitars.
Tacoma Roadking RM6C, Tacoma Guitar Co., (253) 847-6508,
Welcome to TacomaGuitars.com!.
Takamine AN10, Kaman Music Corp., (860) 509-8888,
Welcome to Takamine.
Taylor 110, Taylor Guitars, (619) 258-1207,
Official Taylor Guitars Website | Taylor Acoustic, Taylor T5 Electric Guitar.
Washburn D34S Augusta, U.S. Music Corp., (800) 877-6863,
Washburn Guitars.
Yamaha DW15, Yamaha Corp. of America, (714) 522-9011,
Welcome To The World Of Yamaha!.
The incredible quality and variety available in today's high-end acoustic guitars tend to obscure an even more remarkable market reality: that modestly priced acoustic steel-strings, particularly dreadnoughts, are better and more abundant than ever before. We last reviewed affordable steel-strings (14 models under $500) in our May 1999 issue. Several of the guitars included in that review are still in production and a plethora of others have sprung up, but we opted this time to focus on instruments with list prices between $600 and $1,000. Instead of asking manufacturers to send specific models, we invited them to choose their own entries—any solid-topped dreadnought without a pickup that was introduced within the last two years.
Two of the guitars we received—the Carvin Cobalt C250 and the Yamaha DW15—were priced differently than the rest. Rather than the industry-standard manufacturer suggested "list price" (which is typically discounted anywhere from 20 to 35 percent by the retailer), the Carvin is available only directly from the factory (through mail order or one of Carvin's California outlets) for $399, while the Yamaha's "recommended street price" of $549 is unlikely to be discounted much further. However, both the Carvin and Yamaha prices are compatible with the actual "street" prices of most of the other guitars found in this review. Alvarez, Dean, Epiphone, and Garrison also offer dreadnoughts in this price range, but we were unable to obtain them in time for this review.
I tested the instruments with the help of three other guitarists with diverse playing styles and backgrounds. Shelley Doty (
ShelleyDoty.com) is a longtime Bay Area performer and studio musician whose main acoustic ax is a Taylor 612c. Regular Acoustic Guitar contributor and Gypsy jazz aficionado Michael Simmons sold instruments at Palo Alto's Gryphon Stringed Instruments for 14 years. Nicole Solis, Acoustic Guitar's associate editor, is currently studying bluegrass and swing. Her main instrument is a Taylor 714, but she has also owned a Seagull S6 and a Martin DX1. I'm primarily a fingerstyle player, and I usually pick either a Taylor 712c or a Lowden O10. In order to level the playing field, we restrung all the test guitars with light-gauge D'Addario EXP 80/20 strings. With the exception of an occasional truss rod adjustment, we didn't alter the guitars' factory setups.
In evaluating this group of guitars, we noticed several recurring themes. With the exception of the Tacoma Roadking (which has a bolt-on neck with no heel), all of the guitars' necks are made from several pieces of wood. In most cases, the heel and headstock are separate pieces, but the Martin DX1's neck is carved from a single piece of Stratobond, a laminate of multiple strips of wood. A common feature of classical guitars, the multiple-piece neck has only recently been accepted in the world of steel-strings.
All of the test guitars with dovetail neck joints had the finish applied after the neck and body had been assembled. Because a coat of finish over this joint makes future neck resets more difficult, the necks and bodies of higher-end steel-strings are usually finished prior to assembly.
While all the guitars have the typical dreadnought X-bracing (although the Tacoma's has been modified to complement the guitar's offset soundhole), only a few use scalloped (scooped out) braces, which generally result in superior response and dynamic range. Only a few of the instruments came with name-brand tuning machines, but generic tuners have improved so much recently that this is a less important detail than it was just a few years ago.
Blueridge BR-160
$795 without case. One-year warranty. Solid spruce top, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, scalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, high-gloss lacquer finish, butter bean—style tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 1/8 inches. Made in China.
The name Blueridge has long been associated with affordable instruments. Most recently, the brand received critical acclaim for its Chinese-made vintage Martin copies. For this review, Saga Musical Instruments submitted the all-solid-wood BR-160. Adhering closely to Martin dreadnought dimensions, the BR-160 even features vintage-style forward-shifted-and-scalloped X-bracing. Saga decided to stick with a basic herringbone style on the guitar's body, but the BR-160 breaks from tradition with a variation on snowflake inlays in the fingerboard and an over-the-top headstock inlay that is more akin to that of a fancy banjo than a typical guitar. Saga also used a yellow toner to "age" the guitar's top to a slightly unnatural orange color. The craftsmanship, choice of materials, and setup that went into the BR-160 were outstanding and prove how far Chinese manufacturers have come.
Tonally, the Blueridge was very impressive as well. Even though Simmons found the neck to be a bit too shallow, we all agreed that the guitar played great. True to the guitars it emulates, the BR-160 excelled when flatpicked. It displayed a great dynamic range, retained its rich tone when played hard, and displayed good balance throughout its range.
Carvin Cobalt C250
$799 without case (only sold factory-direct at $399). Five-year warranty. Solid spruce top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, unscalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, high-gloss urethane finish, Grover tuners. 25.4-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in Korea.
The Carvin Corp. has been selling U.S.-made electric guitars, amps, and professional sound gear for decades and only entered the acoustic guitar market a couple of years ago. The company's acoustic guitars are built in Korea and set up and quality-controlled in California.
The Cobalt C250 submitted for this review is the entry-level guitar in the Carvin line. Featuring plain but high-quality materials and appointments, it impressed us with a great fit of individual parts, clean construction, and a nice setup. Details such as real ebony bridge pins and Grover tuners will appeal to serious players rather than those in search of eye candy. The guitar is equipped with an embedded Snagg microchip, which can be used to identify the instrument in case of theft (for more information, go to
www.snagg.com).
The C250 was fun to play and had the qualities one hopes for in a mahogany dreadnought: brightness and a certain jangly character. The neck will appeal to players who like a bit of girth; Solis found it a little too chunky for comfort. Finger-pickers may find it hard to develop strong tone when using a softer touch, but overall, the Carvin impressed with good playability, clarity, and balance.
Crafter D45
$995 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, unscalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, high-gloss polyurethane finish, generic tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 1/8 inches. Made in Korea.
An independent Korean manufacturer of guitars (who also supplies several other brands and maintains its own website at
www.crafterguitars.com), Crafter is distributed in the U.S. by Hohner. The company's D45 had the most elaborate appointments of the instruments included in this review, with features like an eye-catching abalone vine inlay that graces the length of the fingerboard, abalone purfling in the guitar's top, and a stylized vine rosette. And the spruce and rosewood of the guitar's body look like tonewoods that would be found in a more expensive instrument. Each piece of the three-piece neck is stained a different color (all are orange tinted), and a close look revealed the fingerboard's inlay to be quite crude, with large gaps filled with black glue. The guitar is very heavily braced, and a look inside with a mirror showed quite a few tool marks and glue drops.
Playing the Crafter brought to light a sturdy dreadnought voice. With its generous bracing, it came as no surprise that a strong attack produced the best results, and indeed, the guitar had a nice loud voice when strummed with a pick. Some reviewers commented on a lack of tonal dimension, but we all liked the instrument's bass response. Overall, we felt that there are more complex-sounding guitars available for this price, but for players seeking uptown looks, the Crafter will provide basic performance that won't disappoint.
Fender GD-47S
$764.99 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, solid rosewood back, laminated rosewood sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, unscalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, high-gloss urethane finish, Grover tuners. 25.4-inch scale. Nut width: 1.69 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in Korea.
The GD (Grand) series features Fender's top-of-the-line acoustic guitars, instruments that have directly benefited from the R&D team at Guild, which Fender Musical Instruments purchased in 1995. First introduced in grand auditorium and grand concert sizes, the Grand series now includes several dreadnoughts. The GD-47S has relatively austere ornamentation, with imitation tortoiseshell body and fingerboard binding its most distinctive touch. The guitar's craftsmanship was very clean, with the exception of a few nicks on the fingerboard, which may have stemmed from careless fret filing.
Playing the Fender, we all felt that this was one of the more versatile instruments of the bunch. It was easy to play and had a very warm overall sound, and we were impressed with how alive it felt. The GD-47S's quick response made it fun to fingerpick, but it also sounded good strummed and flatpicked.
Ibanez AW500NT
$649 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid Engelmann spruce top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, shaped braces, dovetail neck joint, high-gloss polyurethane finish, Grover tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in Korea.
Although Ibanez Guitars offers many high-end solid-body and archtop electric guitars, its acoustic instruments are primarily known for their great value. Bang for the buck is also a highlight of the AW500NT. Although the instrument is visually plain overall, it offers nice touches such as maple binding. Its craftsmanship was clean throughout, but its back appeared to have been put on slightly off center, as the back strip didn't line up with the neck's heel cap.
Tonally, the Ibanez was similar to many mahogany dreadnoughts: bright and loud but somewhat lacking in complexity. It responded well to a variety of picking styles, and Shelley Doty noted that its spunky attack was well suited to her percussive strumming style. The notes decayed fairly quickly, however, and when they did, the tone also lost some of its richness. Considering the AW500NT's low price, however, this package serves up good basic performance.
Martin DX1
$669 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, high-pressure laminate back and sides, Micarta fingerboard and bridge, tapered braces, mortise-and-tenon neck joint, hand-rubbed urethane top finish, satin HPL finish on back and sides, generic tuners. 25.4-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 1/8 inches. Made in USA.
Although this guitar is made by the company with the longest history of building dreadnoughts (C.F. Martin and Co. invented the model back in the 1920s), Martin's DX1 is also the most radical instrument we reviewed. At first glance it looks like a standard, no-frills mahogany dreadnought, but the DX1 is made from some very unusual materials. In fact, the spruce top and braces are about the only standard materials. The back and sides are made from a high-pressure laminate (a wood-fiber derivative laminated under extremely high pressure) to which a "photo finish" is applied to make it look like mahogany. For the fingerboard and bridge, Martin chose micarta, a synthetic material usually used for nuts and saddles, and the neck is made of Stratobond, multiple layers of resin-impregnated wood. Besides making the guitar very sturdy, these materials also offer an alternative to increasingly scarce natural resources.
Our DX1 offered the incredibly clean and precise craftsmanship we're accustomed to seeing in more expensive Martins. The fit and finish were superb, and a great fret job contributed to the excellent, professional-grade setup. The sound of the DX1 is similar to the classic Martin dreadnought voice, with lots of overtones and good sustain, but it has a much darker quality than most other Martin dreadnoughts, leaving some of us wishing for more high-end sparkle. It was also fairly quiet, which may be an issue for acoustic jams. With its great playability and very satisfying tone at low volume, however, this would be a good guitar to learn on, and its sturdiness and sound make it a worthy road ax, especially with the addition of a pickup.
Seagull Mosaic
$795 with case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid cedar top, solid mahogany back, laminated mahogany sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, scalloped braces, bolt-on neck, lacquer finish, generic tuners. 24.84-inch scale. Nut width: 1.8 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 3/32 inches. Made in Canada.
Godin Guitars' Seagull division has built a reputation for building some of the most affordable lines of North American—made instruments. The company's guitars have recently experienced a facelift that includes an added slight arch in the upper bout of the top for greater stability (Seagull calls it a "compound curve"). As part of its top-of-the-line Artist series, the Mosaic features a very nice combination of woods, and such details as a rosewood headstock overlay distinguish it visually from its lower-priced cousins. The guitar we received was the only instrument in this review with a short scale (which is unusual for a dreadnought), and it also sported the widest neck of our review guitars.
We all agreed that the Mosaic came with a great setup and that the shorter scale made it easier to play chords that involve a long stretch. Those who strummed the guitar felt that its voice was a little boxy and that it was a little heavy in the midrange. And a forceful attack with a pick caused the guitar to lose focus and display a certain lack of complexity. It worked well for softer strumming and fingerpicking, which produced a quick response, good tone production even with a light attack, and balanced and clear tone throughout its range.
Tacoma Roadking RM6C
$929 with hardshell case. Limited transferable lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, tapered braces, bolt-on neck, satin finish, Gotoh tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 3/4 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in USA.
Tacoma Guitars is known for building instruments that depart from tradition, and the Roadking RM6C submitted for this review is no exception. Even though its body adheres to a dreadnought outline, pretty much everything else about the Roadking RM6C bucks dreadnought tradition. It has an offset soundhole (which allows lighter bracing), a cutaway, and a Fender-style bolt-on neck that (curiously) joins the body at the 15th fret. Though extremely bare bones in its construction details (no binding anywhere, no inlay except for simple dots in the fingerboard), the Tacoma offers clean craftsmanship and high-quality (but cosmetically nondescript) materials. The guitar's thin finish was described as "unfinished looking" by Simmons, and none of us was crazy about the rough feel of the neck.
In our playing tests, the Roadking sounded much better to the player than the listener. From the playing position, the instrument seemed quite loud and the low E string in particular displayed a cool bottom end that made the guitar sound quite large. From several feet away, however, it sounded midrange-heavy and almost harsh, particularly when played hard. Simmons discovered that Django-style swing chords suited the guitar, but those of us who strummed or fingerpicked in a more conventional manner felt that it didn't have the versatility, warmth, and dimension we would have liked. With its cutaway and shallow neck however, this would be a good choice for players who are used to playing electric guitars.
Takamine AN10
$899.50 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid cedar top, solid mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, scalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, satin polyester finish, Gotoh tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 3/32 inches. Made in Japan.
Takamine has been building midpriced guitars for longer than almost anyone, and we were curious how the AN10 would stack up against the current competition. With its minimal appointments, the AN10 displayed a subtle elegance reminiscent of classical guitars. The choice of materials was first-rate, and overall we felt this guitar had the most professional appearance and feel of the instruments we checked out. The AN10 has a pinless bridge with a split saddle, which may improve intonation but also means that certain under-saddle pickups won't work with this guitar. In addition to being glued, the bridge is secured to the top with two machine bolts. This adds weight but virtually eliminates the possibility it will come loose.
We all concluded that the AN10 played and sounded great. The guitar's neck has a D-shaped profile of about medium depth. With its scalloped braces and cedar top, it was super-responsive, and Doty called it "terrifically dynamic." I felt that it was perhaps the best fingerstyle guitar of the bunch, but it also held up well when strummed.
Taylor 110
$698 with gig bag. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, laminated sapele back and sides, ebony fingerboard and bridge, scalloped braces, bolt-on neck, satin polyethelene finish, Ping tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in the USA.
Taylor Guitars surprised the guitar industry earlier this year by introducing a full-size dreadnought with a sticker price well below its other grown-up instruments (the low-priced Baby has been available since 1996). Taylor cut the price by using laminated back and sides (an arched back that doesn't require braces), a simplified version of its bolt-on NT neck joint, an unbound fingerboard, and a completely satin finish. The fit and finish of our review guitar lived up to the high standards set by more expensive Taylors, but its conservative look and visually average materials were on par with its price. The tuning machines weren't as smooth as most of the others we tested.
Taylors are known for killer playability, and the 110 excelled in this area. Its setup was great for a variety of playing styles, and nice fretwork as well as Taylor's usual comfortable neck made this instrument a lot of fun to pick. The thin finish, however, left the neck feeling a bit rough. Like all Taylors, the 110 exhibited a lot of clarity and brightness, and it offered good volume and a very musical dynamic range. It was equally well suited to fingerstyle playing and flatpicking. If you're willing to sacrifice slick looks for great tone, this may be your ax.
Washburn D34S Augusta
$849 without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, laminated quilted maple back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge, shaped braces, dovetail neck joint, acrylic lacquer finish, Washburn-exclusive Grover tuners. 25.5-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 5/32 inches. Made in Korea.
Featuring quilted maple back and sides, multilayer body and neck binding, and a large abalone rosette, Washburn's D34S Augusta is a visually bold instrument. Ebony tuner knobs also contribute to its uptown appearance. The guitar incorporates the Buzz Feiten tuning system (more info at
www.buzzfeiten.com), which slightly shifts the positions of the nut and saddle for (theoretically) more accurate intonation. The D34S we played was a heavy guitar, and judging by the buildup around the neck-to-body joint, it received a thick coat of finish. The craftsmanship was about average for this price range.
Playing the Washburn, one of the first things we noticed were its small frets. Combined with its slick maple neck, they lent the D34S a unique feeling that some players may describe as "fast." The guitar sounded best when strummed, exhibiting a solid voice that would work well for backing vocals. When we dug in a little harder with a pick, we wished for a bit more low end, and softer picking and fingerstyle playing lacked the tonal dimension available from more responsive guitars. With its striking appearance and serviceable sound, this would be a good instrument for singer-songwriters, and its limited dynamic range would suit high-volume situations with a pickup.
Yamaha DW15
$549 "street price" without case. Limited lifetime warranty. Solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard and bridge, unscalloped braces, dovetail neck joint, high gloss polyester/polyurethane finish, generic tuners. 25 9/16-inch scale. Nut width: 1 11/16 inches. String spacing at the bridge: 2 3/32 inches. Made in Taiwan.
As one of the most respected makers of affordable stringed instruments, Yamaha Guitars has its own reputation to live up to. The DW15 is a classy instrument whose appearance belies its affordability. Visually high-grade materials, enough appointments to keep it from looking bare, and nice fit and finish made this a nice dreadnought, although it was a bit on the heavy side.
Yamaha chose a pronounced V shape for the DW15's neck. While favored by many players who reach around the neck with their thumb, those with a more classically oriented left-hand technique may find this shape uncomfortable. The guitar was set up to play very easily, but it rattled and buzzed a bit in several positions. Nevertheless, the DW15 sounded best under a fairly strong attack, which brought out mature tones that Simmons found "typical of rosewood dreadnoughts." We weren't able to get the DW15's voice to blossom with a softer fingerstyle attack. Overall, this is a vesatile instrument with a somewhat dark character.
So Many Axes
These 12 guitars are a testament to the high quality and tonal depth that are now available to players with limited resources. Doty, Simmons, and Solis all chose the Blueridge BR-160 and Taylor 110 as their favorite guitars overall, due to their mature tone and great playability. Thanks to its professional appearance and feel as well as its great sound when played fingerstyle or softly with a pick, my first choice would probably be the Takamine AN10. All of these guitars are well worth checking out, as are some of the other instruments in this price range we were unable to review. Certainly, all of them are more than beginners-only material. Each of the guitars has its own strengths, and even the budget-minded professional player should be able to find a worthy instrument among these choices.
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