Larrivee D-05

The Larrivee D-05 is a mahogany dreadnought, the guitar I am reviewing was built in 2001, please note that the current D-05 models have a couple of minor differences. This particular guitar was my very first decent acoustic I had previously been playing all laminate Fender acoustic. Buying your first really good guitar can be quite daunting; there are so many different brands, models and tone woods. I went out and played as many models as I could before purchasing my D-05, yes I researched on the internet but there is no substitute for getting a guitar in your own hands.

So the Larrivee D-05 as mentioned is the mahogany dreadnought offering from the Canadian company. Larrivee uses a unique bracing pattern called symmetrical parabolic bracing; traditional dreadnoughts in particular are known for having a deep sometimes overpowering bass, Larrivee solved this with their own unique design, building a guitar which is very balanced. The guitar features solid Honduran mahogany back , sides and neck, a solid Sitka spruce top, one piece mahogany neck with dove tail neck joint, ebony fretboard and bridge and Canadian maple binding. It is a very plain guitar with just wood binding, abalone rosette and an ivoroid bound fret board with microdot markers. I like the clean look, my guitar has an all gloss finish whereas the newer models feature a satin finished neck. Looking over the guitar you see that the craftsmanship is excellent, Larrivee’s are known for their excellent wood and this guitar was no exception, Larrivee does not stain their mahogany like many companies do.

Mahogany and Sitka is one of my favorite wood combinations it produces a bright but balanced sound with sparkling highs, clear mids and a strong but not booming bass. I always enjoyed playing finger style on this guitar, Larrivee’s have a comfortable neck though its profile is a little on the chunky side, with a nut width of 1 11/16. It’s a jack of all trades guitar, not hugely loud for a dreadnought, so if you’re a hardcore strummer or bluegrasser it might not have the presence or bass response you want.

Larrivee’s are some of the best value guitars on the market; the wood and build quality is exceptionally good. If the 05-series guitars are a little out of your price range it’s worth checking out the cheaper 03-series. Nearly the same guitar but with simpler appointments, all satin finishes and sapele back and sides instead of the more expensive and increasingly rare South American mahogany. The D-05 is definitely worth a look if you’re looking for a mid priced mahogany dreadnought.

Walden G2070

The Walden G2070 is an auditorium sized guitar, as with all Walden’s it is designed in the USA and built in China. The G2070 is part of Walden’s Supanatura Line. The guitar is built primarily for the finger stylist and certainly doesn’t disappoint.

The guitar features a solid cedar top, solid African mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard and bridge with rosewood bridge pins (a nice touch) and a bone nut and saddle. The one piece mahogany neck features Walden’s 2-way adjustable truss rod which allows you to adjust the guitars string height to your own preference, this allows the guitar to have terrific playability. A wood rosette and bindings, gold tuners with tortoise shell buttons trim out the guitar nicely, giving it a sparse but clean, modern look.

Pickup the guitar and it sits very comfortably in your lap, the neck is thin, fast and very easy to navigate with a 1 3/4 nut width. Look over the guitar and the craftsmanship is excellent, I couldn’t find a single flaw on mine. The all satin finish combined with the cedar top give the guitar a mellow but aged sound right out of the box. The G2070 also features “Pre-war” scalloped X-bracing which in addition to adding strength, it allows the guitars top the vibrate more in-turn producing more bass. The 25.6 scale is slightly longer than a standard scale, making it a great guitar for alternate tunings. The Walden guitar is amazingly responsive to a light touch, complex fingerstyle pieces are a breeze, the ultra low profile neck make changes smooth and swift. The guitar has an open airy sound with rich bass and clear trebles. It can handle strumming but brakes up when over driven, if primarily a strummer you may want to look at the companies dreadnought offerings.

I personally feel there is not a better fingerstyle guitar on the market at this price point; the price, features, build quality, sound and playability match guitars costing much, much more. So in the market for a high quality fingerstyle guitar, but don’t want to spend a bundle? The Walden G2070 might just be what you’re looking for.

Baden d-style mahogany

The Baden d-style is the Baden Company’s dreadnought design. Though it looks like a very modern design it certainly has a traditional sound. As with all Baden’s it is handbuilt at the Ayers factory in Vietnam.

The Baden is handbuilt with all solid woods: solid African mahogany back and sides, solid Sitka spruce top, one piece mahogany neck, rosewood fret board and bridge. The one piece mahogany necks are hand carved and the bone saddles are hand shaped. Baden guitars are not flashy, no intricate inlays or abalone anywhere on this guitar. The quality of woods and clean design make for an attractive guitar, obviously Baden’s focus is on building a guitar from quality materials rather spending money on over the top inlays.

Baden’s are some of the easiest playing acoustics around, the hand carved neck has a very comfortable shape, combined with the satin finished makes for easy, smooth playing. The neck width is 1 ¾ and with the low fast action makes complex finger style, chord shapes and leads easy to play. The sound of this guitar is impressive; whatever preconceived notion you had about the guitar from its appearance soon disappears after the first strum. The guitar sounds as if it has already opened up, the top is very responsive; notes just jump off the guitar with very little effort, even my bare fingerpicking brought about a lively, responsive tone. I found it to be very evenly balanced across the strings with a nice clear treble which complimented the bass and midrange. I set the guitar up with medium gauge d’addario EJ17 strings but the guitar plays so easily you would hardly know the difference between medium and lights.

The Baden d-style would be perfect for a do it all guitar, but I think giving it that tag only would be an injustice. A finger stylist would be as happy with it as would a strummer or blues guitarist. The d-style is available with the Fishman Ellipse Aura system which is a very natural sounding pickup. I particularly like that pickup as it is concealed in the sound hole which means there is no ugly hole cut in the side of the guitar. Rosewood is the other back and side’s option and European spruce is the other top wood option. The Baden’s unique design will catch your eye, but don’t judge a book by its cover, sit down with one for a few minutes, you will be glad you did.

Walden D550

The current acoustic guitar market is saturated with entry level and budget models from many different companies. It can be confusing for anyone looking to buy their very first acoustic, a player looking for a less exspensive guitar or a seasoned pro looking for a backup guitar. So the Walden D550 might just fulfill your needs and fit your budget.

The Walden D550 is a standard dreadnought, the most recognized and popular acoustic design. Walden’s are built in China to a very high quality, exceeding that of other import guitars.

The guitar features a solid spruce top; laminate mahogany back and sides, 3 piece mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and bridge, no name die cast tuners which I must say hold the guitar in tune very well. The guitar is attractive to look at, workmanship is very good and it features a tightly grained solid sitka spruce top. Please note that a solid spruce top will produce a far superior sounding guitar than a laminate topped guitar.

Playability and sound quality is what impresses me most about the D550. The guitar has a very comfortable neck which fits nicely in your hands. A proper setup is also very important with a guitar, and when setup to my own preference the guitar plays as easily as a guitar costing a whole lot more. Though the guitar has laminate back and sides, the sound quality, thanks impart the solid spruce top is very impressive. Acoustic guitars open up over time as the woods lose their stiffness, so the more you play them the better they sound. Any musical style can be played on this guitar, it's very versatile. The guitar also features scalloped X bracing which gives it a nice open sound; equally as good for delicate fingerpicking as it is for hard strumming.

Walden guitars generally come with a high quality padded gig bag, but can be had with a nice hard-shell case for an additional fee. The D550CE is the electric/acoustic version which also features a cutaway for access to the higher frets.

The Walden D550 fits the needs of many guitarists. As a starter guitar the low cost, sound quality and playability are a plus. For the seasoned pro it would make a great and trustworthy backup guitar. For the person who likes to take their guitar to parties but doesn’t want to get their expensive one smashed, it’s an excellent choice. I highly recommend the D550 to anyone needing a quality budget acoustic.

Baden a-style rosewood

Here is my review on the Baden a-style rosewood guitar. Baden guitars was started by T.J Baden who used to work for Taylor Guitars and the Taylor influnce can be seen in the quality and playability of his guitars. Baden Guitars are built in Vietnam, but don't let that put you off, these are high quality intruments which are handbuilt and offered at prices comparable to high end factory built guitars in the United States.

So the Baden a-style rosewood acoustic has all solid woods. Solid rosewood back and sides, solid european spruce top(upgrade from the standard sitka spruce top) one piece african mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and ebony brige, bone nut and hand shaped saddle. The neck has a satin finish and the body is all gloss. Badens have a very clean look with a modern design the fretboards only have postion markers on the side. All the woods are high grade and the craftmanship is top notch. The guitar has a unique cutaway which isn't really a cutaway as you can see from the picture, I personally love this design but not so sure traditionalists would go for it.

When I first picked up the guitar and sat it on my lap I immediately felt comfortable with it. Although it is loosely based on the Auditorium body style it has a slightly deeper body, I find this gives the guitar more presence. I love the neck profile( 1 3/4 nut) very comfy in my hands which makes chord changes and complex fingerstyle playing a breeze. I currently have this guitar strung with D'addario EJ 16 phosphur bronze. This guitar can handle all styles of music, it is very responsive to a light touch, yet you can strum hard and it produces great volume. It's a very balanced guitar; the different strings all seem to mold into one mellow sound that is very pleasing for the player and audience alike. I really like the bass response, it's not overwhelming but has enough thump that you don't have to really pluck the low E to make it stand out. My Baden does come with the upgaded European spruce top it does sound noticeably different from the standard Sitka spruce, not better just different. I liken European spruce to Adirondak(red spruce) but if your interested in Badens please try out the different models and wood combinations before you buy. Badens also come with the optional fishman ellipse aura pickup which is one of the most natural sounding pickups avaliable.

Ok Badens don't look like your regular acoustic and they are made in Vietnam but so what? If your interested in an easy playing, great sounding high quality handbuilt guitar at a factory built, price give Badens a try.