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mooseherman « A killer Acoustic-Electric »
Published on 05/11/10 at 11:11My dad actually is the one who bought this one, but I ended up reviewing it as I've played it countless times. This is a high-quality acoustic electric, and is notable for having many controls with which to adjust the sound. These include volume, brilliance, treble, contour, bass frequency, notch, and a phase switch in case you run into phasing issues (I personally have never needed to use that switch, but all the other ones, I certainly make use of). It has a spruce top and a maple body and neck, with an ebony fretboard. The bridge is also ebony.
UTILIZATION
The cutaway allows easy access to the top frets. With all of these features and the cutaway, the EC 30 feels more like an electric guitar than an acoustic, and this makes it an interesting guitar. It isn't too heavy and it feels good to play sitting or standing. Getting a good sound almost always requires an adjustment. It's almost in your best interest to get the right acoustic guitar amplifier, this amp only sounds good amplified. I'm not a big fan of the direct sound (the pickups just aren't really cut out for that). The action was too high when I bought it, so I had it lowered and now it plays great.
SOUNDS
This is an acoustic electric that sounds like it has a little bit of both in it. There are some sounds that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Eric Clapton's Unplugged record. For the most part, this is built for live performance. In fact, that's when it sounds the best. I would never mic this guitar live or in the studio, or even play it acoustically if I was looking for a good tone. But I doubt anyone would buy this guitar if you are looking for a good acoustic. This is acoustic-electric all the way, and if that's what you want, it sounds fantastic. That's the reason for the high mark.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this is a really great A/E guitar, and I'd really be thrilled if I had one of my own. Unfortunately, I don't, but I think I might get one eventually. It's certainly expensive, so make sure that you'll use it a lot and that it's exactly what you are looking for.
UTILIZATION
The cutaway allows easy access to the top frets. With all of these features and the cutaway, the EC 30 feels more like an electric guitar than an acoustic, and this makes it an interesting guitar. It isn't too heavy and it feels good to play sitting or standing. Getting a good sound almost always requires an adjustment. It's almost in your best interest to get the right acoustic guitar amplifier, this amp only sounds good amplified. I'm not a big fan of the direct sound (the pickups just aren't really cut out for that). The action was too high when I bought it, so I had it lowered and now it plays great.
SOUNDS
This is an acoustic electric that sounds like it has a little bit of both in it. There are some sounds that wouldn't have sounded out of place on Eric Clapton's Unplugged record. For the most part, this is built for live performance. In fact, that's when it sounds the best. I would never mic this guitar live or in the studio, or even play it acoustically if I was looking for a good tone. But I doubt anyone would buy this guitar if you are looking for a good acoustic. This is acoustic-electric all the way, and if that's what you want, it sounds fantastic. That's the reason for the high mark.
OVERALL OPINION
I think this is a really great A/E guitar, and I'd really be thrilled if I had one of my own. Unfortunately, I don't, but I think I might get one eventually. It's certainly expensive, so make sure that you'll use it a lot and that it's exactly what you are looking for.