Parkwood

(Originally written by Rere0141/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Guitar made in Indonesia unlike all other electro acoustic Parkwoods which are made in Korea. My guitar has a very good overall finish but I had the chance to choose it among several ones. Why is this instrument a hybrid guitar? Because you can play using: - the magnetic pickups: two mini Seymour Duncan humbuckers with 3-way toggle switch, volume and tone controls - the piezo pickup (Fishman preamp with volume and tone controls) - both magnetic pickups plus piezo at the same time (the toggle switch also works in this mode). In this last case, you can send the guitar signal to one amp using a mono cable, or to two amps (one fed by the magnetic pickups and the other by the piezo) using a stereo cable. Set neck and center bracing. UTILIZATION This guitar has a varnish that emphasizes the wood structure and makes for a very slippery neck. Average upper fret access (Les Paul shape). It's not the best guitar for high-speed rock solos but it was not conceived with that in mind (especially if you consider the original string set). The guitar is ergonomic and light (semi-hollow design). The body is large but it has a very good finish providing a pleasant playing position. The body is not large enough to produce a high output level when unplugged. The plugged sound is a delight. All three magnetic pickup combinations sound good and the tone control is effective. You can get a jazz sound but also a Les Paul-like sound, blues and rock sounds, etc. I even replicated the "Smells like teen spirit" sound with my Korg 1500G effect board. All notes sound accurately and smooth with a long sustain. This guitar has a pleasant sound also with low output levels. It even makes you want to play slowly. The sound is also very good with distortion, you get accurate notes not a muddy noise. The piezo pickups deliver the typical brilliant piezo sound. This pickup easily captures the noise of your right hand when it hits the top. However it's not a real acoustic guitar (I own an acoustic Parkwood which is totally different). But the sound comes close to an acoustic so it's a real hybrid guitar. SOUNDS I use it as a complement to an Ibanez conceived for heavy metal. The PW H4 is very versatile but not good for extreme sounds. I play it with a Fender Champion 110 that I love. The clean sound is extremely detailed (and that's when I can tell that my other guitar has not the same quality)! I also played it with a Roland AC60 (acoustic/electric amp) but the sound of this amp didn't convince me with the magnetic pickups (it was lifeless and dull) although it's a very good amp with an electro acoustic guitar. I like everything about this guitar. The only weak point is the difficult upper fret access but all other features are perfect. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for some days (I will update this review if necessary). I tried it out several times at a shop and I compared it with other guitars. I was looking for a guitar with a fatter sound than the guitar I already had but it needn't be too heavy. This guitar gives me the sound I was looking for in spite of its lightness. The piezo pickup was not a feature I needed but considering the guitar's price it's a bit like a gift. It's true that it adds some interesting sound possibilities. I tested several other models that I didn't like either because the quality of the wood wasn't good, or they had a less pleasant neck or they were too bulky. And the varnish of this guitar emphasizes the wood quality very nicely. It looks wonderful. On the other hand, you can see every mark on the top or defect in the wood. For an affordable price, I got a well-finished guitar with very good Seymour Duncan pickups, a nice manufacturing quality, and a versatile sound for jazz, rock and blues. As additional feature, you get a switchable piezo pickup. And the guitar is sold with a flight case. I've become a Parkwood fan... Even though I don't know how it will age, the value for money is unbeatable (all Parkwood acoustic guitars are made of massive wood!). CAUTION: don't buy this guitar if you're looking for an acoustic sound and you think this model will give you an additional electric sound. This is no real acoustic guitar, not in design, feel or sound (even if it comes close to it). On the contrary, if you want a nice-looking, light and versatile electric guitar with a fat and accurate tone, test it (and you'll get the acoustic option as a bonus feature)!