Applause AN-13 Minibowl

The Applause AN13-4 is an uncommon and interesting concept: a small body nylon-string with a steel-string style construction and a medium-width neck (1 3/4 at the nut). Features are surprisingly good for the price: a shorter 23.6 scale, the Ovation composite bowl back, a nice smooth neck (feels like maple but there are no details in the Applause website) with a rosewood (I think) fretboard meets body at 12th fret + 6 frets cutaway, and a truss rod (quite rare in nylon string guitars) with its hex key included. The spruce top ISN'T solid but sure looks nice with gloss finish, a kind of decorated rubber rosette protecting the soundhole and white purfling around. There are both fore and end strap buttons and the headstock is in that elegant Ovation style. Overall this guitar looks better in realty than in its online advertising pictures from Kaman, and it definitely feels higher quality than you'd expect from the 180 USD price tag.

Acceptable for that ridiculous price, I guess, but nothing to write home about. You'll never mistake it for a solid top, not even for one second. Mine came with corroded strings that I replaced immediately with medium-tension D'Addario. The three lower strings project surprisingly well for such a small guitar, probably thanks to the deep bowl, but the low E especially sounds twangy and muddy. The three high strings sound OK but with very little sustain. It feels to me as if the guitar, with its obvious steel-string heritage, is slightly too massive for achieving that sweet tone you get from many classical guitars, even some cheap laminate tops. Try tuning half a tone higher, which restores the strings to the tension they've been intended for in a full-scale classical and tightens the bass somewhat. Intonation is adequate up the neck (another benefit of nylon strings - they tend to involve much less intonation problems) and light fingerpicking with a capo on the 5th or 7th fret actually does sound sweet. Strumming always sounds dull no matter how and where you do it.

The action it came with was near perfect, very low for a nylon-string, and I easily shaved it even more with that handy truss rod, so now it is as low as the action in my steel-string guitar and no buzzing except in very dry days. The neck is certainly the best part of this guitar - straight, fast and playable with no buzzing frets. 1 3/4 width at the nut feels (to my medium size hand and slender fingers) like the almost ideal compromise for both strumming, fingerpicking and barre chords, thought occasionally my finger does mute a near open string and then I wish for a 1 7/8. The plastic tuners appear flimsy when unstrung but work reasonably well. Construction quality is quite good for the price and I couldn't find any real faults. However, I have issues with the ergonomic design of this guitar: the bowl in its deepest point is as deep as a full-size dreadnaught, making the guitar inconvenient to hold steady. I've played nylon-string Ovations with shallower bowls that projected better (though much more pricey as well) and anyway projection isn't what I buy a small-body for, ease of play is. The top purfling seems sturdy and looks good, but it also has a sharp edge that chaffs the inside of my right arm. I solved this with a John Pearce armrest (Slimline Junior model, 29 USD in Elderly) that also improved the bass and sustain a bit. The strap buttons are a nice touch, certainly very rare in nylon-string guitars, but the forward one is located in the wrong place: above the neck (as in electrics) instead of below it, which coupled with that too deep bowl makes the guitar slant upward when I play standing, an inconvenient (and incorrect) position for the left wrist. Overall the combination of nylon strings, shorter scale, small body, intermediate neck width and low action should have made this guitar the easiest acoustic to play in the world, and it is indeed very playable, but the above ergonomic problems and the very mediocre tone detract from the pleasure of playing it.

Didn't have the chance to put it into any demanding tests yet, but the composite bowl, laminated gloss top and overall rigid construction easily make this the most durable guitar in its category. I keep it anywhere around the house with no worries, out of the case and readily available for picking up, which is a big plus in a practice guitar.

Never had any reason to deal with Applause. I only have one minor comment: the manual that came with the guitar was apparently for the steel-string model.

I???ve had a bit of formal classical guitar training when I was a kid, been playing on and off for years, and re-picked it as a hobby during this last year. I mostly fingerpick folk, rock and acoustic blues, and my main guitar is a Martin DX1 (which is probably why I have such high standards of tone in small budget guitars). However, for some reason I've never managed to develop hard enough calluses to play a steel-string for more than an hour nonstop, so I figured I'd buy a cheap nylon string "parlor" guitar that I can practice for hours with, picking up new songs or developing muscle memory even while I sit in front of the TV or computer screen, and maybe experiment a bit with bossa and flamenco. The Applause AN13-4 seemed to fit the bill exactly, but I couldn't find it in any store, so I took the risk of ordering it online from Musician's Friend (NOT the recommended way to buy a guitar). The AN13-4 certainly does what I bought it for, and in its low price and very limited category I'm yet to come across anything better overall (though there's at least one with better tone: the Giannini GWNE6 3/4). Still, I wonder if the Kaman engineers have even bothered playing this model at all, because with minor ergonomic redesign and slightly better tone it could have been the ultimate beginner's acoustic, especially for young children where sturdiness is a definite plus. As it is I'd hesitate to buy this guitar as a present for a young beginner because it tends to induce an incorrect left wrist position. If this guitar was stolen I would have been tempted to add a few hundred dollars and buy a solid top classical instead, or maybe one of those traveler/silent electric guitars.

This is a Solid Spruce top cutaway nylon classical 3/4 made in Korea by Ovation/Applause. It has a wonderfull narrow [1 11/16] fast mahogony neck. The sides and back are the same material as the larger Ovations. The frets are a little larger than most 3/4 guitars - good for beginners especially.

This guitar sounds better than a lot of full sized guitars. It has almost a full warm sound and can approach boomy. By simply changing the stirngs to Flamenco's such as Hannabach 727 or Augustine Reds you will get a crisp, brilliant, sound almost bell-like on certain notes and not have to wear your fingers out on steel strings. The sustain is execeptionally good for this size of guitar. One can use the normal setting and get great results just by applying the right strings - typical of nylon guitars.

I bought a used one and it suprised me that the set up was just where I liked it. Low action and no buzz. I have small hands and the string distance is perfect for normal playing. They could be a little wider for flamenco style. The quality of this guitar is on a par with Ovations more expensive models. I found no flaws at all. I especialy liked the neck - it looks terific and feels great. It is not for big hands though.

Appears to be sturdy. Can be used for a knock around guitar but a little expensive for that I believe.

Don't need them - this guitar stands on its own

I have played guitars on and off since 1956. I have a Fender Squire Mini, Yamaha APX5N, Godin Radiator, old Japanese made [Willie Nelson Martin N-20 sounding] Kay GD60 Classical, Valencia 3/4, La Patrie Etude Classical, Epiphone PeeWee, J Reynolds Strat copy, a couple of no name acoustics / classicals. This guitar is an excellent beginners guitar and travel guitar. If lost I would move on to a flamenco which I am now studying.

3/4 size; nylon strings; synthetic body/back; spruce top; standard classical-style tuners; binding on neck; single cutaway; 18 frets.

One does not expect a 3/4 size to sound as good as a full size, but this thing sounds anemic of not downright pathetic. I compared it to an Epiphone C5, which is a 3/4 sized, nylon-string, budget guitar that cost all of $39.95 new. The C5 looks like it was made from recycled 1960's den paneling, but its sound is vastly superior to the AN-13. I compared the AN-13 to the AE-13 to see if, perhaps, Kaman just took the steel-string version and slapped some nylon strings on it. Well, almost. Even though the neck is slightly wider (about 1/8"), it appears that the same body and top was used. While the steel-string version works quite well, the nylon strings don't have the muscle required to vibrate a body (apparently) designed for steel strings, especially when the nylon strings are slack-tuned to accomodate the smaller 3/4 scale. Rather than design a true nylon-string guitar, I would say that Kaman took the quick and dirty route of warming over a steel-string guitar. It doesn't work.

The construction and finish of the AN-13 is very good; no complaints here. This is probably the best looking 3/4 sized, nylon string guitar available. However, the spacing of the strings could be a problem for some people. Measuring from E to e on a full sized Fender CG-11, we get 1.71"; on the 3/4 size Epiphone C5, we get 1.48"; on the AN-13, we get a miserly 1.405". I think many nylon string players will this to be too claustrophobic for their tastes. On top of this, I think many will want to file the nut some to lower the height of the strings at the nut. The height of the saddle is fine.

I won't be keeping this guitar long enough to test its durability, but given that it appears to have originated as a string-string guitar, I suspect that it is more than tough enough to put up with supporting some slack-tuned nylon strings.

I've never dealt with Kaman directly. We'll see if Music 123 gives me any static about returning this thing.

This guitar is a perfect example of why you can't make a good nylon-string guitar by taking a steel-string guitar and slapping some nylon strings on it. The nylon strings require a lighter, more resonant body. While you probably can't buy a better looking 3/4 sized, nylon-string guitar, you can certainly get a better sounding 3/4 sized, nylon-string guitar for a lot less money. My opinion is that Kaman either needs go back and do this right or drop the AN-13 from their catalog.

Has a spruce top with the ovation patented plastic type back. Natural finish single cutaway. straight acoustic and 3/4 size.I believe it has a mahogany neck. Sound hole appears full size-I will probably get a pickup to fit it in the future. The tuners are some kind of plastic/metal configuration but have held tight so far. I've had this guitar less than a month but wanted to write this up due to the great bargain Musician's friend is running. $119.99 and comes with a really great padded gig bag ($42 value)/ I bought it from them brand new.

I play a variety of music but mostly oldies like Beatles,Eagles,R & B, Stones, and the usual 60's/70's standards. I've been playing for most of 35 years. No longer in a group, but provide entertainment during Army Reserve training, usually in a field environment. The first thing I did was take off the nylon strings and replace them with some Fender mediums. The sound is bright and much louder with the steel strings.The fingerboard is fast and easy for intricate chord changes. The plastic back does tend to slip on my belly, but the 3/4 size is very comfortable and travels well.

I pulled the guitar out of the box in almostperfect tuning. My first run down the neck was similar to an electric-fast,smooth, and in tune. I did raise the neck a little to remove a mild buzz on the lower register. I can't find any blemishes or poor fits. The workmanship on this fairly inexpensive guitar rivals most expensive guitars I've played. It is a goodlooking piece of equipment.

I tend to be really careful with my guitars(expecially since I'm older and somewhat more mature than when I did Pete Townshend stuff in the 60's so I really can't vouch for it's durability. I haven't had it long enough to be really objective.

It has a limited warranty and I haven't had to have anything done. I wasimpressed with Musician's Friend's service and response to some of my questions. They originallly forgot to send the gig bag, but one phone call resulted in my receipt-quickly.

As above, I have been playing over 30 years. I have owned Fenders, Gibsons, Teiscoes, Epiphones and currently have an Aria Pro II electric six string. This is probably the best acoustic I've ever had. I figure it will fit perfectly into my plans-small enough to take on a jet and keep in a tent yet more than enough guitar for jam sessions. I would take it to a pro gig with a pickup on it.