Art & Lutherie AMI Cedar

satin burst, parlor, generic tuners, short scale, med. frets, gig bag, 2007 i think, solid cedar top and laminate cherry? sides and back, no electronics, maple neck rosewood fret board and bridge.
how do u rate this? u rate on features? so, if a guitar doesn't have a back it lacks the feature of having a back? it's an acoustic guitar and in particular it is a parlor style.

i've picked up many acoustic guitars in my life and have owned about half a dozen or so--some i still own and the others i sold.
this is my favorite guitar. it is my little piano. it sustains for what must be called an impossibly long time. it is nothing like a percussive rag or blues guitar like an old gibson L1 or L00.
I giggle when i think about this guitar and how affordable it is compared to the parlor style gibsons, martins and other older parlors out there... oscar, stella etc...
anyway, when i purchased this new in 2008 i compared it to two other AMI's at the store. this burst had the sustain and tone i preferred over the blue and black AMI's that i played. it's funny, because OH!!!! how i wanted a little black one. but the black AMI didn't sound as nice.

the action is the same now as when i purchased it. i like the string height. visually the guitar is nothing special. some have complained about the ?rosette? when ur only complaint about a guitar is the color or a rosette .... mmm mmmm boy... life is good. for the price of this guitar the action, fit and finish excellent.

im not an acoustic performer so i dont know if this guitar would withstand a live setting... seems like it would. if i did gig with it (which would be cool) i would take my other 2 parlors and my concert!!! hey!!! i use different tunings and can't be up on stage re tuning and re tuning.

im not sure about the warranty. im not sure about customer support either.

uhm, i've played for 30 or more years. as mentioned above i own 2 other parlors and a concert size. i also own a dread but it doesn't get used very often. i perform with electrics. i use fender and G&L guitars and gretsch and mesa amps. uhm, i don't really use any pedals because im too stupid to understand what most them do but i do like a wah wah pedal to make noise. there is nothing i would have wanted to ask before buying this guitar. if lost???? how exactly do u lose a guitar? OH GEE!!! where the hell did i put my guitar??? honey??? did u see my guitar? i think i lost it. if i lost it, i guess i would look for it. if stolen, i would hope my insurance would cover me and i would get another AMI.
if u want to spend around 300 US dollars for a parlor i would recommend checking this out. if u want to spend around 1500 US dollars for a parlor then... well... can i be ur friend please

Natural top, 12 fret body joint, cheesy raised sticker around the soundhole, funky parlor style body shape. But its still full scale I think. All the right things are there. They cut corners on the rest. Way to go.

I just played an acoustic set of folk, old timey and my own arrangements of offbeat pop and indie stuff last weekend on this guitar. Miked it with an MXL69. Everybody loved the sound. Tight, midrangey, responds well to dynamics. It's a cute little guitar with a surprisingly loud, rich sound. Makes a lot more sense for acoustic lead playing than some big old body where you get a lot less volume out of it.

The low E occasionally will buzz a tad on a big hit, but nothing to cry over on a $300 guitar.

And then there's the actual body shape. It fits so well, totally comfortable. After owning this guitar for just a couple months I am convinced that dreadnaughts are kinda stupid (don't know about you but my shoulder and back hurt if I play a long session on one).

It's solid.

It's a guitar.

I'm a 19 year guitarist, play mostly electric. I feel like an idiot for not having taken parlor sized guitars seriously prior to buying this. Great little axe! It won't get the expansive tonal depth of my old Alvarez dreadnaught, or jazzy coolness of my Harmony f-hole acoustic and it's not supposed to. A honky, fun to play, firm projecting instrument. It's *great* for rhythm backing on rock tunes in the studio... instead of clogging up the low mids where so much is already going on, it punches right through with a flat EQ.

Added fun for playing live, I'm over 6' tall with broad shoulders, and it's hilarious to play this dinky guitar. Little giggling at first when I pulled it out in front fo a crowd, but after two songs nobody was laughing. It mics well.

Specs / Features

series: Art & Lutherie AMI Antique Burst Cedar



Top: solid cedar

Neck: Silver Leaf Mapel

Finish: Semi-Gloss

Nut Width: 1.72"

Upper Bout: 9.28"

Lower Bout: 13"

Waist: 7.35"

Body Length: 18.3"

Body Depth: 4.2"

I'm not sure how it fits my sound (I'm truly eclectic) but so far it plays like a fine Parlor guitar. The price for what you get is amazing and the quality is basically perfect. I'm used to playing a very powerful Gibson WM-45, a this is a nice mellow alternative. I may change my sound to the parlor! Nah ... just kidding. I need a rockin' jumbo for what I do.

The tonewoods are unusual but produce a quality sound. I like the fact that 95% of the woods used are authentic Canadian. The whole Godin Company seems to be into some innovative thinking.

Set-up perfectly so no complaints here. I suppose the rubber rosette decal was the only thing that turned me off, so I peeled it off. The decal removed very easily and now the guitar has a very natural minimalist look.

The front is likely bookmatched, but the grain is so tight it's hard to tell. The bridge is perfect ... the guitar didn't have any flaws.

This seems like a very dependable guitar and I would consider playing a gig with it. It could easily take it a live setting.

I haven't dealt with Godin but I hear they have good customer service.

Satin blue burst finish
Parlor size
Cedar top
Came with a hard case

This is a small guitar with a rich, warm sound and plenty of projection. It has mellow and woody sound just right for finger picking. Just beautiful.

I bought it second hand but it was like new. I don't know what, if anything, the previous owner did to it but it was well taken care of. I can't see any flaws in it at all.

I will not be playing live but I don't see any reason that it could not be used.

I've had no dealings with Godin but they have a good reputation.

I've been playing for a few years. This is my first acoustic guitar since the awful classical I took lessons on, the bane of my childhood. I love the small body size, the shape, the thin finish, the neck, just everything about this guitar. Whenever I open the case and smell the cedar I am glad I bought it. If anything happened to it, I would look for another one exactly like it.

My parlor sized Ami guitar was built in December 2006 (it's a 2007 model). Ami means "friend" in French. The Art and Lutherie Co. is a Canadian company, part of Godin. They also make Norman, Seagull, Godin electrics and Simon and Patrick brands. Godin's guitars get excellent reviews and are known for value for money, good workmanship and good sound. They also appear to be very consistent in all those good qualities.

My Ami is a solid cedar topped model. It also comes in a laminate top or a spruce top. The back and sides are a laminate of wild cherry and maple so the web site says. My AMI has a rosewood fingerboard and bridge (I checked this via email with the company, as some people reported they have walnut), plastic nut and saddle. The saddle is compensated. The head has the stenciled tree, Art and Lutherie scrolled writing and the word Canada on the peg head. There is a thin veneer of wood on the peg head but it isn't black like some of the older models report, it's stained the same colour as the rest of the guitar and is probably maple. The neck is maple with the usual separate piece joining the area at the neck forming the heal and a join between the head and neck. There is a piece of black wood on the heal to cap it, which I like much better than the plastic some guitars use. The back and top of this guitar are relatively flat, compared to say my larger OM guitar. Though I haven't put a straight edge on it to see how flat. The guitar included from the manufacturer a nice off-white padded gig bag with carry handles and pack straps, a truss rod tool (hex wrench)and some literature. The bag also fits my parlor Motif, made by La Patrie, also in the Godin line.

Mine has no pick up although I think they have them as an option. It is twelve frets to the body for nineteen or twenty total. The scale length is 24.9 I think, again based on net information. Someone else has the dimensions of the guitar's upper and lower bout and width on review here so I won't repeat that. The body shape and size is similar to the Motif's by La Patrie or the Seagull Grande but of course the neck width on both of those is wider and the Seagull grande has fourteen frets to the body I think. Apparently these are modeled after older parlor guitars which I think was an excellent move.

The guitar has metal dot position markers on the fingerboard and at the side of the neck. It has plastic bridge pins, off white purfling on the top only, none on the bottom. The body is stained antique burst, which I like better than the other colour choices of black, brown, blue. I didn't see a natural coloured one. You can see the co. web site for a list of colours it comes in. The sound hole rosette is a plastic, raised sticker but if you have to cut costs someplace that's a great place to do it in my opinion. It would have been nice to have a wooden one, but I can live without it. In the past they had real wood, then paint. Some people peal the sticker off. If you play with a finger on the face it's in a good position to rest your finger on. The tuners are silver coloured no name, enclosed. They appear to be a decent quality and I like the size and shape of them (small, they match the guitar really well.) They hold the strings well and turn nicely and feel pretty good. Mine came scuffed a bit on the backs which was probably done when it was set up by the shop.

I bought mine retail but at the sale price. If I waited long enough I probably could have picked one up second hand online but I wanted it now. Also, there's something nice about breaking in your own guitar and watching the sound change.(it isn't a myth, it really does happen). I'm rating this category 8 because for the money I would have liked to just add a wooden rosette. I'm not big on bling and I'd rather get a good sound any day though. If I was in North America for the price you guys are paying it should get a 9 or 10!

I bought this guitar for blues and it's perfect for that. It has more bottom end than you might expect from a small body and nice crystal highs without being tinny and is quite warm overall. The sound projection is terrific for such a small guitar and is loud enough to fill your lounge no problem. I tried a few of these A&L models and they all sounded great. Mic or EQ this guitar and you could gig with it.

You can bend strings nicely on the upper frets, it takes more effort on the lower ones capo'd what with the shorter scale. The short scale makes it a joy to play especially if you're on the small size, as I am. It has a standard sized neck width which if you're used to that for finger picking is fine and it's great if you have small hands and need to get your thumb over to make an F! If you can play a regular steel string the neck width is about the same so you won't have any worries. If you want a wider neck than standard, check out the Seagull grande. I hear it's wider. The frets for sliding your fingers on I find just a tad high but I'll wear them down in time, grin. I've got D'addario EXP phos bronze 11 strings on it.

I play around grade 3 classical (I use my parlor motif with a wide fingerboard and nylon strings for that) and beginning blues finger style though I do strum with a pick just for fun now and then. You can use a pick with this guitar no problem. It sounds good strummed with chords with a pick. I checked the intonation all the way up the neck with an electronic tuner program (AP tuner version 3.06) and the intonation is fine all the way. The sustain is excellent too, the volume is good especially for it's size. It doesn't get muddy strumming. I don't wail on it but I'm not shy either.

I really did compare this guitar to everything from a $200 ($157 USD) Karina laminated top to a $2300 ($1810 USD) Larrivee and everything in between over a three day, three city guitar shopping search for the parlor I wanted. I probably tried around eight to ten well known brands of parlor guitar including Larrivee, Cort Earth 900, Takamine G series, Dean, Baby Taylor spruce top, Martin HPL top, Crafter etc . I was looking for a blues sound, I didn't want to re-produce my OM sized guitar's well-bred tayloresque sound. This guitar won out over them all because it was what I was looking for in a blues sound, not because of it's price tag, which was less than I was expecting to pay and which was in fact the lowest of any of the well built guitars I tried.(most of the others did not included EQ either though the Dean gypsy did)

I would have liked to try a Blueridge parlor and a Washburn parlor but I didn't run into any. I like Blueridge's sound in their full sized guitars and if their parlors are similar it would be a good guitar. If the A&L didn't exist the Baby Taylor has a decent sound but has a host of other drawbacks so it got ruled out. The Takamine G at a bit more cost than the A&L wasn't bad but I'd have needed to spend more time with it to be sure and I wasn't super happy with the feel of the neck.

The A&L had the whole package, it's a great guitar with the sound I was looking for and after three days and three cities of looking plus a few more days of thinking about it to be sure it's the one I picked.

I adore the neck. Fast, slick, comfortable. Great shape. The finish allows your thumb to glide over the back. The finish on the guitar is thin and I think it may be nitro cellulose. If it isn't, that's what it feels like. I happen to love semi-gloss nitro finish so it suits me. I was less interested in a stained guitar (I prefer natural) but this one has hugely grown on me and now I think it might have looked naked without the antique burst finish and I wouldn't change it. Black would be my second choice of this colour line up.

I don't know what the factory set up was like, I had mine set up by the shop which was included in the purchase price. I told them low enough for finger style but I want to play with a pick for strumming occasionally. I got a perfect set up for how I play. Thank you Rock Shop on K road and Rob the assistant manager and Al the set up guy.

There was some string buzz I think on the low e when they were setting it up because a fret wire had either come up a bit or wasn't quite flat to start with but that's pretty normal on any guitar especially acceptable on one that's traveled all the way around the world and had a huge change in temperature and humidity so don't let it throw you. The simple, usual solution was what the shop did, tap it back down again. It's all good now. The back is bookmatched despite being laminated. I didn't realize they matched laminated backs.

The front is bookmatched. The solid cedar top has odd wavey marks on it in places, not overly noticeable. It's not the grain of the wood, that's straight. Can you get figured cedar? Maybe a by produce of the antique burst stain? Maybe a lesser grade of cedar? The cedar grain is also tighter than what I am used to seeing on a cedar guitar. I have no idea if that's good or not and I don't care since my guitar sounds great and good sound is what I was after.

The guitar is still new enough to smell like glue. The finish is excellent with zero complaints. No sloppiness anywhere. Did I mention I love the neck? ;) The workmanship is good and it's a sturdy little fellow. I read somewhere it's a bit heavier than some parlors and Yeah, I can see that being true. Maple does tend to be a heavy wood and the bracing looking at the inside seems pretty sturdy though getting narrower on the edges away from the soundhole on the ones I can see. Not scalloped, but reducing in size as it gets near the edges of the body. Next time I change strings I'll have a poke around in there. Speaking of braces, one of the top braces I can see is a bit odd of a shape. I wonder if it was meant to be that way? If not, that's a flaw I guess, but it's the only one I can find. Everything else, even down to the nut slots being the right width, is excellent.

It gets a 9 due to the brace I can see which may be off in shape. Shouldn't matter at all to the guitar but I think all parts should be as perfect as possible. Otherwise, it would have gotten 10.

This guitar will withstand live playing, the hardware suits the guitar and the tuners seem to work really well, though unbranded. The finish is thin, deliberately so and I like it that way. Let those sound boards vibrate, I say! On second thought, it may not be nitro finish as it doesn't mark the way nitro does on my other guitar. It seems a bit more durable. Whatever, it's nice.

There is no pick guard (good, since I generally don't like them) and this model is the cedar one so if you ever hit your guitar with your pick, you best put one on unless you like the holy guitar look. Ditto if you rest your finger on the top as you play you will likely put a dip in it eventually unless you rest it on the raised sound hole rosette sticker. There is a back strap button, no front strap button but I don't play standing. Other people put a string around the neck or get an after market front strap button. I'll pass on putting on the strap button. I prefer it without one at this stage.

The laminated sides and back mean this guitar won't stress as easily as an all solid one so it will travel well and withstand more temperature and humidity changes.

I emailed Godin about the wood used on the bridge and fingerboard and had a reply within two days. That's the second time I've asked about one of their products and they always answer promptly. Thanks, Michel. I have no idea how long the warranty is. The Rock shop said I could return it within thirty days if I didn't like it for some reason and I would expect if there was a problem in a reasonable time they would fix it. If anything happens with this guitar that isn't my fault I would expect the company to take care of it. I've never heard of anyone having a problem with the Godin line of guitars but I would be curious to know what the co. was like to deal with if they had.

But hey, Godin, can you guys please get some more info on your guitars on your web pages? I see you updated your seagulls but there's virtually NO info on the specs of your other guitars (A&L, La Patrie etc.) and guitarists are funny that way, they really do like to know all the minutia.

I played for a few years fifteen years ago, stopped, then got back into it again this year. Previously I owned a Norman steel string (also by Godin, co-incidentally, it was a great guitar)a yamaha classical, another classical (a good one) by I can't remember who but probably a Canadian make and probably a Godin related company.

Right now I own a La Patrie Motif parlor classical made in Canada, a g3030ce auditorium sized all solid Walden with Fisher EQ made in China and now my Ami parlor steel string by Art and Lutherie.
You can find sound/video clips of the Motif on youtube (not me playing), the A&L ami cedar being played blues style on a guitar forum (use google) and the Walden has links to sound clips from their American page, if you're curious about any of those.

I compared the Ami carefully to other parlor guitars because I knew what I wanted in sound and volume. I love the neck, the size, the shape, most of the woods used (if it was all solid for the same money, say maple back and sides or maybe solid cherry? that would be wow! but then the price would be so high I probably couldn't afford it, hah. Plus then it may not sound the same.)

If it were lost or stolen I would be really, REALLY upset then buy exactly the same guitar but I might compare the spruce and cedar solid top ones side by side more carefully.

I doubt they could do much better on the price of this guitar with it being made in North America without sacrificing something, so it's getting high marks for value. I think it's at a fair price. I hope they can keep making this model in Canada and selling them at this reasonable price with the increased competition from overseas builders because this really is a nice guitar with a great warm sound. Hopefully people will weigh up the sound carefully and not be distracted by anything else.

AMI
Cedar top

Sounds great I,ve played for 26 yrs, had many guitars and I would rake this one in the top 3.

I live in a dry climate, so the frets needed dressing and the neck was
worped. The worp caused a slight buss near the 12 fret but after a setup and buying a humidifyer the neck has straightened. The guiter looks simple but elegant.

I got the guitar for vacations. It came with a soft case. I am sure it will get few bumps a scratches, but the hardwear seems solid.

NA

Just what I was looking for a small and cheap guitar and wow it sounds good.

solid cedar top
12 frets to body
Made in canada
Wild cherry back/sides laminate
0 size

The sound of this thing is great, its loud!!Focused, kind of bright with a pick but mellow with fingers. Its the perfect small guitar, i cant say enough about what comes out of this thing especially for the money. Of course if you want a big booming bass you will be dissapointed.

set up was very good, i put medium guage strings on and didnt have to adjust anything, they made it into a cannon, its comfortable cos of the shorter scale. The top is nicely matched with a nice wooden inlay which seems to be a new feature cos the website shows a "painted" rosette. Tuners are smooth and acureate, the intonation is perfect even with a capo on 7th fret and up. Nicely intonated saddle.
Of course my ratings are based on the fact that this guitar costs about $200. never the less its better in sound than a Gibson Blues king i bought last year.

Finish is very thin, cedar top is soft, everyhing else looks durable. I would definately gig with it, in a small intimate setting it would shine, a pickup under the strings sounds great also.

N/A

Ive been playing for over 20 yrs, i own 10 guitars including a Martin 2 gibsons etc and this thing holds its own against all of them.
Skeptical? check one out.

Made in 2005.
Solid Cedar Top
0 size or parlor size
24.9 scale
Laminated wild cherry back/sides
silver leaf maple neck
sealed tuners stay in tune well
12 frets to the body
Included nice gig bag w/ back pack straps and zipper pocket.

This guitar has a surprisingly full sound for the size [0]. I played both the spruce and cedar top models and chose the cedar for the added warmth and bass response. I also switched to ebony bridge pins which warmed up the sound a little bit as well. It's a great little guitar for finger style and it responds well to light strummer. It seems to respond best to a light touch.

Action was great out the box. Nice low action and very easy to play. Easier than my Seagull S6. Fit and finish is not quite as good as on a Seagull. There are spots where the finish is uneven and you can feel the edge of the binding. The fingerboard is very nice though and the frets are excellent and have not sharp edges at all. In this price range I would say above average for fit and finish and excellent for action.

Seems to be just fine in this department but I haven't had it long enough to judge in the long term.

N/A

I played when I was younger and started practicing regularly about 3 years ago. This is my second guitar. I got this one for travel and playing on the couch. The small size is really great for that and the sound is so nice that I often reach for this one before my S6.

My favorite thing about this guitar is the playability. It's very easy to fret and it's easier than my S6 for playing barre chords. I think it would be a great beginner guitar just because it is so easy to play and the sound is good enough to keep you interested.

If this guitar was stolen or lost I would definitely get another one of the same model. The Art & Lutherie guitars are such a great value that if I had played them before I got my Seagull S6 I would probably would have ended up buying a A & L instead. Maybe a Folk or Dread size just because they have a little bit richer sound.

I would say the ebony bridge pins definitely improved the tone on this guitar.

Bought new in 2005 from a local dealer, couldnt find any for sale online. So I ordered one straight from Canada down to Mississppi.
Nice little cedar top parlor guitar. I wanted a cheap, comfortable, blues sounding acoustic & thats exactly what the AMI is.
While awaited for it come in I was alittle worried about the quality not being up to par. I was proven wrong, great quality for such a cheap guitar. The Antique Burst just sets off the old timey feel for of the guitar.

Nice old time blues sound. Great little fingerstyle guitar. Not very loud as to be expected from such a small guitar.

Everything was set up just right.

The cedar top scratchs very easily. It will look like a relic in no time. This parlor seems like it will hold up to live playing.

If it were stolen I would be another one.

Solid cedar top is the best part of this guitar. I played a solid spruce variation and it didn't as good, as spruce takes time to open up. Laminates on sides and back. It is 12 fret to the body. Nothing fancy. Tuners are smooth.

Sound is for rather loud, but not mellow. If one wants lots of bass, pass on this model, and get a dreadnaught. If one wants mainly a strumming guitar pass on this one, and get a dreadnaught. For strumming, I'd give this model a 5. But if you want a small guitar for fingerstyle acoustic blues, then this model is for you. I played a Seagull Grand, which costs about twice the price, and I liked the the sound of the Ami better. The Seagull Grand sounds a little more mellow, whole the A&L Ami sounds more bluesy. It's a matter of liking a certain sound for a certain type of music. For acoustic fingerstyle blues, I give the Ami a 9.

I played 6 Ami's at the music store, before I picked the one to buy. The major issue that I found with the Ami is quality control. One that I played had a brace that was splitting where the truss rod nut was. Two others had necks that were not quite straight, and their action was two low. Two others had straight necks, but again the action was too low. So, beware of fret buzz when looking for one to buy. The guitar tech at this large music store tried to adjust the truss rods in all of them, and couldn't adjust it enought to rid of the fret buzz in 4 of them. I found one that was right. Because of my experience I would not recommend buying this model via the internet. You might save some money, but you could be getting a lemon. If you look for one, you can get an Ami that is just right, but I have to give it a low score in this category. Also the cedar is delicate, and the finish is very thin.

Seems like a durable guitar.

None needed so far.

I've been playing guitar for about 30 years. I own a Gibson J-30, an Ovation, and a Montana Travel Guitar. I like the Ami because it is a great value for the type of distinct sound it can produce: a very nice acoustic fingerstyle blues sound at a beginner guitar price.