Art & Lutherie Ami

It is the AMI spruce top. Parlor guitar. Red. Brand new (2008) made in Quebec somewhere. Solid top. Came with a gig bag, which kinda sucked.

I play folk, old timey, blues and "Celtic". I am a bit of a novice, but have been playing for about 2 years now, and I am learning fingerpicking.

The sound is nice and big. I put Martin Silk and Steels on it, and it sounds very nice. It really fills the room, but is not overwhelming.

I have yet to try amplification with it.

Perfectly set up when I got it. No flaws. Very well made, and not by Chicom slave labor!

Will this guitar withstand live playing?
It has.

Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Absolutely!

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?
Seems like it will last.

Can you depend on it?
Yes.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes.

I have not dealt with Art and Lutherie. I dealt with Maple Leaf Music out of Brattleboro, VT, and they were GREAT!
http://www.mapleleafmusic.com/

I have been playing guitar for a bit over 2 years now. I have an Alvarez RD-8, an Epiphone Dot Studio, a crappy guitjo, and a crappier Washburn Rover. I am sick of Chinese made instruments, and I was glad to find something made in Canada (just about 2 hours from where I live) that was only 250 bucks!

I had been looking at parlor size guitars for a while, and this one stands up to the more expensive stuff that mostly are made in China.

I wish it was an acoustic-electric, but c'est la vie!

This is a parlor size, all-laminate guitar. Not a lot of frills really, mine came with a decent gig bag. This guitar is 0 size, and it is a little bigger than my 3/4 size Baby Taylor. The body is thicker (deeper) so it sounds better than the Baby Taylor, and it feels like the neck is longer (just a little). At any rate it feels more comfortable to play. This guitar does not have the wider neck like some of the Seagulls, this neck is 1.72", I believe, as opposed to 1.8" for the Seagulls. I still find it easy to use for fingerpicking with this width.

For a guitar this small, the sound is surprisingly full, and for a laminate guitar, the sound is very good. Even though I have a very light fingerpicking touch, this baby gives me decent volume. It sounds good with a pick, also. Pretty much anything you want to play will sound good on it.

My rating of 9 is by comparison to guitars in its class. It doesn't sound as good as a Seagull Grand, much less a Larrivee parlor, but it is much cheaper. The sound compares well with Little Martins, Baby Taylors, etc., but it has its own character. If you like Seagulls, you'll like this.

This guitar has a very solid feel to it, and it seems like it will last. For such a low-end guitar, this is very well made.

It has been almost three years since I started playing for the second time and in that time I have owned and played quite a few low-end guitars. My main guitar now is a Seagull M6, and I bought this off ebay to be a cheap clone of that one to use as a beater. I also have a Taylor Baby M which is about the size of this, and for many reasons this guitar is better than the Baby Taylor. It sounds fuller and better, it is sturdier, and it is still small enough to travel with. Right now I have this guitar in my office and I play it when I'm there at odd hours, and it's a great guitar for this purpose. If it were lost or stolen and I were looking at cheaper parlor-size guitars, I might get the solid-topped spruce or cedar Ami instead of the laminated one.

It has all been said before, just a basic acoustic guitar with no frills.

I play blues and folk on this instrument. It has a bright sound that fits nicely with my Maritime/Celtic/Sea Shantie group The Harbor Pilots. the low end really shines when the guitar is miked up or if you find a smaller pick-up to fit the soundhole (beware! The regular sized ones will not fit!)

This guitar sounds great tuned in DADGAD (though you'll have to get the guitar set up for that to avoid the floppy low D). There is a charming quality about the sound when playing with instruments like the Greek Bouzouki and the Concertina. It also is great for blues slide playing. I give this guitar a 10 because it sounds like it is supposed to, and really fits what I do to a T. If you want a full bodied sound, why would you buy a palor guitar?

The set-up was good when I got it home. No fret buzzing and good intonation. A month later I had it set up for DADGAD and slightly heavier strings. The bas response almost doubled when I did this, and it is still holding up 3 months later. There were a few minor flaws in the finish, but very minor and virtually un-noticible. The construction of this guitar is solid and it looks wonderful. I got the Wild Cherry finish and it is very nice.

I play this thing all the time. I am a heavy strummer and it seems to handle it just fine. The finish seems to hold up so far, but I bought this guitar to play, not hang on a wall to look pretty.

Hardware is solid. I feel I could depend on this guitar for sure. I would gig without a back-up as long as I have my trusty stringwinder and some extra string, even though I rarely break strings.

Have yet to deal with them.

I have been playing music since I was 12. The main motivation for buying this guitar is that it is so easy to play for an acoustic guitar, and I appreciate that because I have nerve damage issues that make it hard for me to play acoustic guitars. The small neck makes this thing easier to play than my beloved G&L electric.

I like it so much, I'm going to buy the classical version as well. The fact that this guitar is cheaper may scare people off, and that is their loss. It is a fine instrument and I love it as much as my more expensive guitars.

Other reviews have listed the general features - it's a pretty basic guitar so there's not much you can say really. My AMI is the laminated antique-burst version. Basic, unbranded but very solid feeling tuning pegs. 12 frets to the body of the guitar. No pickup. Not much more you could want or need in a small guitar like this.

For the size and price, this guitar sounds fantastic. Even without taking the size and price into account, it still sounds fantastic. Just perfect for having around the house to pick up when inspiration strikes. The bass response is suprisingly good for such a small guitar. I put a new set of Martin 11s on after I got it home and it sounds lovely. Great for fingerpicking and light strumming. Heavier strumming gives a slightly harsher sound but I'd expect that with such a small guitar.

Action suits me fine although the guy in the store said they'd lowered it so it may have been slightly too high direct from the factory. Finish has one small flaw in that there's a tiny black mark (seems like a speck of lacquer maybe) near where the fretboard joins the body but I got ?20 knocked off the price for that and it barely notices so I'm not complaining. Fret ends are slightly rough but not a major problem. The neck feels nice to play. The intonation is perfect right the way up the fretboard.

I wouldn't use this live because I bought it to keep around the house for songwriting / jamming on and I'd always use a larger bodied guitar live as it suits my playing style better. It does feel robust though, and would be a great travel guitar. The hardware seems solid and doesn't feel "cheap" - in fact, nothing about the guitar feels cheap to me - it's a great little instrument.

Never dealt with A&L.

I went through a pretty long process when choosing this guitar. I wanted a small bodied guitar I could leave out around the house which wasn't too expensive (with 2 small children and their friends around, I wanted something which would not devestate me if it got damaged in any way) but still felt like a "proper" guitar and played and sounded nice.

I tried this (?160), the Mini Martin LX1 (?270) - solid top, nice but 3/4 size all over and the neck was too small for me personally, the Baby Taylor (?200) - not to my taste and again, 3/4 size, Tanglewood TW73 parlor guitar (?350) - nice but more than twice what I paid for the AMI, the Faith Saturn parlor (?220) - felt cheap to me, even though it's all solid, and a couple of old vintage epiphones from the 1930s (?350) - very tempting but slightly too large and needed a bit of work.

This was absolutely the right choice. I'm 100% sure on that. The AMI sounds lovely, looks great, and is so convenient. For the price I don't see how you could possibly get a better new guitar.

See there site.

Darn good for such an inexpensive and small guitar. As you might expect the bass is light as is the volume, bit decent tone overall. Great sounding for finger style.

*My rating of 10 is based on other guitars in this price range (not comparing it to all guitars).

Setup was pretty good. The neck was straight and the fret intonation was fairly good. Action was at a reasonable mid range and easily playable to the 12th fret.

*My rating of 10 is based on other guitars in this price range (not comparing it to all guitars).

Seems fairly solid. I got it as a cabin guitar and I think it will hold up well to a little abuse and humidity swings.

N/A

Been playing for 20 years and I needed a cheap guitar to bring to an island cabin (where I don?t dare bring a nice instrument). Good solid instrument for $199. It really is better than I would expect from that price. Not fancy or amazing to listen to, but certainly a very practical travel guitar.

SPECS:
Canadian 2005 Art and Lutherie AMI, handmade in Canada.
19 entire frets, 12-14 playable, body starts at 12th fret.
Solid top.
Full accoutsic, no pickups (and no controls...).
Canadian Wild Cherry body, Canadian Silver Leaf Maple neck.
Stained with Satin Laquer, Sunburst top.
Parlor guitar body style.
Accoustic Rosewood bridge.
High Ratio tuners.
Normal size neck (parlor body), manufactured with truss rod.
Gig bag included, Godin light .11 strings.

Parlor guitars were introduced in teh early 1900's and are easily recognizab;e by theier smalled body's but realtivley normal neck. Despite this guitar's smaller body, it still produces an ample amount of bright sound, which may be do to the light .11 Godin strings that came standard. I can see an insturment like this easily filling a parlor with sound. There is very little frett buzz even past teh 12'th fret, which is where the body meets the neck, so as long as you can get your fingers to the higher frets, they are entirley playable.

I bought the the guitar from a locla dealer, so I cannot way how much work they put into the insturment first, but the action is not too low and not too high, sitting somwhere in the middle. There were no pickups to be adjusted, the top and the bridge look sturdy, and i ahve not found a flaw yet. The guitar did lack a strap button, which i would assume is standard for smaller parlor guitars, but i had a dealer at the store install one for only the price of harware, which was around two dollars US.

Because it is handcrafted in North America, cut from hand selected North American wood, and stained instead of laminated, i think this guitar will stand up very well. The hardware seems solid, the finish on the neck and body looks durable, and I trust the strap button, but that was after market. I would depend on this guitar, except the nature of a parlor guitar is not to gig in anything outside a small/medium room.

I have not needed to deal with the company, but i doubt i will need to. I am not sure as to the length of the warentee, but if it breaks ill just bring it to teh dealer or call the company, so I am not to worried.

I have been playing for almost a year, and this is a 2 year anniversary present for my girlfriend. Shes a little smaller than me, about 5'0", so i was looking around for a smaller guitar and i stumbled on this one in the window of the dealer. Ill be giving it to her in a couple days, but im geussing that ill be playing it non stop until then, even though i have my Ibanez acosutic electric cutaway hanging right next to me. Overall, im really happy with this purchase because it sounds good, teh price was great, and it is a BEAUTIFUL insturment.

I just got this guitar so it must be at least a 2004 model year .
It has the sealed tuners and a wooden soundhole inlay . Since I can't find any info about the top being solid or laminated looking at it I would have to say laminated . I has one strap button on the lower bout and no pickguard .
Maple neck and the tag reads cherrywood in the body, it looks like a rosewood fingerboard and bridge .
Came with a nice padded gig bag tan and black color .
The guitar is what they call almond and a 12th fret joint at the body .
Medium size well dressed frets and a low/ med action .

It sounds sweet in all positions . A bit of buzz on the low E if played harder with a pick .

the sound is warm and quite loud for this size guitar .
It is a parlor sized guitar and I would in no way consider it a travel guitar in that sense , it is small and easy to carry around but it is a great little blues guitar which is the way I prefer to describe it .

The only thing I would change is to have binding of the back of the body as the front has .

I came set up ready to play . I have not measured the action but it looks like about 3/16 at 12th fret open string .
If the top and back are in fact laminated then they did a good job with a center joint on both and it is dead center with the body and neck center and lower joint . this tells me it is well made and not slapped together as many guitars in this price range .
everything is a perfect fit and the finish is well done with a nice woody feel .
I don't see any faults with it at all .
I read some posted a 14th fret joint , if this is the case they do not have an AMI model .
The nut is 1 11/16 which is about average , a bit wider would be nice for me but this is fine as is .

They used fine looking woods and did a nice job with the fit and finish .

You can wear the finish off any guitar but this is not my concern , tone is my concern and of this guitar it is not hampered by that horrid thick plastic abomination seen most common these days .
I can depend on it as I would depend on any guitar no matter what the price .
I would also gig with it without concern .
It has hardware as good as it gets these days .

no idea

I have been at guitar playing 40 years .
I have seen and owned all sorts of guitars and still have enough to do the job . All four strats I have I built from scratch . So I know what well made involves .
I have always had a love with this size and shaped guitar .
I have compared it with many and only a few much more expensive models come even close to this one . This was the deciding factor in my choice . I was not in the market for a travel guitar but a players guitar and this does the job very well .
The only thing I would like would be a 14th fret access or joint and rear binding . this was the only thing that made the similar model by seagull more appealing , except the seagulls price tag . And I do not care for the shape of the seagulls peg head which is a triangle shape.

If someone walked off with this I would get another right away and if I desired another guitar this would be an addition to this one , not a replacement for lack of liking it . It is a permanent part of my guitar collection .

As everyone has said this is a parlor guitar. Very Retro looking, modeled after guitars from around 1900. I know because I have a 1920s' Washburn and the body size is identical. Mine is black with white binding top and back and a stenciled rosette. Made from 100% Canadian hardwoods. 50% wild cherry, 33% maple, 13% walnut, and 4% spruce. This one has 12 frets to the body [which defines it a parlor], a compensated saddle perfect intonation. also an adjustable truss rod

This guitar sounds good for fingerstyle blues or for period music from the era it was designed after. Would probably sound better with a spruce top. I continue to plug Elixir strings. [makes any guitar sound better] It will never sound like a dreadnought no more than a Les Paul will sound like a Strat. If you want a deadnought sound buy a dreadnought. I did. I also have a nice Gibson dread. Every instrument has a unique sound. It is up to the musician to learn how to pull the best sound from it.

The craftsmanship is exellent. Would have liked to had a real rosette. Better tuners would have been nice. Actually a slotted headstock would really set it off. The work that counts is A-1.

This is a well made guitar not a sledge hammer. Will probably last a lifetime of playing but won't last 1 minute beating it on the stage.

I got this from the "Guitar Factory" in Orlando Fl. I hear good things about "La Si Do" but I know the Guitar Factory stands behind anything they sell.

I've been playing about 35 yrs. I presently own 2 Gibsons, 3 Fenders, 1 charvel, 1 Godin, 1 Washburn, and 1 Kamico. Thee isn't much I haven't owned or played orver the years. This guitar compares well with any parlor guitar out ther buy any manufacturer as far as playability, sound, and construction. If it had a spruce top, real rosette, and a slotted headstock it would be a perfect parlor.

I guess I got this in 2000...my first acoustic. Like someone else out there, I read about it in a guitar mag and they gave it high ratings for a low budget blues box. They were right, great tone, nice woods, fun little guitar that has worked its way into my heart. Almost sold it once, but it fits too many needs: lightweight for travel, cheap enough that you don't have to be obsessively protective of it, sturdy.

14 frets to the body. Nice mix of Canadian hardwoods with a laquer finish. Cheap tuners, though I don't have the tuning problems some here complain of. Thin neck and scale as noted; I have kind of skinny fingers without great mobility or dexterity, so I found it a great guitar to learn on and expect I'll pass it along to my kids as a first guitar if I can get any of em interested.

I like Delta blues in both standard and open tunings. This guitar will not fool anybody as a reso, nor does it match up to a Gibson flattop, say, but for the price, it gets you in the direction of the lonely, wailing sound the blues is about. Probably not good in any combo setting, I've never tried, but for solo accompaniment or evening porch instrumentals, it's got a great vibe.

As noted elsewhere, bass strings fill out better than trebles; the b and high e can sound a little tinny on riff runs.

Guitar is quality made. The wood grain underneath the finish is quite lovely, though subtle. Mine is sort of a plain brown with a simple painted white rosette, rosewood fretboard. There's nothing fancy or showy about this guitar at all.

Well, if you wanted to smash it, I'm sure you could. It's a lightweight traveler, but it is made solidly. I've had mine for 4 years and there's no sign at all of deterioration of the seams, binding, neck, fretboard. All I've done is changed the strings and had the frets dressed back to shiny.

It did have a warranty, which has by now expired. Never needed to contact em.

I have been playing about 5 years, but in anybody else's time frame I'd call it about 2! I'm a slow learning, eclectic country blues electrified explorer. I have GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome), so as part of my 12-step program I'm reviewing all the guitars I've bought in the last 5 years. Over time you'll see posts for all of these:

Johnson biscuit resonator
Johnson Tricone
Fender Nashville Tele
Martin Backpacker
Dobro DM-33H spider reso
Vintage wooden Regal/Dobro, spider bridge
Regal RC-1 biscuit reso
Liberty L-100 biscuit reso
Gibson LG
Gibson L-00
National Delphi custom
Danelectro Hodad
Danelectro U3
Gretsch Bo Diddley
Gretsch Dreadnought acoustic
Michael Kelly Maple quilt-top acoustic
Pignose Piglet
Ibanez Artcore semi-hollowbody
Carlson Jagmaster
Epiphone Beast Explorer
Lotus Jagstang copy

About half of these I've sold, half I've kept. I'll detail why in each review.

For amps I have a Fender Vibratone, a smalll Fender 15 watt, a Pignose, a Dinosaur (utter crap!), a small Danelectro 1 watt, and a Crate Taxi. I am no amp head--I find the ax that can make the sounds I like and then simply amplify, with a little bit of overdrive depending on how much sustain and snarl I want.

If this were stolen, I would consider the alternatives. What's good for travel, lightweight, tough, relatively cheap, with a sound you not only like, but comes to really grow on you?

I decided I couldn't sell this guitar, because when they burn my body at the end, I want them to incinerate this with me. So that tells you something...it's the ax I'm bringing along to the next world. Not my absolute favorite in the stable, but like a little child that utterly endears itself.

2004 blue art & lutherie ami steel string 6 solid cedar top. Essentially a parlor/travel/lap guitar. The blue is very rich and deep, a great color. The rosette is basic but has a early delta look. Head set is also basic with white plastic tuners that have not sliped on me. Nice padded gig bag.
Since the guitar is a rich blue, I don't need too many special effects on the guitar. The 'basic' look is very cool.
One complaint: Being a fingerpicker, I wished the neck width was a bit wider. If you have fat fingers, I would not recommend this guitar. It would be perfect if the nut was 1/8" wider.

Punchy, bright, good low end for such a thin and small guitar. Nice fingerpicking sound ala Miss. John Hurt, Blind Melon, B.B. Broonzy, Robert Johnson, Stefan Grossman, any delta/country blues. Very comfortable to play. High end a bit weak. Overall rich tone.

action, fit, bridge, saddle, nut, fretwork all no problem. A very well constructed guitar.

If live playing is solo fingerpicking with a small acoustic amp, this parlor can handle it, otherwise I would not recommend it. I've only had the guitar for two months, but I tend to grab for it often. It is a tough and durable rig which has been dropped several times with no problems.

N/A

Have played fingerstyle for last 20 years. Also fluent in double bass, mandolin, steel pedel, banjo and uke. Studied under Tom Doyle, Jody Fisher and Lou Manzi. Guitars include Taylor 314, Martin DCM, Froggy Bottom Parlor, National Steel Tricone, Fox, Stella, a couple of classicals and a few others. Wish the nut was a bit wider. I got his guitar as a gift from my wife because I needed a travel/Parlor guitar. If I lost it, I MIGHT buy another. For the size, the quality can't be beat; sounds better then any other travel guitar. Dig the blue color. Aside from a neck I wish was wider. This is a great little guitar with great sound and very comfortable to play