Product: Avalon Gold D201C
Price Paid: USD 1400
Submitted
11/19/2008
at
01:59pm
by
Mattman
Email: matt at netmender<dot>com
Features
:
9
Satin finish
Solid red cedar top
Solid rosewood sides and back
Mahogany neck
Ebony fingerboard and tuning pegs
Gold Grover tuners
Mother of pearl inlays
Patented Avalon bracing system
Not flashy, but quietly elegant. WHen you first look at it, it is pleasing to the eye, but doesn't grab you with anything right off. When you put your hands on it and look at it closely, things like the ebony pegs and the different wood grains are pieces of art within themselves. Nice workmanship....
Sound
:
10
I've owned a pretty full range of guitars over the years - Martin, Taylor, Guild, Takamine, a custom-made Spanish 12, Seagull, Samick, Gibson, Ovation, etc. I play a lot of open-tuned stuff, both picked and strummed. Without a doubt, this is the BEST open-tuned instrument I have ever played. There are tones within tones. You can play the same progression with a slightly different emphasis (sharper pick action, slightly different finger positioning, etc.) and get a whole new dimension of tones.
It's definitely not a "dark" sounding guitar... Crisply rich mellow, if I had to adjectivize it quickly, with a dose of hidden bells thrown in. It's a real multi-dimensional-sounding instrument.
The only time I am straight satisifed with it is if I am trying to turn it into a "banger": then it performs and sounds pretty good, but not boomy.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
I had to have the action lowered just a tad when I got it. The dealer (Acoustic Axis in Alexandria, VA) had a trained guitar doc adjust it for me for free. The only issue was with the dealer: I wanted strap pegs put on it, and they didn't have any.
Everything else was properly set up, and I haven't changed anything other than the strings for the several years I've owned it.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I am pretty careful with my gear, so I'm not the best to ask about durability. I have played this guitar for many, many hours, and it still looks like it did in the showroom.
Customer Support
:
9
The dealer took pretty good care of me, and the Avalon folks were outstanding when I needed some help with some additional information.
Overall Rating
:
10
I would not buy another one right away if it were stolen: I would pay a hefty ransom first to get this one back. If I couldn't, I would replace it.
The one thing I DO NOT LIKE about it is that it is so well put together that I sometimes feel like it should be in the hands of someone far better than me...
