Cole Clark FL3A

Australian-made, Satin finish dreadnought. This is the "Fat Lady" model number FL3A. (The "A" is for the one with the electrics. It can come additionally with a "C" for a cutaway). Bought new in February 2007. Solid Rosewood back and sides. Solid Bunya top. Queensland Maple neck. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Very ornate Abalone Paua inlaid face edge, rosette and fingerboard. All timber binding. Distinctive "pointy" scratchplate. Decorative gold Grover tuners. 20 frets. Gold strap buttons. Patented "FaceBrace" preamp with built-in backlight for stage use, plus undersaddle, soundboard and backboard sensors. Onboard EQ controls: volume, mid-range, bass, treble & slider to choose level of mix between saddle and soundboard sensors. Plastic bridgepins. No case included. Those last two points are the only reasons why it gets a 9 rather than a 10. At this price, ebony pins and a hard case should come with the instrument.

The sound of this guitar is superb. It has a depth and woodiness which you wouldn't expect from a brand new, out-of-the-workshop luthier-made guitar. Big bass, responsive mids and bright trebles characterize the sonority. And that's just the unplugged sound! Wait till you plug it in. I have played many brands of preamped acoustic guitars, from Taylors to Takamines, but I have never heard a plugged-in sound such as is on this Cole Clark. It is the most natural-sounding electro-acoustic I have ever heard. When I chose this guitar in the shop, I lined it up against Martins and Taylors. It beat the Fishmans and Expression Systems hands-down. It just sounded like an acoustic guitar amplified. Isn't that what we're all looking for?
I actually even improved on the already great sound by taking out the plastic bridge pins and fitting brass pins with Abalone Paua decoration. You can get them from www.pinzuk.com for ??29 ($60). They look great (perfectly matching the inlay on this guitar), they give even more bright resonance and sustain and they are in keeping with the classiness of this guitar.
Actually, I tweaked the lovely sound even more by putting on Newtone Master Class strings in gauges 12, 16, 24w, 34, 44, 54. They are a lower tension string and thus can be a tad fatter in the bottom three wound strings without causing problems. They seemed to have better projection on this guitar than the Elixir lights which it came with. And they feel even better than the Elixirs (which I confes I have normally used on other guitars)
This guitar is very adaptable to heavy/light strumming and fingerstyle. (I use many styles in my own performance). Great projection with warmth. The Bunya top is full of character. It seems to be somewhere in between spruce and cedar. It is certainly nicer looking than spruce, with darker stripes of different shades. Cole Clark say on their website: "In many instances where customers have not already been brainwashed by the standard Spruce marketing, they will choose Bunya on tone and appearance".
I can't wait for the woods to mature over the years. My wife - a cellist - tells me that a new wooden stringed instrument gains 90% of its maturity improvement in the first 5 years of its playing life. So roll on 2012!

The action out of the case was about the same as a Taylor, medium-low but not too medium and not too low, if you see what I mean. One can always adjust that oneself anyway.
The finish is just superb. I have often owned guitars which are under-appointed. So long as they had great sound, I'd put up with the boring looks. (Santa Cruz being classics which look boring but sound great! Even the Taylor 800 series has, until this year, always had tacky white plastic binding). So I decided this time that I wanted a work of art as well as a great sound. In the Cole Clark FL3A I got both.
The attention to detail is unbelievable. I like just looking at it. Like when you meet a truly beautiful woman and you can't take your eyes off her! It is a feast for the eyes. Not a flaw in sight. And the finish is so tough. I confess that I've knocked this instrument a few times and fully expected to see some "zings" there. Not a one. Whereas glossy finishes show every mark, this special satin finish is a scratch-resister - which is just as well because I play a lot.

As I've said above, the finish is tough and will withstand multiple gigging. It's funny really because the instrument looks so ornate and precious that one is hesitant to take it out of the box. Yet, it will cope with heavy use. Isn't that how we like it? The two strap buttons are very solid and well-placed, with a felt washer to protect the wood.
Would I use it on a gig without a backup? I don't have to think about that because I always gig with three acoustics anyway! But it's always a good idea to have a backup in case of string breakage, etc. But you wouldn't need a backup for this guitar on the basis of any flimsiness. That's simply not an issue. It's a Fat Lady, remember!

The warranty is for one year. When I got the guitar home, I did have a few questions about how to clean the finish, the string gauge and about adjusting the truss rod. So I e-mailed the company through their website, www.coleclarkguitars.com , and received responses within 24 hours each time. I also connected with them through their MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/coleclarkguitars

I've been playing for about 40 years! I have a Taylor T5 electric, Taylor 455 12-string, Marshall 100 ASD acoustic amp and a Fender Hotrod Deville 410 electric amp.
This Cole Clark FL3A has given me all I have been looking for in an electro-acoustic guitar. I have been in love before, but now I am married! I compared it to a Taylor GS, a Taylor 614 and 814, an Avalon L32c, a couple of Maton guitars and a few different high-end Martins with long, convoluted model numbers! I chose the Cole Clark for all the reasons given above. It has looks, it has class, it has superb acoustic sound plugged and unplugged and it feels good in my hands.
I am essentially a singer-songwriter and I was looking for a guitar which would inspire me creatively and which would make me relish playing so much that I would enjoy my songwriting even more. It has certainly worked.
I recommend the Fat Lady FL3A wholeheartedly. What more can I say? If you want to connect with my music, you can find me at www.myspace.com/sincerityfrance