Cole Clark Fat Lady

Plain jane FL1 Bunya top with blackwood sides, a very nice maple neck, its also nice how the inside wood is carved. Good Grover tuners. I think the nut width is about 1-3/4" but I like it.

It is very loud, has lots of bass, has lots of sustain, it also is very balanced for chords and double stops. Its a perfect guitar for playing with a pick. This guitar sounds really good. The price MUST go up. I hope that CC will also produce an Angel with no cutaway!!!

The best setup i have ever seen/tried on an acoustic guitar. However I want a 100% flat fretboard, it was only 99,7%, and to adjust the truss rod requires a special tool. A very nice fretboard and frets.

Satin finish. Very nice. Averything is checked and perfect.

I have not tried it. But I will ask about the truss rod.

I also own a Martin D-18, and previously Gibson J-45, Martin D-15, Blueridge 180....and a whole bunch of other guitars over the past 20 years. The very first time I saw a CC i thought it was ugly :-) I must regret my thoughts its a very cool guitar, the sound is amazing, try youtube.com and look for Cole Clark or Lloyd Spiegel..great fun.

This is a standard, pure acoustic, 2006 Fl1 Fat Lady. Absolutely gorgeous. Solid Bunya pine top, Blackwood back and sides, Queensland Maple neck and rosewood fretboard with big square m.o.p inlays. The fretboard is fantastic - dense, even-textured wood grain, dark chocolate brown, and as smooth as silk to slide your fingers on. The body has a lovely satin finish that doesn't show fingerprints. And the best bit? The smell of all that wood, oozing out of the soundhole. Gets deep into the limbic part of your brain.

I play whatever I can; blues, rock, ballards; stuff back to the 50's. This guitar will do them all. I can be whisper quiet on the strings and hold my breath with the note as she fades, or I can hit the bass hard and feel the thing vibrate against my chest. Lovely balance across from lows to highs, and the sounds just jumps out like it's alive. I tried a few other big name guitars in the shop in the $1000 to $1800 bracket but none had the richness of tone this one did.

Really well set up straight off the wall. Tuned up nicely, good harmonics, no dead spots, action was mid to low where I like it. The fretboard is a pleasure to play on and was a major purchasing point for me - I hate crowded fingers up near the nut with buzzing and unwanted muting, so the neck width here is great for me. I don't have fat sausage fingers, but I like to be precise.

There were a quite a few wood shavings loose in the body that took a fair bit of shaking upside down to get out, and the bottom strap button was loose. Ten seconds (with a phillips head) and two minutes (shaking over head) later I was in business.

I only play at home, so can't comment on what a stage might be like, but I do have two small, violent children, so maybe I'm not far off. Whilst the machinery on the guitar - the grover tuners - will last me forever, I do feel very, very protective of the wooden body, and particularly the right-angled edges where the top meets the sides. This area of the guitar feels (and is) easy to damage on the Fat Lady, and it's not something I have ever felt before on any other guitar I have played. Never paid this much for one before either, so this could be half the reason.

It might just be my imagination, but the satin finish doesn't seem to give the wood as much protection as a hard gloss on other guitars. Having said that, I wouldn't change a thing - just learn to be careful.

Haven't had a problem, so never used it. Word of mouth here in Australia is that the Cole Clark team are pretty good.

Been playing for 30-odd years. I have owned Yamaha, Maton, Ovation, and Blueridge acoustics, and had a brief affair with an electric Fernandes. I still have the old japanese-made Blueridge; this I play with the kids around as it can handle snot and the occasional biscuit in the soundhole.

If my Fat Lady left in the arms of a thief, or met a messy end, I would be back into the shop for another within 24 hours. No question, no comparisons.

The mother of pearl inlay on the fretboard is not standard on this model, I was told, and normally has to be specially ordered - I just happened to luck in at the right time. It looks great, kinda like a Gibson, and somehow really makes you want to play hard and bend the strings.

Got a Gator hard case with it. Fits like a glove.

A great guitar. An absolute pleasure to play. If I have three minutes spare in the morning before I have to leave to catch the bus, I open the case, breathe in the wood smells, get 12 quick bars of blue in and then put the Fat Lady to bed. Wait 'til I get home.

This is a early 2005 full bodied dreadnought. Made in Melbourne, Australia. All solid construction. Natural Satin finish. Spruce top, Tasmainian blackwood back and sides, Queensland maple neck, rosewood finger board and bridge. Silver Grover tuners. Mother of pearl inlay. Sweepable 5 band Cole Clark face and bridge pickup (this will blend for awesome live sound).

Great features for the price!!!

Sound is full bodied, smooth and warm tone. Sounds great for a new guitar. After a couple of years it has seasoned nicely and the woods have settled par excellence.

It has a lovely resonant voice that can go from soft and sweet finger picker, to Maton killing open loud singer. But does so with brilliant composure. I still get blown away...

The guitar was set up wonderfully from the factory. It has only had a couple of slight adjustments after numerous air plane rides. Doesn't rattle, fret buzz is non-existant. Holds it tuning day in day out.

The finish is smooth and beautifully sprayed. The nut and bridge are well cut (no major adjustment yet...still factory).

Look...you can't fault the quality of this instrument. Not only is it good on paper, it just bloody good...full stop! (period for the US readers).

This just a top quality solid body guitar at an awesome price.

This guitar will travel the world in a flight case. It will stand up night after night and give its all.

These are built to last.

What can I say...is it dependable? Have you read what I have written yet?

I never like gigging without a back up...but i have confidently done just that with this guitar a number of times.

Brad Clark has provided A1 support to so many people, myself included.

When you have a company owner providing customer support you know you're dealing with someone who gives a shit!

1 year warranty, but seriously it's highly unlikely you'll need to worry about that.

Been playing too many years to remember.

I own all kindsa stuff...but who really cares what I own??? Apart from those people who won't tell you their names and will take ya gear!!!

If i lost this guitar i would be the saddest bastard in this town! I know that's self centred, but what do you expect from someone who plays music!

I choose this guitar because i played lots of others (3 times the price) the day that i ordered it and none came close. The one gripe I have is that it took over a month to arrive after ordering it, but it was worth the wait. It was even better than the display guitar...

I can't really compare this guitar...no other i have played has this much personality. It can be an escaped convict or a true lady...

It's not adorned any fine jewellery, it's just a beautiful crafted guitar.

Fat Lady 1, Spruce top, Queensland maple back and sides, cutaway, aluminum face brace sensor.

Wowzers. I am going from a big baby taylor to this which is approximately twice the width. She has some serious bass and can go almost as low as i would anticipate a bass guitar!! Very full bodied sound along with some sweet highs.

The strings came loose so i think the neck had some time to bend but it took about a day to get the appropriate action and for the neck to properly adjust after it was tuned.

Pretty heavy. I think the new gen of these pick ups are quite heavy so the guitar feels very sturdy. The built in neck provides some more assurance about stability.

Man-

They probably hate me by now. If I were Brad Clark, I would definitely not respond to idiotic e-mails and drunk phone calls from a customer like me but he sure does. And its great, they answered all my questions and helped me get her here.

Great. I want the Violap now!

Compared to others in this price range there is no comparison whatsoever

2005 FL1A (dreadnaught, with pickup, no cutaway) grade 'A' spruce top with queensland maple back and sides, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, with a satin finish for the body. If you are looking at these reviews, you probably know a lot about these guitars already...

Obviously (probably like everyone else) I found out about these amazing guitars becasue Jack Johnson plays them. I've been a JJ fan for several years now, and I totally dig his sound. This guitar can do it all though...and man, is it loud! Great volume and AMAZING tone, both plugged in and unplugged. It is rich, full, loud, and just all around f-ing awesome. I've play numerous Taylor's, Martin's and Takamine's, and nothing can even touch the tones this monster releases. My other acoustic is a Takamine EGSF15SC with a cedar top, and I love it, but it's a totally different sound. This Fat Lady sure sings...

I just got this lady here very recently, so the wood is probably adjusting to my dry Colorado climate, so the action is a little high right out of the box. It comes equipped with Elixir 12-53 (I think) nanowebs, so I will have the action adjusted here soon and have it set up with Elixir custom light nanowebs (11-52), not all that different, but every little bit helps. The satin finish is really great, and the wood grain is beautiful, both in the spruce top and the maple back & sides.

The amazing thing I've found it that the guitar is really one solid piece of wood, but very light in weight. I could play this thing standing up live for hours...not like my beefy Les Paul Standard. There is no binding on the neck or body, so be careful when you lean this guitar up against anything (or just don't do it at all)...go & spend the 10 to 20 bucks on a good stand. I think this will be a very dependable guitar for live playing and durability. And Grover tuners are always great

I haven't had to deal with them yet, but the website (www.coleclarkguitars.com) has a great FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, and I would have to say that it is very helpful if you might have any questions on your fat ladies.

I've been playing now for about 13 years, and I do all kinds of different styles, but mainly U2, Jack Johnson, Led Zeppelin, some country, you name it...
My other gear consists of way too many pedals (mostly vintage stuff), an old Korg SDD-1200 delay, Class A tube amps, a Les Paul Deluxe, a late ninties Fender stratocaster, and the Takamine I mentioned earlier.
My overall opinion of this guitar is great, and I enjoy playing it. I always thought I wanted a Taylor 614ce, but their expression system sucks!!! The Cole Clark blows the Taylor out of the water both plugged in and unplugged. But Taylor's do play nice (action, fretting, picking, etc.)

2005, made in Australia, all the usual details. No cutaway, solid bunya top, Qld maple neck, solid rosewood back and sides (optional), ebony fingerboard and bridge (optional), pickup. Finished in satin, with walnut face edge inlay. So, this is essentially a Fat Lady 3, but without the pretty inlays and gloss finish. Grover tuners that are solid and precise, beautiful headstock, strap buttons, etc. Only downfall is no inlays, could have had a few more pretty things but I didn't pay for them so it's fine!

This bit is incredible... the ebony starts the not off clear and sparkly, the midrange of the bunya brings it forward a lot and the rosewood just throws in a lot of bass and even more volume. All in all, extremely clear resonant tone, very sweet and well and truly suited for anything. Plugged in, I think the rosewood causes it to feed back a little tiny bit, but then again it was through a JCM800 tube amp... Anyway, plugged in it's quiet, clear, extremely detailed and extremely faithful. Very impressive sound, still in disbelief.

The price I paid for it, it blew away anything up to $4000-5000. That includes Matons, Taylors, Martins. And being all solid wood, this baby is just going to get better with playing.

Set up perfectly from the factory. Frets are incredibly smooth, highly polished, seated well, no rough spots. Fingerboard is smooth and nice to fret, neck is smooth and the perfect radius. String spacing is a tiny bit wide, action a tiny bit high, but I think this is a very good thing. Finish was flawless, wood of excellent quality, bookmatched and highly detailed grain. No sharp edges, but I'm not worried about that anyway. This baby plays incredibly well, every single note rings like a bell, no dead spots, all the way up to the top fret on every string. Very well put together.

Definitely withstand live playing, rock solid hardware (what there is of it). I think the finish will wear off in a few years, and the face edge is susceptible to dents. However, again, I didn't pay for binding, inlays, and pretty stuff so this is more than acceptable. I would gig this without a backup for sure, though I would be a little careful with it.

Although it took a little longer than i would have liked to get from Melbourne to here (two months), customer service was second to none. I emailed them, corresponded with Bradley Clark himself, and when I call them up, who was manning the phones? Bradley Clark. This is a man truly passionate about his work, willing to take time out of what must be an incredibly busy day, and an absolute top bloke at that.

I've been playing piano for about 15 years, and guitar for about 6. Owned a couple of Yamaha classicals, as well as an FG-400 (I think that's right), also by Yamaha. Played a couple of nice Taylors and Martins, and while they were extremely nice for the most part, I'm completely convinced the Cole Clark is a superior instrument, and for 1/3 of the price. This is a truly beatifully crafted guitar, the sound is incredible and I expect it to last me for a very long time. Absolutely rapt; the guitar is incredible and these guys really are onto something.

My model is a 2005 Fat Lady (FL1A) with a solid bunya top, and blackwood sides. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a Natural Satin Finish. Grover Machine heads. It has a dual input acoustic pickup.

I prefer Blues, Funk ... but play almost all styles. I am using a Bose PS1. The sound is unbelievable. I have never heard an acoustic guitar sound this good, with little or no adjustment. It is truly amazing. The sound is extremely balanced, full, and FAT! Cole Clark is on to something!!!

The action is just right. I typically play Martin ... which runs a little too high on action ... Taylor are a little too low ... Cole Clark is right in the middle ... perfect!

The guitar did not have any flaws

This guitar will blow away all others when played live. The hardware, quality, finish are top of the line! I own Martin, Taylor, Takamine and so on ... nothing comes close to this one!

I dealt with Worldstrum out of Boston. They are a Cole Clark Dealer in the United States. Very friendly, and went above and beyond ... they are doing good things for the guitar community ... their website is www.worldstrum.com ...

This guitar is the best value for the money. It is unbeatable.

I own several Martins, Taylors, Takamine, Gibson, and so on ... they have honestly been packed in their cases and stored since I got the Cole Clark ... I no longer need them.

If the Cole Clark was stolen, I would replace it immediately. I would not do the same for my Taylor or Martin after playing this one ...

The only thing lacking in the FL1A is inlays ... but most musicians need to re-focus on sound and not appearance ... these guitars are very earthy, pure, and are made from renewable resources that do not destroy our world's forests ...

Made in Melbourne Australia, 2005

Dreadnought style, 20 frets, solid spruce top, QLD maple back and sides, no pickup or cutaway. Grover tuners.

Rosewood fingerboard. Quite a wide neck throughout, just the way I like it.

Plain black pickguard, non pearloid.

No case included.

I play all kind of music, from rock to pop to metal to blues (Jack Johnson, N.E.R.D, Metallica, Slipknot, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback...etc).

This guitar is so awesome that makes all kinds of music sound good. It makes me want to play better too.

So there you go, a good guitar will make you want to play better.

The sound is bright because of the type of wood used. I have played many guitars with rosewood back and sides, so I wasn't used to the sound at first. But after playing it, it makes rosewood guitars sound dull.

Rich and excellent sustain. Good volume, quite loud. Bright, crisp harmonics. Beautiful sounding guitar.

The action was OK right out of the box.

The spruce top looks like 1 piece, I could not find the separation in the middle. Either that, or mirror perfect book matching. Maybe because grain is so narrow towards the middle that it's hard to spot.

The back of this guitar is actually a 3 piece. A narrow, darker strip of wood (blackwood?) towards the middle. The other 2 pieces of Queensland maple on either side were book matched. It looks kinda cool.

The headstock is of a darker colour too than the rest of the neck. Blends very well. I like it!

I have not noticed any flaws in the construction.

This is the FL1, no pickup. So no, I would not gig with this. Just something I could pickup at home and play straightaway.

The satin finish seems suficient to withstand everyday playing. Although, gloss finish seems a more durable option. I love the satin finish though.

The Grover tuners are fantastic. The strap buttons are solidly screwed.

I certainly would think that with a little TLC, this guitar will lasts a lifetime.

Haven't had the need to deal with the company. I'm certain in the future I would like a custom FL2 made for me, so I will contact them then.

I've been playing for more than 10 years. Mostly electric. This is my first good acoustic guitar.

If this was damaged or stolen, I would buy it again. This guitar provides more bang for your buck than any other guitar in the same price range.

I love it's unique look and construction. A real revolutionary Aussie innovation in it's construction. This Fat Lady does sing, and I love the sound of her voice.

It's Fat Lady by name, not by nature...

Made in Melbourne Australia 2005

The shop wouldn't sell me their display model, I had to wait about 5 weeks for this baby to get made and delivered.

Dreadnought style. Solid spruce top, Queensland Maple neck, back and sides. Satin Finish. Non cutaway, no pickup. 22 frets. Grover tuners. Comes with strap buttons already attached!!

No case was provided with this guitar, I paid an extra AU$150 for a deluxe gator case.

Looks wise, it's better finished than the display model. The headstock's a little darker as well, goes well with the spruce top and the rest of the guitar.

This guitar came straight from the factory, never been displayed. Still smells fresh!!!

Very rich, bright sound. Different than any other acoustic guitars I have played before. Excellent sustain. Nice and LOUD!!!

It sounded exactly like the display model I saw in the shop. I liked the sound when I first heard her, I got what I asked for. No inconsistency here.

The set up was spot on right out of the box. I haven't noted any flaws.

The satin finish looks fantastic, I love it. Gives the guitar a more "natural" look.

Pearl dot inlays!!

As I've mentioned above, the overall finish of this guitar is better than the display model at my local music store.

This guitar will last a lifetime if properly cared for. The Grover tuners are great.

I hope the satin finish doesn't "wear off" easily and will last as long as my cheaper, heavily glossed guitars. This is my first guitar with satin finish. I love the look of it though...

I bought this guitar as my "everyday" leisure guitar... I dunno if I would gig with it. After all, it's got no pickups.

Haven't dealt with the company personaly, the guitar did take a little long to get delivered though.

OK... I admit, I'm just impatient...

I have been playing on and off for 13 years. I own another Yamaha acoustic and a couple of Les Pauls electrics with Marshall amps. I also own a couple of Keeley modded pedals.

The shop did not inform me that there is an option to get this with a Bunya top instead of spruce. No biggie, I would have choosen spruce anyway... but it would have been nice to know. I did not even know which one I'm getting till I got it. Lucky it's the one I wanted.

If this got stolen, I would get the Fat Lady 2 to replace it. Cole Clark guitars are great! I almost bought a Maton, but I'm glad I got a Cole Clark. I just like to be different...

I love the sound... the endless sustain...

I did not buy this guitar for the looks, although the one that I got is very well made and finished.

The only complaint I have is that the edges of the body are a little sharp without any binding. It's hurting my right arm a little. But hey, with a guitar that sounds this good, I don't care if I keep plaing till I pass out from bleeding.... (maybe not, blood would really spoil the satin finish)

FL1A with solid spruce top and queensland maple body, 2004. Excellent features for the price. No other manufactures could really match the quality what the price paid.

Purchased as a beginner guitar player that had saved up for a while. Shopped for over 4 months and clearly this was the best sounding guitar of all tested, even for an untrained ear. As I have progressed, it has been rewarding to bring out more and more sounds from this guitar. Found that the FL2 was a slightly better sound, but no value for the difference in price. Lessons with the guitar teacher can be a challenge in wrestling it from his grasp.

Only drawback of the guitar is the action, which is a bit high. Otherwise an a perfectly prepared and presented instrument. Cannot go wrong.

As per others comments, this is a delicate instrument that does not appreciate any medium impacts. Beginners be careful. Edges of the guitar have taken a bit of a dint with the odd accident.

The best customer support is one that is not needed. Not needed.

Shopped for a long time as a beginner with no prejudice to brands, and this guitar definitley has the feel of a $2000 guitar for $1,000 dollars. Shopped for an amp about 6 months after purchasing the guitar and took it on the excursion. Outlets that did not have Cole Clarks on offer were blown away by the sound and were more than just eager to have a go.

Dreadnought style acoustic with pickup, no cutaway. My cole-clark has a solid bunya top, and solid queensland maple back and sides. The neck has a spanish heel neck-body joint (very old-school construction technique) and is also made of queensland maple. The interior of the body, on both front and back, is carved to provide maximum acoustic response with the minimum of bracing and weight, i am told some violins also use this process. It has Chrome grover machine heads and a cole-clark pickup system with 3 band eq, volume and blend, the last control lets you blend the bridge piezos with secondary piezos placed on the soundboard, this really gives a good range between bassy and bright signals. The Fat Lady has 20 frets with the neck joining the body at the 14th. My guitar has no binding (which can be a hassle as the construction of the guitar is very lightweight and its easy to dent the edges) and simple dot marker inlays.

I play mostly blues and roots music, and for acoustic styles you cant beat this guitar. It sounded better than the matons and even the Fat Lady 2 guitars i tried in the shop. Very responsive and you can get nice ringing picking sounds or a very satisfying bassy strum out of it. When its plugged in I normally DI it to the stage PA and the pickup is brilliant, better than anything i have heard short of top-range guitars like Martin and Taylor... These guitars blow most matons away and at about half the price. Lately I havebeen plugging into my Fender Super 112 valve combo, on clean, and the Fat Lady sounds good like that, a little muddy and swampy like a resonator.

I actually ordered this guitar to be custom made, the one at the shop had a cutaway and I didnt want it, and so it came literally fresh from the shop about four weeks later. The strings that came with it (elixir brand) are pricey but in my opinion pretty shite. I replaced it with some inexpensive ones and the guitar sounded better. New strings settle in almost immediatly...
Action is reasonably high but I sometimes drop down to a d tuning so i wanted that, when the strings are looser in d the tone suffers a bit but you would expect that...
The Bunya top is great, its pretty much only used in Australia, and it has beautiful grain. Top and back are bookmatched perfectly, with the back having a lovely dark stripe that makes my guitar look beautiful and unique. The tuners are good quality and she can sit for a week or two and when i pick her up its still plum in tune. (that doesnt happen often, tho) Has a plain, satin nitro finish, which feels a bit thin, after 6 months you can see where my pick arm has buffed away some of the finish. As i said above, binding on the body would help toughen her up a bit; the FL1 seems very light and fragile for an acoustic.

See above... the finish seems a bit thin etc. Ive gigged a dozen times with her and I wouldnt just prop this guitar against the amp or anything, needs a padded stand. Still, I play damn hard, my gigs always end with blood sprayed across the board and my fingers sticky, and she has been up to it so far. I play every day, detune it, have drunken singalongs for hours and no damage yet. I think it looks more fragile than it is. I never bring a backup, sold my (six or so) other acoustics when i got this one.

Never needed it but they are local to me and I have heard Cole-Clark will reset the action or whatever you want "while you wait".

Ive been playing for eight years and gigging for three of those...THis is the first decent quality acoustic i have owned, and no plans to replace it. I wouldnt mind another cole clark thats a bit more solid for live work, though. If she broke id happily buy another one.
I also use a Maton Tasman electric guitar, a fender Super 112 60watt valve combo, and a self-built lap slide, but the acoustic is the core of my instrumentation.
I cant recommend this baby enough...go try one and youll see what i mean.

I've got a Fat Lady 1 with pickup and cutaway. I choose the solid bunya top and qld maple back and sides.

I play alot in church so and this guitar is considered the best instrument u can get for church use! Compared my guitar with many many guitars in the shop (matons, taylors, martins, fat lady 2 also!) and I loved the sound of my guitar the most. It has a very nice bassy sound and also clear and crisp highs. Would say it's perfect for strumming and also finger picking.

The action isn't all tat low and I reckon it could go lower but I'm satisfied with it for now. Might get it reset after a few weeks of 'burning in' the guitar. Besides tat, I love the natural look and finish of the bunya top!

Not sure bout this yet. Owned the guitar for only 1 week now. Also cole clark is only 3 years old but i reckon they make great reliable guitars!

not sure. haven't had to contact them

Like I said before, I tried various other guitars and all of them are of a higher price so I've got to say that the cole clarks have got the best value! But if u wanna spend more money, u've gotta get a guitar which is at least twice it's price to beat the sound of this guitar.

Someone told me that the FL1AC had an inferior finish but I disagree. It has everything I am looking for and if feels great. I have been looking for a new guitar to be a backup for my Maton but now the Maton is my backup as this seriously rocks.

Awesome - the pickup is the best I have ever used and the sound is the best I have ever had. Cannot fault it.

Felt like I had been playing it for years. Played three sets the day I bought it and couldn't fault it. Everything was exactly how it should be.

Only had it for four weeks but I can't see why it would not withstand. I play three nights a week (nearly 7 hours) and it definately holds up.

Have met a few people who work there and they have been nothing but helpful.

I have been playing for 20 years and it is the best in that price range I have ever played by far. If it was stolen, I would by another one. If my Maton as stolen I also would by another Cole Clark. I just love how it feels and how it sounds.

Makes playing all the more enjoyable, bring it on!!

I like the fact that it was made with Australian wood. It looked great in the shop (Music Park, Vic Park. WA) and the style that I have stood out from the rest.

Because it is noe, I have only used it several time. Some through adn amp, some through PA and some unplugged. It offers a quality sound in all situations even thoug I prefer unplugged, the range is sound is unmistakable with no amplification or effects.

The only thing I notices was when I first restung the guitar, the white peice in the bridge, above the pickup was loose. I am not sure if this is ment to be but I have never seen this before on any other guitar. The volume and eq adjusters could have been better rather than brown plastic.

I find it fragile and a bit lighter than previous guitars. I would definently use it at all gigs though, she just needs a little more TLC.

Never needed it just yet.

Basically I wnet shopping for months to find "the" guitar for me. I found my Cole Clark in the first week and after that nothing else compared. The only problem for me is that it causes grazing to my forarm after a lengthy gig/rehearsal. There is a fine line between pleaseure and pain.

Made 2004 Melbourne Australia.

Full Dreadnought (no cut away) with the pre-amp Fat Lady. Satin Finish Solid Spruce Top, Queensland Maple Neck Back & Sides, Rosewood Fretboard.

Pre Amp has Volume, Pickup position fader and 3 band eq. controls.

Would give it a 10 rating if the preamp controls looked better, but it is a cheap looking plastic. The controls are also not recessed so it is possible for them to be bumped unintentionally.

I would have preferred they used the tail piece hole for the cable instead of drilling another hole in the body.

Very large sound with lots of bass even when unplugged. Suits strumming and finger picking.

I tried out a variety of other models with and without the cutaway including the more expensive FL2 models. I preferred the sound of the FL1A over all the others in the store but identical models sounded different, very similar to how I remember eary Seagull models. For this reason I would NOT recommend purchasing from an internet retailer, buy the model you like in the store after playing it.

The pickup fader provides an interesting variety of sounds when plugged in.

Very well finished inside and out. A beautiful looking instrument.

With the minimal satin finish and no binding this model would not be a good choice for heavy abuse on the road.

Also the catch on the battery compartment and the non recessed controls look to be a weak point but time will tell.

No need to use so far

Very real value and I suspect the (new) prices will rise accordingly over time. Equal to Maton or Martins of twice the price in my opinion.

2004 Fat Lady 1 - no cutaway or pickup - deadnought, Grover heads made in Melbourne Australia.
Well i bought the base model - i dont need else but sound...

I play fingerpick and some rock, this guitar sounds fabulous. Tried it against the Maton range and Takamine and IMHO the FL1 is superior to anything less quality than a Maton CW80 at twice the price. And even then the FL1 seems to me to have a fuller mid range and nicer tone.

Action spot on for me - finish is beautiful for a plain instrument. By that i mean that it is plain without fancy bits but is beautiful in its simplicity and form.

Hardware seems good - this is a very vibrant instrument with a lot of life - i dont expect that if it were made like a truck it would sound like this.
The finish is matt without any gloss - but again part of why this is such a nice sounding guitar.

Been playing off and on for 10 years - medium capability guitarist playing classical gas and fingerpicking mostly with some rock.

If it were stolen or lost i would search the 4 corners of the globe - this is a hand made guitar and has a hand written ID#... Failing that i would cry and buy another.

Love the sound - actually love its simple good looks.

Compared against Maton 325, 525, 808, CW80 (new and old), Takamine and some other rubbish stuff =p The FL1 sounds fantastic against all comers - better mid range than a CW80

2004 - FL2AC - Made Melbourne Australia
Solid Top and Body - Spruce Top with QLD Maple Back and Sides. Rosewood fret board with mother of pearl inlays.
Active pick-ups - Pickup/PreAMP control panel is probably the only donwfall as it just looks a little cheap. The sound it produces through the PA (Straight into the DI) is amazing.
Matt Finish - this is one hot looking guitar.
Grover Tuners

I play 100% acoustic music when playing gigs and it suits my style to a tea. Very happy
No fret buzz which i have endured on a lot of my other guitars.
It can achieve a really nice bassy sound.

Set-Up straight out of the factory has no complaints from me. So easy to play.

Will definately withstand live playing and the hardware will be everlasting I reckon.

Cole Clark are onto something with these Fat Lady's!

No need to deal with them as yet! Have heard good things though!

Bargain - this guitar with a well known brand name would be over the 2K mark easy!

I have a FL1AC with a Bunya Top, Queensland Maple back and sides.
Made in Melbourne, Australia.
I purchased it 1 month ago. It is a 2004 model (straight off the production line). It has red writing in the headstock and a tortise-shell scratch guard (these features have only seemed to start appearing on their guitars from about March '04 onwards).
All Solid wood.
Fancy pickup configuration. Only down side would be that the control box looks a bit cheap (please note that the looks does definately not effect the performance).

Bliss. Unplugged, this guitar provides a wholesome, rich and full sound that it still punchy enough to hear all individual strings if needed. The harder you play it, the sweeter it sounds. I like to play all areas of acoustic from Folk to rock and classical. It covers all areas well. The elixer strings that it is shipped with seem to match well with the guitar.

I found that the Bunya top provided a livelier sound than the Spruce and blackwood tops that were available. But that said, I must say that every FL I played sound different. I haven't played two that sound the same. You need to try them all to find the one that you love.

Plugged is where the guitar really stands out from the crowd. It is very diverse in the sounds that can be produced from a rich "twang" to a full mellow chorus, and everywhere in between. The large volume body of the CC means that amplification is often not required. But if need be you won't be let down.

The factory action is quite high. Given the good strings, it doesn't seem a huge problem. I will probably ask for the action to be lowered slightly at my first service. This doesn't seem to be a problem for guitar techs.

No flaws have been seen, one friend questioned the durability of it due to no binding running around the outside of the guitar. That could be an issue for some, but I feel if you are careful it will be fine. The lack of a plastic binding (or any plastic for that matter), it a good thing on such a great looking guitar.

The finish is excellent. I can't fault it. The look of grains in the topsheet are really sweet and natural. It adds to the quality look of the guitar. The block inlays on the FL2 look even better if you are prepared to pay the extra money.

I have seen no indication that this guitar will not last. The lack of binding could be an issue to people who don't respect their guitars, but it won't bother me.

They are supper quite at replying to queries and answering questions.

I have been playing guitar on and off for over 15 years. Never really seriously, but I know that it is somthing that I will always have sitting around the lounge room. If guitaring was my life and only hobby, I would have lashed out and got the FL2, but the FL1 exceeds my needs. I have played the Maton CW80C at the same time as this, and I would still prefer the CC (yes I know that this is a big call, but its personal taste).

This is a beautiful looking and sounding guitar. I get overwhelming comments whenever someone hears it. I can't play that well, so I owe it all to the guitar!.

This guitar makes me want to play more, learn more and be a better guitarist.

I have no reservations in recommending this guitar to all levels of players and can not see why people would need to pay more for a guitar.

Everyone in the world needs to know the beauty of the Fat Lady! We should all be doing our bit to spread the word.

Made in 2004 in Melbourne Victoria, satin finish and dreadnought in style. Looks classy but not overdone. Lovely Australian woods. Makes me proud of our timbers.

I just love the sound, its so full bodied and has plenty of settings. I play through a Fender Princeton via a RP 50 pedal that fills it out even more. With a bit of extra reverb and delay (just a tad) I get a lovely Australian country sound.

I thought the action was set a bit high, only had to contact Cole Clark and they explained the methods in lowering. It was a simple task. No flaws at all. If I had a negative it would be the control panel looks cheap, its plastic and I know many are, surely in this day and age something "posher" could have been used, I mean this is not a crud guitar, this is the best. I'm taking away a point for this little shortcoming.Probably could have a scratch plate covering the plug point too, this would avoid localised scratching there.

I reckon anybody could play this thing all night and never get tired of it. Hardware and electrics are brilliant. Everything is strong.

No warranty, but they are helpful on the end of the line or email. I am sure that if a buyer had a genuine problem Cole Clark would work something out. They believe in their product and do the little things to satisfy the customer.

I own a Gibson Les Paul, ES 335, Fender Strat & Telecaster. Although the CC is a different axe altogether it the one first in the van to go a playing.

The Fat Lady 1 with cutaway is my first all solid guitar. It's got solid Bunya on top and solid Queensland maple on back and side. other Specs are similar to other reviews.
I compared it with other gutiars such as Ayer, Alvarez... I can say that the Cole Clark is out standing. Unfortunately there was no Maton at the shop, however, I used to play Maton from other shop, what I feel is that the Cole Clark is better than laminated back and side as 325 series of Maton. Although It may not excellent as ECW80, Fat Lady 1's price is almost half of it.

Excellent sound. You pay AUD995 and got all soild acoustic guitar. I don't think I can find any other soild guitars at this price except guitar from Asian contries. I wanna pay a little but more for a better quality.

Its action is a litlle bit too high but no buzz. So I told the seller to adjust it to me. God! it's much easier to play but got a lot BUZZ!! Finally I told him to change a new saddle. Besides, I found a lot of sawdust inside its body, real habd craft!! Other things are well done.

It looks strong but satin finished is quite thin. However, this makes the Cole Clark feel easy to play.

It has 1 yr warranty. They reply every email I sent.

I've owned it for 3 weeks. I love it so much.

The Cole Clark fat lady that I bought was made in 2004. Its a FL1AC - Fat Lady 1 with cutaway and pickup. In the shop I was comparing it to other guitars from all over the world in the same price bracket. This guitar sounded a lot better than the many others I played (even some Matons in the same price range). Cole Clarks are made in Australia.
All fat ladys are a solid Bunya top and back. The top and back are internally carved (with a CNC router) to give better resonance. The tuning heads are Grover. The fretboard is solid rosewood. the timbers used are excellent. As in the other reviews you can read that the neck and body are made differently to 90% of all other acoustics. The finish all over is satin - for a more natural look. In my experience you will get a nice hard case when you buy a guitar at around this price.
No scratch plate comes on this model. You can put one on but i think it will take away from the look of the instrument.
The pickup is a piezo type on the bridge with a soundboard sensor. Excellent set of controls with a 3 band graphic eq and mixing between the front and back sensors.
The strings supplied on this guitar are elixer strings. these last longer and keep a bright tone for longer (but cost more to replace).

My style is varied. I like to play a range of modern music on acoustic with and without an amp. The amp I am using is rubbish so i wont even mention it but on a good roland PA it sounds beautiful with the right Eq settings and evenly balanced between front and back pickup sensors.
the sound is as bright and rich as you want it to be, the full range of frequencies is there for you to play with. It is a loud instrument without amplification.
I have no complaints about the tonal qualities of this instrument. The only issue is that it is set up for med-heavy strings and if you like to bend notes you will have to get it set up again for different strings.
There is some fret buzz on certain strings and frets (maybe its me being lazy).

The action on this guitar is a little bit on the heavy side for me but I believe this is better for acoustics. The pickups were adjusted perfectly and I wont need to adjust them. the bridge is machined perfectly. The timber has been carefully matched on top and bottom.
The only flaws I could find may not be called flaws by some people. There is a change in direction in the timber grain that looks a bit like a dent from some directions but this should not worry most people.

I cant see any reason why the fat Lady 1 should have any wear problems. The hardware is all good quality. The timbers are hard and don't dent easily.
Because there is no scratch plate you could scratch the satin finish on the top if played roughly with a plectrum.
The strap buttons are solid and good quality metal.
I would use this guitar in a gig without a backup - just some backup strings.

The warranty is 1 year on materials and workmanship.
I emailed the manufacturer for advice and they responded within 24 hours (twice).

I have been playing for about 20 years and always more acoustic than electric. I don't hate anything about this instrument, although some people may be looking for something that looks more fancy.
If this guitar was lost or stolen I would get another Cole Clark. Their tone and construction is very good. My favourite feature is the sound. Its very rich and loud without needing hard strumming.
Cole Clark are a realtively new player in the market and they really know their craft in acoustics. Compare the sound of a Fat Lady to any laminated guitar in the same price range and you will be amazed.

I flew to Melbourne to solely buy a guitar. As a Canadian, it was an honour to try out Australian Timbers. I played a lot of Matons and walked into one store on Brunswick and they asked me if I had heard of Cole Clark. Nope! Played a few licks before looking at the price and said this is it. I had tried close to 20 other guitars. Nothing fancy, just a grassroots feel good toy. The pickup sounds amazing with many sensors laden throughouth the body of the guitar. It took me a while to get used to the light weight body, but the sound'o' the fat lady shines! The finish is classic and will compliment any folkies on stage appearance. I am on cloud nine with the look of this guitar! The best value out there!

It sounds pure, simple, and homegrown, which is how it looks. I play bluegrass, folk, and blues and the guitar sounds good in all aspects.

After playing the guitar for a few days, I wish I had got my action raised a little bit. Its a transitional thing I will get used to. The finish is simple, and very beautiful...It is a beautiful thing! Classy looking pickup box! Can't wait to see it on stage!

I must admit, due to the light finish, and simplicity, it is probably not the safest guitar to travel with, but I bought a Fort Case (made in Canada) with it and its a great combo. Guess you learn to look after your baby as best as possible.

Just checked out CC site recently, and its laid out well. Would love to see the factory, but will be back to Melbourne later!

I am a new person with this guitar...its made my life complete. If anything, I would love to get on the Fat Lady II. I have the FL 1 with cutaway and pickup. As well, I would have had the techs raise my action a bit...I played the Maton ECW 80 (the Classic) , but this one was equally as great, and the price is unreal! Spread the CC love around the world!

I bought the full bodied Fat Lady with pick up.Handmade in Australia,2004.It's all solid with spruce(top),Queensland Maple(back,sides),solid rosewood bridge/fingerboard,Grover machine heads and a natural satin finish.The Fat Lady also features an integral(or Spanish) neck heel as opposed to the more common dovetail or bolt-on types.The dual input pick-up features 9 sensors(6 under the saddle,three on the face) and 5 sliders(volume,treble,midrange,bass and the other functions as crossover from bridge to face).There is no case included and the Fat Lady requires a bigger than usual one to fit into.I bought a jumbo case for this large dread.This guitar is very minimalist and natural in looks,which is what i like.All the functional features of a high-end guitar are here.

I play alot of styles of on this guitar-from classical/folk fingerpicking to rootsy flatpicking.The one constant is that this guitar is always rather loud though tonally balanced.There is some great bottom end here with absoulutely no buzz,the 12th fret plays as clear as the first.Definitely studio quality in terms of sound.I'd suggest the Cole Clark Fat Lady for music where the acoustic guitar is the dominant instrument.The two words that describe the sound best,to my ears,are woody and smooth.(I cannot comment on the pick-up as i'm yet to play it live,but all reviews indicate it is one of the best features of this guitar).

I got my guitar literally days after it was made.Setup was perfect.In terms of playability,this guitar is by far the best i've owned.Everything is where it should be with no cosmetic imperfections.

It is very light for its size.For this reason i'm careful with it.It's a solidly built guitar,but i keep it cased whenever i'm not playing.It has so far proven dependable and i would have no qualms gigging without a backup.

Great support,have sent off a few emails and gotten lengthy responses the same or next day.Had a minor issue with the first guitar i bought from Cole Clark(due to transit i suppose),wasnt even sure it needed fixing though.Sent it down to them to have a look at,they sent me a brand new guitar within a fortnight.

I've been playing for a long time and was looking to finally take the plunge into owning a higher quality acoustic.For my style of playing,the Cole Clark Fat Lady stood head and shoulders above the competition,regardless of price.This guitar would be a bargain at double the price.If it were stolen/lost i would definitely buy another.Thanks to the craftsmanship and value for $AU of Cole Clark and Maton,i'll never have to buy another overpriced,inferior quality foreign guitar in my life.

my flac2 was a gift from my wife in 2003. it is the best thing she has ever given me, (apart from our kids ofcourse) a beautiful solid top acoustic with an amazing tone

i do alot of pub duo/trio work and have always used Matons as my employee, along with my '75 Takamine. this Fat Lady just blew all these away. my partner with a 3k Maton just looked at me when i first brought it out on stage in amazement..."gimme a go" was his comment as he passed me his 5y.o. Maton. the rich tones and the exquisit base sound i get is just brilliant. being able to change my pickup from bridge to face and anything inbetween allows me to get what im looking for when i want out of any room

lovely set up, the finish and bookmarking add to make this guitar look great

i have been playing it since i got it, and with regular weekly gigs it is doing the job easily. i have really given it some stick and she just looks up at me and smiles...what a lady

well im a 20yr player, havent had alot of quality guitars in my time, but i have played everything possible (acoustic). i am now only interested in Fat Ladies. good on ya C.C for putting some class and style into your guitars and making them affordable for the local guy looking for something more from a work partner

Basically Cole Clarks "entry acoustic" saying this it is simply the cheapest they offer. Pick up (brilliant--volume,fader,bass,mid,treb) with cuttaway Dreadnought guitar. Solid top back and sides.
The guitar is australian made and Im proud to be australian as a result of this. It is BRILLIANT WATCH OUT MATON!
The elixir strings and grover hardware are awesome too.

The sound is great, the minute I played it a work (i work at a music store obviously) I knew i wanted it. This retails for 1200 (I wont tell you the price i paid! :D) and i played it alongside the EM325C which i'd imagine where 'completing' models (whilst the 325 starts at 1800) and there was no competition.

The guitar just rings and rings and rings but you can get a great soft or muted sound as well. I play contempary stuff on it and would never find the sound out of it as being any trouble not fixed by my own inability to play!

The guitar needed a slight truss rod adjustment from the store setup but being from the Top End of Oz this didnt surprise me as the confitions are obviously a little more demanding up here!
There were no flaws, buzzes etc. and thats all I've done.
I LOVE THIS GUITAR. hahha

It seems real strong but I am never gonna test it as I will not drop this thing for the life of me. It has a very simple natural finish and acording to the supplier directly a good quick clean with lemon oil will keep it lookin great!
I would defiantely gig with this.

I have sent several emails as a customer and their response has been OUTSTANDING speedy and friendly.
At work I have also spoken to the guys there and they are great for a yarn. Champions.

I have been playing about 4 years full on. And came into the market for my first decent acoustic recently and like most aussies immediately thought of a Maton. I wanted an Australian guitar and had oonly heard snippets about anything but Maton. I was only looking to spend 600 odd initially on a second hand Maton EM225C or something but when I played this I was blown away. For value for money you CANNOT BEAT these guitars. Honestly please check them out, this baby blew away the EM325C i played beside it and they retails for 600 more. Just the other day, a good mate of the family (whose been playing for 10+ years) played this. And after just telling me he recently almost bought a $3500 Maton he is now reconsidering to perahps check out the FL2AC instead to save the money. HE WAS IMPRESSED TO SAY THE LEAST.
Look out Australia, look out Maton! I cant wait to tell people how much I bought an FL1AC in 5 years.
Do yourself a favour check them out Aussies!!

Here goes, and unbiased review...(hmmm)

Basically its a 2003 build, built in melbourne Australia - which gets a bonus point straight away. Its bunya top, back and sides - all solid and using coleClarks's patented bracing idea (how do you explain it - they dont us X bracing, they do it their own way and then 'tune' the guitar by routing the inside). Controls are almost impossible to read! I have perfect sight and struggle to read the controls...however once you know what does what, who reads the label anyway. Your given the standard volume, three phase EQ, and a phaser. This pretty much slides between the piezo pickup and the face sensor (?) that is attached to the top of the guitar near where your forearm would rest. Essentially the piezo grabs the tight treble sounds, and the face sensor is used to get the solid bass notes. The phaser slide lets you mix this up till your happy which allows for a very tight amplified sound that i think is next to perfect (as far as sounding as similar plugged as unplugged. They ship with a good action, elixir strings (which i feel get tired quickly) and grover machine heads. I'll give the fat lady 2 a 9/10 taking into account that it loses a point for the impossible to read pickup labels, but gains a point for being very attractive and made in australia. Should also note that i got a great deal, flightcase, stand, lead, strap, strings included in my purchase deal

I play everything from bluegrass, rock, jazz, and classical. While the sound isn't classical, classical pieces really do sound awesome on the fatlady 2. Mainly its a rock/blues guitar for me, and it dos this perfectly for my liking. That said, The sound is really a take it or leave it. Comparing the sound to my 5K Taylor, I prefer the fat lady2, however that said compared to 5K martin, well its just not quite as good. Not a bad sound, just not the martin sound (but then again, what is).
The fatlady 2 plugged in has a great variety in is sound thanks to the haser slide, and 3 phase EQ, and this is doubled by a great sound unplugged. 10/10 from me.

Everythigng about th Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 is perfect as far as the great action, great sounding pickups, great grover tuners, and great looking bunya top back and sides. Asfor Flaws, well the strings (elixirs) die in rear too fast for me, but they are changeable so its not really a guitar flaw, cole clark could perhaps change string company, but thats easy enough for me todo for them. 9/10 due to the strings.

It isn't old, but so far so good. I do use it in gigs, so probably gets played about 6 hours a week, plus practice time (so maybe another 10 hours a week). A good point to make would be that while i use a taylor, maton and garrison also, I have converted from using the taylor in songwriting sessions to the cole clark, and also moved from using the taylor as the mainstay for gigs, to using the fat lady 2 and then having the taylor as a backup for any string breaks (which has only been one...but kinda my fault). The strap buttons are good, very solid, and another good poin i love about the cole clark is that the bottom strap button doesn't double as the jack input. I find this fantastic. Its in a very similiar style to an electric, plugs in sorta 45o below the button. 9/10 taking into account that it isn't that old yet.

Havent dealt with them really, had he action lowered thinking i might prefer it lower, they did that no quams, I didn't like, it, so they moved it p again no charge too. Most impressed by cole clark really.

Overall the guitar is extremely good value for the dollar. It isn't a martin, but it is up there amongst martin, taylor, maton, dare i say it, gibson. I rate it very highly, and considering the meagre price, it just makes it even greater. It might not sound unbiased, but truly, try these guitars. Everyone should be able to appreciate the fantastic craftman ship.

To answer the questions, gear i have is pretty good quality stuff, I own two taylors, a mrtin, a gibson les paul, two fenders (srat and tele), a maton, a jackson, a prs ce22, my first ever guitar, a yamaha, and my main pride and joy...a custom built acoustic built to my specs by a fantastic former luthier in britain. In the amp department i have amesa boogie rectifier, a laney head and quad, a marshall stack, and a ibanez acoustic amp. Like most seasoned players i have a chain of effects, harmonica, and thousands of picks (and still can't find one often!).

In closing, The coloe clark was chosen as i really felt like it was tuned to suit me. Compared even to my custom acoustic, I rate the cole clark as very good. Please, don't buy it thinking its a replacement for many topshelf guitars, buy it as a good solid workhorse, that sounds and plays like a topshelf guitar (just doesn't have the price, a case, or the solid gold tuners).