Faith Mercury Parlour

Parlour guitar. Solid spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides, and neck. Subtle sheen to finish. Gotoh tuners. Hard case. 2009. 12 frets to the body. Tasteful binding with F logo at 12th fret. Bought for a couple of hundred pounds on ebay.

Suprisingly loud, projects well, balanced across frequency range, wide tonal range. Full and bright. Bought this to play fingerstyle (ragtime etc) and as 'just another for my collection. Straight away it became my second favorite (after my Breedlove Fusion SC22). Can't fault it.

Set up was excellent for a factory set up but tweaked the saddle a little lower just for my personal preference. Can't fault the finish and workmanship.

I guess it would survive gigging - after all a parlour guitar is going to meet with some pretty gentle environments. Not an issue for me though as I only play for pleasure.

Not needed to contact Faith.

Been playing for 33 years. Been in various bands, taught guitar etc and this guitar has reinvigorated my playing. I have owned loads of guitars including Simon and Patrick, Epiphone, Taylor, Breedlove, Martin, Washburn, Fenders, Gibsons, Guild, Ibanez, Ozark, Ashbury - even the hardly heard of but legendary, almost mythical Pilgrim (UK handmade Ovation style from the 80s that sadly went bankrupt) - for value for money, sound, production quality and inspirational value this guitar is incredible. Currently own Martin 12 string, Ozark Django style jazz guitar, Ashbury tenor, Breedlove Fusion SC22, Guild F47CE, Dobro squareneck, Dean electro acoustic bass, Ibanez arch top, Hudson ukulele, Simon and Patrick mini-jumbo.
Just ordered a Faith venus high gloss electro cutaway and decided to sell Breedlove, Guild. Faith are that good. Honest - and no I don't have shares in the company.

Top Wood: Solid Engelmann Spruce: Very pale. No scratchplate. Gloss.
Back Wood: Solid Indonesian Mahogany: Satin finish.
Side Wood: Solid Indonesian Mahogany: Satin finish.
Binding: Maple
Bracing: Quarter-Sawn, Scalloped Spruce
Rosette: Abalone: Thin but tastefully done.
Neck: Indonesian Mahogany: Satin finsh.
Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony: Nice tight grain.
Fingerboard Inlays: MOP Diamond Shape: unlike the rest of the guitar, a little cheap looking.
Machine Heads: Grover: Gold, with ebony buttons.
Trussrod: 2 Way
Nut Width: 43mm
Bridge: Ebony. Bridge Pins: Ebony Slotted .
Finish Type: Polyurethane Lacquer
Scale Length: 609mm
Came with a nice vintage looking, leather-style, hard case.

With it's slightly shorter than standard, scale-length and 12-fret, parlour design, the Mercury has quite a unique sound. This Faith definitely suits fingerpicking best. It has a lovely, vibrant tone that has great separation and is very articulate. Even when flatpicking, it sounds great on arpeggios and single notes. Only strummimg shows some limitations with the guitars design/sound.
I'd give it 9.5 for fingerpicking and non-strumming flatpicking.
and 7 for strumming. The strum sound's not terrible, just not up there with the other styles of playing.
With Elixer strings, this smallish guitar is very loud.

Pretty good quality finishing. Like most Faith's I've seen/played, it doesn't look of the highest quality. More functional than oozing charm. The exception being the head. With a lovley, wood veneered front, ebony tuning buttons and mother of pearl logo, it looks very tasty.
Set up was exceptional, from the shop. Took just a few hours to play in. After which, this guitar is a dream to play. And even it's novel appearance grows on you.

This is soundly built and is very solid and workmanlike. Great for folk clubs, where it's sound will penetrate through the crowd.
Looks like it is built to last and has taken a few knocks with no ill effects.

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If you are after a realatively cheap parlour, this is defintely worth a try. It has an exceptional tone and volume. Easy to play , it is very rewarding and expressive to the more skilled player.
If you are looking for something different to add to your collection, or are looking for a compact, articulate guitar, this is for you. If you want to bang out a few chords to accompany your voice, then I'd suggest a nice dreadnought or jumbo.
I've been playing for 35 years and have owned most designs of acoustic guitar. I mostly play OMs now but this little parlour is a great find and is a pleasure to play.