Goodall AKJ Aloha Koa Jumbo

Made in Hawaii. This Jumbo sized Goodall (non-cutaway) has VERY, VERY figured solid Koa back and Sides. A Solid Alaskan Sitka Spruce Top with nice figuring. A one piece Mahogany Neck. Pheasant Wood FB and Bridge. A highly figured piece of Koa on the front of the headstock. Black wood fiber binding on the FB and Body. Agoya Pearl rosette, FB dots, and Logo. The finish is clear so the beauty of the wood can show through. The tuners are Gotoh and are very smooth. The dimensions for the Jumbo are listed on the Goodall Website so I will spare my fingers by not typing them out here. A nice hardshell case was included.

When looking for a new acoustic guitar I really wanted to find one that was loud without amplification or electronics, had a good bass response, focused Mids, Highs that could ring out without piercing the ear to much, long sustain (hard to find in an acoustic guitar), and good seperation of notes when playing chords. I have to say that this Goodall does all that I wanted. The sound is very round and balanced and changes to fit your attack. I play many different styles of music (listed below) and this guitar fits them all. The projection of sound from this guitar is very loud when you play hard and softens up when you don't. I could easily drown out other acoustics while playing with them if I wanted to, and it holds its own without amplification when accompanied by an electric guitar at moderate volume. The sustain on this guitar is what really got me. It is amazing! I actually timed a single note (the A on the 10th fret) for 14 seconds before I could not hear it anymore. That just does not happen with an acoustic. This trait has alowed me to hang on notes longer in solos, instead of trying to fill up dead air with needless ones. I have to say that this guitar has made me a better player by alowing me to lay back and pick and choose notes tastefully. I am very happy that I purchased this particular one. With all those wonderful traits there has to be one that is not perfect. The note seperation when playing chords is better than any acoustic guitar that I have owned, but it is not the best I have ever heard. That is the only reason I do not rate this catagory a perfect 10.

This guitar plays very well right from the shop without any adjustments. Some might say the the action is just a little to high, but I am going to leave it like that for a while to accomidate my occsional slide playing. The shop where I got it said they could lower it for me if I wanted to, so I might if I change my mind. As far as the fit. This guitar being the Jumbo size, fits me very well. But FYI...I am 6'5" 235lbs so it might be to big for some people. I like the Jumbo because it helps the bass response and the volume of the guitar. The Finish is amazing. It has perfectly book matched pieces of sloid Koa that look like they are on fire when the light hits them from different angles. The solid spruce top has a very tight grain and beautiful irredescent lines running perpendicular to the grain. The mahogany neck is very smooth and combined with the Pheasant wood fretboard I never feel like it is sticky or slowing me down. Every piece of this guitar is put together very solidly by people who you can tell take pride in their work. To me the tone is always much more important that the look of a guitar, but with this one I have gotten both.

Looks and feels very solid. The gloss finish should prevent scratches better than a satin one. I would gig with it without a backup since I have confidence in it, but you never know when a string will break so I do carry a backup with me for that purpose. I have not had this guitar for an extremely long time so I won't rate the reliablility/durability.

Comes with a 5 yr warranty. Have not had to contact them yet so I won't rate this catagory.

I have been playing guitar for 12 yrs. I play Blues, Classical, Jazz, Melodic, Worship, and have basically fused all those together to make my own style. Some other gear that I own is: A Sweeeet '57 reissue Custom Shop Strat, '72 Gibson SG, Carr Rambler Amp, Dick Boyden 100 watt 2x12 Amp with Tone Tubby Speakers, Landgraff Pedals, a Norman Acoustic Guitar, and various other musical equipment. I have really gotten into unamplified acoustic playing recently and enjoy the organic sound of it. This is by far the best acoustic I have ever owned and for all that I wanted packed into one instrument, it is the best I have heard. Tone is relative to the ear that percieves it though, and if you are looking for different traits in a guitar this might not be the one for you. Personally I played Lowdens, Martins, Collings, Taylors, Breedloves, Larrivees, and other Goodalls before choosing this one. I have to say that hands down this is the guitar for me and I will receive many years of joy exploring it's sound. For what I was looking for I have received, and therefore, rate this catagory a 10.