Hohner HW 90

Dreadnought body with solid sitka spruce top and laminate ovangkol back and sides (gloss finish). Mahogany neck (satin finish), C-shape, medium thickness. Medium frets. Rosewood fretboard, ebony bridge. Ivoroid binding on body and neck; ivoroid nut. Closed tuners. Endpin. I rate it 8 because it is nicely done but no added features. It is a basic acoustic, so you wouldn't expect much more.

Clear, resonant, warm, crisp. The bass notes are clear and quite resonant, not muddy, while the upper three strings sing in crysal tones, all the way up the neck, as they progressively sound almost harplike. No dead spots. Some have wondered if this is a fingerstylist's guitar. I play fingerstyle and love it. It does not have the same facility of play as my Walden G570 does, nor the same tone (of course!), but it is fun to pluck, and I love the sound. It is addictive. With its deeper body (and different shape) than the auditorium-style G570, it produces a deeper timbre and greater volume. Although it can be loud, it does not have that loose-cannon boominess that I wanted to avoid in a dreadnought. The sond is focused and pleasing. It is on the brighter side, which is surprising, since its back and sides are ovangkol, which are supposed to be like rosewood. Perhaps this is what the Hohner site means when they say this model has a "warm and balanced tone...with top-end presence." The sound is balanced and satisfying.

Out of the box (I got it on ebay), it had some fret buzz above the 7th fret. I put in a slightly higher-profile saddle (which I happend to have), and now it plays great, with no buzzing anywhere. The finish is beautiful. The ovangkol on mine is a lighter butterscotch color, with distinct grain. The gloss finish makes it look like polished alabaster. Beautiful! Frets are smooth, with no jagged edges at all. Tuners work fine. Strings are lined up well along the fretboard with enough edge on both sides not to have to worry about strings going off the fret as I finger them. Overall, Hohner did a great job of making and finishing this instrument.

The guitar seems sturdy. Nothing rattles or is loose. Tuners work fine. Endpin is solid.

Haven't tried it. Doubt I'll need it. Besides, this was advertised on ebay as a discontinued model, so I don't suppose there'd be much point in inquiring.

I've been playing for decades. Started on nylon string "folk" guitar. Moved up to classical guitar. Eventually bought electric, and now own an archtop, semi-hollow body electric, and a telecaster-style electric. Used to own a thin-bodied acoustic Cort that was nice (very bright soud). My other current acoustic steel string is a Walden G570.
If this Hohner were stolen or lost, I would be quite disappointed since, as I said above, this seems to be a discontinued model. I have been looking for over a year for a dreadnought I'd like (and in my price range). I've tried guitars from Breedloves to Trinity River dreadnoughts, with Ibanez EWs and Kona KS2s and TGX models in between. They all have nice features, but this is the one I like. I smiled and said, "Oh, yes!" the first time I played it.
I like my Walden G570 a lot. But I also love playing and hearing my new Hohner HW 90. It's a keeper.