Kona Acoustic/Electric Dreadnought

The guitar I looked at had a very nice green stained wood finish over a laminate top, with a faux wood grain fingerboard. It felt solid enough for its price range. No chance to try the built-in pickup system, as I was just giving it a test drive.

When I could get clear notes out of it (see below), it had a very nice resonance and ring at low and mid volumes. As I ranged into harder strumming, I started to get edge in the sound and general tinniness. Still, plucking it with a standard weight pick gave a nice clear ring with good sustain that invited intricate picking patterns. Not bad to play, except...

The setup and frets were an absolute mess. It was being sold by a beginner who never got around to playing, and she said that the fret buzz on both E strings had been there since the beginning. The high E was so bad that fretting at the second fret gave the same tone (G) as the third fret, but just with a lot of buzz. I tried to give it a quick once-over to see where the problem was coming from. The neck didn't LOOK warped, but I don't have a trained eye for that. My guess is either the nut was cut too deeply or the frets were incredibly badly installed, and needed serious filing. Probably a fixable problem, but would take a lot of work. The guitar was only 6 months old, too, and I was already starting to notice little bits of tarnish on the frets. I don't think it was babied, but I don't think it was abused or left in the rain either.

The glue marks around the base of the neck didn't give me much confidence, but for a laminate guitar, it had a relatively solid feel to it. I was only looking for a guitar to take to outdoor festivals to jam with -- one that I wouldn't be heartbroken if I found it had been sat on or soaked or something. It would have been a very nice instrument for that, had I decided to fix the above problems. As for using it in a gig, well, only if it was a goofy one-off thing where being a little dissonant would have been a good thing. Still, it's a Chinese mass produced laminate guitar -- I wasn't expecting the world.

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I like getting to play lots of different instruments, and this one was no exception. It had some very interesting tonal qualities that, absent other problems, I could have had a lot of fun with over time. With enough elbow grease, it probably would have turned into a very fine playing guitar, but I didn't have the time or the inclination.

A general note about these instruments coming out of China these days -- I completely believe all of the above reviews that are in love with their Konas, and get phenomenal sound out of them. I also believe the people who say they got duds. I think it goes with the territory with these guitars. If you want a good shot at getting a great one, order three, and send the two worst ones back... ;)

as stated in all other review's

I play mostly in church. I also play country,rock,bluegrass and very little classical.The guitar sounds like a medium priced/working class inst.should. It's not a Gibson but I like it.

Great! built very well.

No problems at all with anything. I take it anywhere,anytime with a spare battery and spare strings. No backup needed.

Never had a problem,don't care about the warranty,just play the heck out of it.

Playing for 38 years. If lost I would buy two more.Love the guitar,nothing to hate. Favorite feature is the guitar its self. No comparison for three times the price. The only thing I wish it had would be a made in the USA tag. But we can't work for $2.00 a day can we? I wish I could afford a USA guitar,but don't want to take out a 2nd. on the house!

Laminate top AE Dread. The only features are ones you would expect. Volume, EQ, Presence. For a Chinese it's great.

This guitar sounds as good as any big name lam-top. I don't agree with other reviews here that it stands up to larivee and taylor and the likes. Let's face it. Solid wood is better. I will say that I played on a radio show with it and the dj and other performers asked alot about the guitar because it looks good and sounded good. Full, warm, and plenty of volume to back a full voice trio.

Out of the box it played well. I put "my" strings on it, tweaked the truss-rod, and WHAMO! Good action, no tone loss. Plays like butta! I use this guitar live, for practice, for everything.

For the money, one would be remiss to buy a 500 dollar guitar just because it has a familiar name on the headstock. These are good guitars and the best on the market for the price. I say all of this with 28 years playing experience and 15 years touring nationally. GREAT VALUE!!!

It has all the features you can read about below, and the pick-up and pre-amp definitely work, but it does not live up to the glorified reviews on this site. Sure it looks pretty, but that's about all you'll get with this guitar.

Very high pitched and cheap sounding guitar. I won't even play it in the house when my girlfriend is home because she can't stand the sound of this thing.

The action is great, straight from the dealer, and little or no buzz. A few finish flaws but the frets were dressed well and the neck is very nice. An all around nice looking guitar. Good score for this category.

I would not use this guitar to play live in front of my grandmother. The sound is atrocious and from the first strum you can tell it will not and should not be used for any recording or gigging. However, all materials seem solid and the guitar will probably last forever.

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As always, I would suggest a beat-up used guitar for the beginner. Go to a local music store, play a few used acoustics and pick one in your price range. Chances are you can get a good-sounding guitar for $75 - $150, same as you'd pay for a piece of crap, brand-new Kona.

Model KE1 acoustic cutaway dreadnought. Everything about this guitar (before you buy it) sends up red flags. Made in China, No-Name Tuners, No-Name electronics, laminated top.... ridiculously low price.

Don't be fooled... GO OUT AND BUY AS MANY OF THESE AS YOU CAN AFFORD BEFORE THEY FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY'VE GOT!

I've got a Mitchell acoustic (forget the model number) and a Takamine EG-330C, and the sound of this guitar puts them both to shame. I literally couldn't believe it when i first tuned it up and played (even with the horrible strings it was shipped with). I immediately went and grabbed my Takamine and began playing them side by side. Couldn't believe my ears. I bought this guitar primarily becuase of the reviews here. Was originally looking for a cheap campfire guitar that wouldn't sound too horrible, so i only came accross this guitar simply based on price.... I sure am happy i did. Like others, because they aren't widely available at music stores, i bought this site unseen hoping that this wasn't all hype. I truly opened the box expecting to put it right back in and send it back.... but man oh man, what a sound. Deep and full, with sustain for days.

Considering the price i'm not going to get too picky here.. but there are some things to note. There are many minor, and I stress "minor" blemishes and flaws with the finish, but I really had to look close to find them. Also, in looking inside the guitar and holding it up to the light, and can see then spots where the sides meet the top and bottom... not sure how this will translate over time, but if it presents a problem i'll be sure to post.

The action is perfect right out of the box, but this of course is personal preferrence.

The frets are a bit "notchy", but that's an easy fix and, again, something that i'm willing to overlook and fix myself considering the $125 price tag.

Just picked it put.. so i'll have to report back on this later.

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$125 .. get em while they last. Amazing deep sound and sustain, wish i would have found out about this guitar before i dropped the big dough (for me anyway) on the takamine.

Definetely recommend this guitar and would replace it if it where to go away.. i might even buy an extra one as a spare just in case!

plugged in, it sounds very pretty. i played it on my friend's marshall half-stack and it deffinately makes your knees weak. i think i got mine directly from kona's site and i still have the original strings on it. i'm still loving it. i have a black one and i love it. the pickup sounds fine although my sticky thing that holds the wires against the body came off, no big deal. [mine's the e1 or whatever too. the acoustic electric by the way]

i love it. everyone else loves it. plays just as well as any other acoustic i've touched. i have recordings and i'm blown away by the sound of it. although i did use decent mics and it was stereo miked so i think that deffinately had something to do with it. haha.

this guitar is my third limb. i like the finish even though i messed it up by toting it everywhere with me.

Will this guitar withstand live playing? deffinately. i have used it to play live before.

Does the hardware seem like it will last? yeah, it stays in tune for a long time for me.

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? not wear off, but it's probably on the cheaper side. it is a damn cheap guitar after all.

Are the strap buttons solid? yeah, no problems there at all.

Can you depend on it?Would you use it on a gig without a backup? yes. for both.

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two thumbs up. i've been playing four years. i'vedone live shows and recordings with it. it's my baby. haha.

acoustic solid top with built in eq cutaway

well I thought everyone was crazy comparing these things to taylors and larrivee then i bought one sight unseen based on the reviews and the verdict is....lets put it this way ...havent played my martin very much lately :) ..wow must be the crop of wood combined with some intangible
thing or maybe the bracings and thickness of wood or who the heck knows it sounds incredible the sustain is untouchable ..brought it to a luthier to get adjusted he thought it was a 1000 dollar and above guitar ..theres better sounding guitars but youd have to spend thousands trust me I own 8 others much more expensive guitars ..congrats to kona sounds like high end coffee :)

has some sharp edges on the neck sanded them ...all is well

reliability shmiabilty these things sound so good buy three and youll still save 600 compared to a martin use them as disposbles if you have too :) great sound is what players are after and these guys are the unsong heros of the guitar industry

playing 20 years...if they were stolen Id buy 4 more

Wow, I thought it was just me. Great guitar/small price. I spent some time at the Guitar Center playing with many of the acoustics. I did not limit myself to price. I played Fenders, Martins, Ovations, Takamini,Etc. from $200-2,200 bucks. On my way out I say a red cut-away used Kona guitar (K1ETRD), I picked it up and with the first cord , I stopped in my tracks. I asked the salesman, who/what is Kona? He said they are made in Texas. (later I have found out Texas by way of China)and they are beginner guitars. I then sat down and played disregarding his comment. I am sure glad I did. Light action, full sound, great resonance. I did not believe my ears. It blew away all but the very best of them on the rack. Needless to say.. a little wheeling and dealing... They threw in a nice gig bag, re-strung it and gave me an extra set of stings. By far the sweetest $119 dollar guitar I ever played. Bonus part of the story. Expecting crapy electonics.. I plugged it in to my amp and once again this baby started to sing a new song. If you don't care about bragging rights and want to save a bunch... pick one up and see for yourself.

http://www.konaguitars.com/accoustic.htm

Dollar for dollar, the best value on the market. It is far from a collectors item but it was a treasure for me.

2004 or 2003 model, made in China.
Spruce top (laminated I think), gold plated (looking) tuners, 3 band eq + presence.
Acoustic, electric with cutaway... Beautiful guitar.
But... Upon closer inspection, glue is all over the inside of the guitar, frets are a bit off center, there is even white paint dripped on the inside..<br>
what can you expect for $116 US?

This guitar sounds like an $800 guitar... no joke. Unplugged, it's not as crisp as a Taylor or boomy as a Martin, but great sustain, awesome highs and crazy resonance... Plugged in, this guitar sings!
I can't believe what I paid for this guitar.
I would give the sound a 9 (this is not a top of the line Larrivee), but, if you factor in the price, it's an 11 or higher!!!

This guitar plays like an electric.
As mentioned earlier, the fit and finish are not perfect, but the guitar is definately not an eyesore.
The factor strings it came with were horrible, I thought I got a "dud", and when I tried to change the strings, 2 of the end pegs snapped off! I was initailly very upset with this guitar, but after replacing the end pins (I stole some from my old guitar) and strings, I could not believe how amazing this guitar played and sounded.

I've only had the guitar for a week... But I've dropped it already, and it seems to be fine. I question the placement of the pickup jack though.
I'm going to put on a clear pickguard and put in some grover tuners and bone bridge and saddles... Suping up this guitar will be fun! LOL

I have yet to deal with customer support

I've been playing for over 10 years, but I'm still quite the amature. I've owened 4 different guitars, and this is by far the best bang for the buck... BY FAR!
If you are looking for a guitar for under $200, you've found a diamond in the rough...
If you are looking for a guitar in the $400 dollar range, buy a Kona and spend the change on new shoes or something. (that is if sound and playabilty are at the top of your list)

acoustic/electric dreadnaught 4 band eq,cutaway mahogany back and sides,soild spruce top

I agree with the previous reviewer on this guitar I have a martin,larrivee,taylor and a high end takimine with a bunch of friends in the room we sound tested this baby against the other guitars and it pretty much slapped me right in the face..sounded better than all of them ...didnt play better than all of them but the sound was amazing deep warm
crisp with the most sustain I'vewheard in recent time...this has gotta be one of those "exceptions to the rules" just an incrediable sound and I'm to some extent an audiophile with 30 years experience ..definyetly gonna get anothet one :)

no visable flaws quite a good looking guitar my friends thought it was super expensive..before I told them the price

just got it..seems built very solid

incrediable diamond in the rough...sounds and looks like a goodall or a taylor not as refined on close inspectionand doesnt play quite as good as the 2000-3000 guitars but soundwise competes with the top shelf In that price range no problem