Wechter Traditional Acoustic/Electric

My Wechter Traditional is a non-cutaway acoustic/electric made in Abe Wechter?s Paw Paw, MI shop. It?s all solid woods with a cedar top and rosewood back and sides (both with a clear nitrocellulose antique finish) and wood binding. It also came with a five-piece mahogany neck (which looks rather snazzy) and a rosewood fretboard and bridge. It sports a mini-jumbo body that?s 16 inches across the lower bout and that weird-yet-attractive Wechter headstock.

I bought this 2003 guitar in April ?05 as new-old stock from Wolfe Guitars with a hardshell case.

It?s also equipped with an on-board Fishman Matrix preamp and transducer system.

I bought this as a nice substitute for my Heritage HFT 485, which is a pretty rare bird that I don?t take out too much to prevent hurting it. I also wanted an acoustic with this specific wood combination for a while now.

I had tried a couple of the double-cutaway Wechters, both American and Asian made, and they just didn?t cut it for me. I figured that a Traditional might do the trick and it did.

As for ?wish-fers,? I would?ve liked a pickguard and an amplification system with both a transducer and an on-board microphone. Transducers get the job done but they?ve never sounded natural to me. There are a number of newer guitars out there with this combo and they sound much closer to the real thing.

The Wechter is a nice sounding instrument that projects well acoustically. It?s got a very balanced tone with just enough mids to keep it very articulate. I wish the bass was a little deeper but I can easily live with it.

Generally when I switch from using a pick to finger picking, I lose a bit of volume. It isn?t as apparent with the Wechter ? like I said this guitar projects really well. The cedar/rosewood combo also makes finger picking sound a little sweeter than my Heritage, which sports a spruce top and maple back and sides.

Like I said earlier, this guitar?s amplified sound through the Fishman Prefix system is about what you?d expect from a transducer ? harsh and tinny. The preamp can take a little of this out, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like one?It also wasn?t the loudest I?d heard.

Upon Abe Wechter?s recommendation, I had a L.R. Baggs? I-Mix system installed, which combines their I-Beam and Element pickup with an on-board preamp. Biiiig difference! The I-Mix is louder and sounds a lot better than the Fishman system. It also captures the guitar?s natural tone very well.

Everything was great. The neck was very playable and everything looked to be put together as well as you?d expect. There?s a little buzz on the low E string but that could probably be fixed with a small truss rod adjustment.

One small knock, however: Strap button placement by the neck could be a problem because Wechter uses two bolts to secure the neck to the body. You can still put a button on the heel, but you gotta be careful to avoid hitting the aforementioned bolts.

The only problem that I?ve had to date is an instance of high-frets, courtesy of Michigan?s periodic (and radical) climate changes. This guitar does not do a very good impression of a sitar! After a quick fix by my luthier, all was well.

Both the guitar?s seller and maker were very accessible and friendly. I called Jay Wolfe (Wolfeguitars.com) who readily answered several questions before I bought the guitar.

After I bought it, I called Wechter Guitars about a viable alternative for the Fishman system and had a chance to speak directly to Abe Wechter. He also was very helpful.

This guitar is one of the nicer sounding ones I?ve heard in this price range and is the best sounding Wechter I?ve played.

My only beef is that I had to do some work after I bought the guitar to improve its amplified sound. Other than that, I?m pretty happy.

I am very upset by this product. I ordered it off the internet and put my faith in the company in which produces Whechter Pathmaker Guitars and I GOT SCREWED! It is the worst sounding guitar I have heard. I could go to walmart and but a $90 guitar and it would sound better than this. It is an acoustic/electric, and I love the way it looks. LOOKS is alll it has going for it. The inlays were printed incorrectly and you can obviously tell where they have been filled in. When you take this guitar and shake it the electronics inside clatter around. The worst thing about this guitar is the sound quality. It vibrates like you would not believe. I am so dissapointed in this investment and plan to recieve a full refund ASAP

Wechter Traditional Elite Steel String
list price: $1859 (without custom inlays in neck)
Made in Paw Paw, Michigan (near Kalamazoo)in late 2000 or early 2001.
Specs: (please see the wechterguitars.com for more specifics)
"Traditional" design (think "grand auditorium")
Solid spruce top
Sassafras sides and back with two mahogany inlays up the back of the neck. (Sassafras is a native Michigan tree rarely used for guitars, but you might recognize the subtle "root beer" scent) This particular wood gives it a very warm, clear, and nicely balanced tone, (not as soft as cedar, or as hard as mahogany or walnut). This model also comes in other woods, most providing a much brighter tone.
rosewood fret board, hand scalloped braces, wood binding - body and peghead, bone nut and saddle, abolone rosette (used nicely sparingly), 22 frets, reinforced trussrod, gold hardware (which looks incredible with the dull woody yellow of the sassafras)

FISHMAN Prefix Plus electronics which work quite well, though i have found little need to mess around much with anything other than the volume and tone nobs)

If you've never heard of Abe Wechter. Look at what John McLaughlin plays, and there you go. Think of the Kalamazoo-Gibson custom stuff from the eighties, and there you go. He's the stuff! Most Wechters i see around are the double cut-aways that Abe designed a while back. Super-fast finger-style guys love 'em, but i'm a rhythm guitarist and sparingly do some finger-picking and found the deeper tones of a traditional more to my liking. Also, i only plug in part of the time and wanted a generally fuller, louder guitar for general use.
I bought this guitar directly from Abe Wechter and John Jalkanen. The shop was only a two hour drive, so i figured i'd go for the full "Wechter Experience" while i had the chance.

As i said, i'm a rhythm guitarist. It's beautiful. I get more compliments on the guitar than i'll ever get on my playing. The range is great. The high end is incredible, middle great, and the low end is still pretty deep. The only thing it lacks is that super-deep end that hangs out there forever. (think 1960 dreadnaught Martin). However, it is deepening with time as the wood breaks in. I have no doubt that it will sound even better in ten years. The only reason i can't give it a ten...yet is just that it's too young. My ideal sound would be an old Del Langejan, and my Wechter is going to take a while to age.

Super-tight action. Every guitar i've ever fealt this low buzzed like power tools on the low E-string, yet i can't get my low E to buzz during any of my playing. This is the thing that absolutely sold me on this guitar.

Though I'm very careful, and baby this guitar, it's sustained a good amount of banging around this past year. not a scratch or ding on it. I'm very pleased with the durability, and the sustanance of the high gloss finish.

check out the Web sight. Call them directly or e-mail them. I did and got a response back the next day. I spoke to John Jalkanen (the business end of the shop) over the phone and was even welcomed by Abe at the door when I drove down to look at the guitar I ended up purchasing. There's only a few people at Wechter so quality control is incredibly tight. Abe even installed the other strap-peg for me as he answered all my questions (even the really dumb ones).

I can't think of better customer service in this industry.

these guys know more about wood than Paul Bunyon, The National Forestry Department, or the Debbie that did Dallas.

I've been a drummer for over a decade and have only really been dedicated to the guitar for a little over a year. Yet, i did my homework and tried everything for three months in the $700-$2000 range.
Simply, this was a guitar i could grow into, and never grow out of. I adore a lot of other guitars on the market, both in sound and design, but this one just fit the sound i was looking for. It is full, but not boomy. It's subtle in design, but not plain. It is unlike most guitars i've seen or played and i dig that. Even at it's list price, this guitar can compete in value with ANYTHING i've seen. A very solid value.

Abe Wechter is on my list of all time coolest fellah's i've ever met and would highly reccomend looking at some of his guitars. Art in playable form. I especially reccomend the Sassafras.

My Wechter Traditional is a solid cedar top with solid walnut (very straight grained) back/sides small jumbo with a dark sunburst color scheme. It has the Fishman under saddle matrix with on-board controls. Although I'm not a big fan of Fishman products (I prefer K&K Sound Trinity System acoustic pickups), this Traditional came with the Fishman factor installed. Placement of the control panel is awkward (lower bout side just below the waist)...I would prefer it on the upper should where most other manufacturers install it, but it is only a minor nuisance.
The neck is a five-piece and strong - beautiful too. I wish more manufacturers used multi-piece necks.
It has a rosewood bridge and fretboard.
Wechter has a great bridge and headstock design (the headstock design sold me). The bridge is somewhat similar in looks to a Taylor bridge, but with a little additional flair. Tuners are gold and compliment the sunburst finish. Speaking of the sunburst finish - I dislike it...never have liked sunburst guitars, but beggars can't be choosers. I purchased this guitar from the factory as a "blem" (can't find the blemish though) and since I got a great deal I overlooked the sunburst finish.
I had to add a strap button on the neck/heel (arrived without one). It also arrived without a pickguard, so I installed a clear one myself. Maybe my guitar didn't have the pickguard because it was a blem (don't know), but it all worked out fine.
It came with a nice high-end arched top hard Wechter case.

I'm a singer/songwriter in the folk/pop genre. I strum and fingerpick (bare fingers most of the time...occasionally use a pick). This guitar has a wonderful fingerpick sound - very full and balanced. Intonation is the best of any of my 17+ guitars.
Strumming sound is good, but I think its a little boxy. I'm not sure if the cedar is too thick, or maybe its the cedar/walnut combination. Other folks seem to like it, but it seems a little boxy/hollow to me.
It arrived with super low action, so I do get a some buzzing on the low E string when strumming, but I'm sure a neck tweek would take care of it. Since I use it mainly for fingerpicking it's great as is.

Wechter must have fantastic quality control. This guitar is cleaner than some $ 2,000+ Taylor or Martin's. The set-up was terrific right from the factor (even on my "blem"). The Traditional is a fairly recent addition to their handbuilt performer line which began with their double-cutaway Pathmaker).
The wood used looks beautiful, but the sunburst color hides what is probably gorgeous natural color.
Although the guitar is slightly on the heavy side, it is a very comfortable size/shape and makes a great stage guitar.
I have used it in the recording studio (my engineer, who also is a guitarist, went bonkers over it) and its perfect intonation was a big help. I recorded it plugged directly into the board with a little added chorus, nothing else - sounds great.

This guitar was made for live performing - it is solid (just wish it wasn't sunburst). With the addition of the clear pickguard it will be very reliable. Although I usually carry a back-up guitar, this one could be the one and only.

Abe Wechter is very responsive and helpful, answering emails quickly, so I think he'd be responsive and helpful with any warranty work that might need to be done.

I've been playing guitar since 1962 during the Hootenany days (I'm 51). I currently own 17+ guitars (Breedlove, Larrive, Mike Marler, David Webber, Harvey Leach, Takamine, Alvarez-Yairi, etc.).
If my Wechter were lost/stolen I'm not sure if I'd replace it with another Wechter Traditional or not, but if so, it would be a sunburst and I think I'd test a spruce/rosewood before going back to the cedar/walnut. Don't get me wrong...this is a great guitar, especially for the money, but I'm a big fan of high-end custom acoustics, so I would most likely replace it with a custom built.
Two things I'd change about this guitar if I could. One, I'd lose the sunburst color (hate it), a two, I wish the strumming sound wasn't quite as boxy. Maybe the strumming sound will change over time, but for now I prefer to use this guitar for fingerstyle with light strumming duty.