Product: Ariana AW-60E
Price Paid: US $150
Submitted
06/27/2005
at
03:57pm
by
Jazz Box
Features
:
5
Built 1999, Indonesia
15 playable frets, has 5 more past that but they are in the body section
1 volume, 1 tone control
piezo pickup
passive electronics
I don't know about the wood and all of that, but it's nothing fancy at $150. Probably balsa or plywood.
Sound
:
9
I bought it on a whim because of the sound. It sounds like a cross between an acoustic and a jazz archtop even without plugging in, moreso when through an amp. A sort of pleasant mellowness. The tone control helps dial in a really jazzy sound. Some noise but not intolerable. I plug it in direct or through a Line 6 POD. Tone at 10 is bright and acoustic but below 8 it starts to sound like a jazz guitar.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
5
Action was OK but nothing great. I removed all of the shims from the bridge and strung it up with electric strings and it plays well enough to not hurt the hand. No fret buzz even at lowest action setting.
The only thing I don't like about the guitar is that the output jack is also the strap button, and is too wide for a normal strap hole. I don't think that is a good place for the cord to be sticking out. Also, there is no other strap button on the other side so you are supposed to use one of those acoustic neck straps which I don't like. I am thinking of screwing some normal strap buttons on and using a small patch cord to make it so the output jack is in the lower right.
Reliability/Durability
:
7
It is holding up quite nicely. I bang it around a little and it seems resilient enough. That is one of the advantages of such a cheap guitar, whereas if I had a Gibson I would be afraid to take it out of the case. It is light and not heavy duty but it stays in tune and is my main practice guitar. I leave it laying around so it's generally just there when I want it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
8
Have been playing for 25 yrs. I have several other guitars of various caliber. If I lost it, I wouldn't care, but I still think it's great for $150 that it has such a nice warm mellow sound. It's also unusual for an acoustic, most of which seem to go for a really bright sound, where this is more midrangey and mellow. It's nice to see that a solid acoustic can be produced in this price range.
