Ayers DCM

The guitar is constructed of solid mahogany, front, back, sides and neck, with a rosewood fretboard. 14 frets to the body, 20 frets in all. My guitar is the semi-acoustic version with a microphone pickup (unsure of the brand). It has a satin finish which is loved by all who who hold it, with peopple always commenting on how beautiful it is to touch. The finish gives it a wonerful smooth feel, unlike the slightly sticky feel of gloss, and always brings out the wondrous glow of the mahogany that changes colour depending on the angle of the light source. The solid mahogany design also has the added effect of giving the guitar and case a great smell. It has chrome plated machineheads (again unsure of the brand). The neck is of medium thickness but slightly wider than other acoustics I've tried to allow for uncluttered fingerstyle. The mic. pickup is powered by a 9V battery. Althuogh I don't have a topnotch amp i believe the pickup is good but not great with more emphasis being placed on making the guitar sound really good unamplified.

Ahh the Sound..., this was the soul purpose for the purchase of this particular guitar (that and I didn't want to pay over $2000 Australian). To by an instrument that had a great sound was the singular criteria I had when shopping around for an accoustic. I wanted something that I knew I would be happy with in 20 years time. Having only played the guiatar for 2 years previously I didn't really have any idea of what a good guitar should sound like so I went to all the guitar shops in brisbane and tried most of them including the more expensive ones that I knew I couldn't afford (you can only dream). Having tried them all I knew this was the one for me. It has formidable unamplified volume and superb clarity. Notes of chords played on other guitars in this price range sound "washed-out" in comparison to the ayers. This clean sound was noticeable only in a greater proportion of the $2500+ ($1900 US) guitars of other brands. The low notes are good but could probably be bassyer and it has excellent mid and high range plus a lengthy sustain. I would describe the sound as full and bright due to the clarity of the individual notes rather rich or warm. It has an excellent hammer-on/off sound on the higher notes. Everyone who hears it loves the sound. The only comment I've taken offence to was when someone said "...it sounds a bit like a harp..." although i do not agree but it does have less of a twang than some studio guitars that I've heard.

Although I am not an expert, the guitar appears to be supperbly constructed. From information provided by the ayres website the guiatar has been construcded mostly by hand in vietnam. All joins are near flawless with no visible gaps, which is no mean feat from my experiences in doing and inspecting woodworking. The action is a bit high for my liking although this can easily be remedied. The only flaw I've noticed is that there is wire inside from the pickup that is loose/not tied down properly and therefore has a tendency to make a slight tapping noise when the guitar is moved. However this is an extremely minor problem and it doesn't worry me. The mahogany used in the guitar appears to be of very high quality with beautiful grain that has been very skillfully polished.

I have only had he guitar six months and treat it very carefully keeping it in a hard case. I really have no idea of its durability. However it seems to be solidly constructed with all fittings solidly attached. At first I thought the finish might be prone to scratching but after extensive use I have now changed my mind and believe the opposite, as there are no visible scratches yet. Apart from this i don't believe that i am qualified to give a rating in this section.

Haven't had to deal with the company, the website isn't too great and as I mentioned I don't know the brand of the machineheads or pickup (not that this bothers me anyway). I wasn't informed of any warranty when I bought the guitar.

I am thoroughly impressed with this guitar, although thats why I chose it instead of hundreds of others. Although I've sounded a bit like a salesman it is probably not the best you can buy, BUT, it definitely outstripped the others when it came to sound quality vs. cost. Being solid mahogany it is solid brown, has white trim and a wooden rosette making it far from the most spectacular guitar I've seen. However when viewed in the right light the wood comes to life and the satin finish gives it a great sheen. If someone stole this guitar I would be extremely P*ssed off, in the end though I think I would still end up buying another because for me its all about the sound... and oh what wonderful sound it is.