Cole Clark Fat Lady

This is a standard, pure acoustic, 2006 Fl1 Fat Lady. Absolutely gorgeous. Solid Bunya pine top, Blackwood back and sides, Queensland Maple neck and rosewood fretboard with big square m.o.p inlays. The fretboard is fantastic - dense, even-textured wood grain, dark chocolate brown, and as smooth as silk to slide your fingers on. The body has a lovely satin finish that doesn't show fingerprints. And the best bit? The smell of all that wood, oozing out of the soundhole. Gets deep into the limbic part of your brain.

I play whatever I can; blues, rock, ballards; stuff back to the 50's. This guitar will do them all. I can be whisper quiet on the strings and hold my breath with the note as she fades, or I can hit the bass hard and feel the thing vibrate against my chest. Lovely balance across from lows to highs, and the sounds just jumps out like it's alive. I tried a few other big name guitars in the shop in the $1000 to $1800 bracket but none had the richness of tone this one did.

Really well set up straight off the wall. Tuned up nicely, good harmonics, no dead spots, action was mid to low where I like it. The fretboard is a pleasure to play on and was a major purchasing point for me - I hate crowded fingers up near the nut with buzzing and unwanted muting, so the neck width here is great for me. I don't have fat sausage fingers, but I like to be precise.

There were a quite a few wood shavings loose in the body that took a fair bit of shaking upside down to get out, and the bottom strap button was loose. Ten seconds (with a phillips head) and two minutes (shaking over head) later I was in business.

I only play at home, so can't comment on what a stage might be like, but I do have two small, violent children, so maybe I'm not far off. Whilst the machinery on the guitar - the grover tuners - will last me forever, I do feel very, very protective of the wooden body, and particularly the right-angled edges where the top meets the sides. This area of the guitar feels (and is) easy to damage on the Fat Lady, and it's not something I have ever felt before on any other guitar I have played. Never paid this much for one before either, so this could be half the reason.

It might just be my imagination, but the satin finish doesn't seem to give the wood as much protection as a hard gloss on other guitars. Having said that, I wouldn't change a thing - just learn to be careful.

Haven't had a problem, so never used it. Word of mouth here in Australia is that the Cole Clark team are pretty good.

Been playing for 30-odd years. I have owned Yamaha, Maton, Ovation, and Blueridge acoustics, and had a brief affair with an electric Fernandes. I still have the old japanese-made Blueridge; this I play with the kids around as it can handle snot and the occasional biscuit in the soundhole.

If my Fat Lady left in the arms of a thief, or met a messy end, I would be back into the shop for another within 24 hours. No question, no comparisons.

The mother of pearl inlay on the fretboard is not standard on this model, I was told, and normally has to be specially ordered - I just happened to luck in at the right time. It looks great, kinda like a Gibson, and somehow really makes you want to play hard and bend the strings.

Got a Gator hard case with it. Fits like a glove.

A great guitar. An absolute pleasure to play. If I have three minutes spare in the morning before I have to leave to catch the bus, I open the case, breathe in the wood smells, get 12 quick bars of blue in and then put the Fat Lady to bed. Wait 'til I get home.

This is a early 2005 full bodied dreadnought. Made in Melbourne, Australia. All solid construction. Natural Satin finish. Spruce top, Tasmainian blackwood back and sides, Queensland maple neck, rosewood finger board and bridge. Silver Grover tuners. Mother of pearl inlay. Sweepable 5 band Cole Clark face and bridge pickup (this will blend for awesome live sound).

Great features for the price!!!

Sound is full bodied, smooth and warm tone. Sounds great for a new guitar. After a couple of years it has seasoned nicely and the woods have settled par excellence.

It has a lovely resonant voice that can go from soft and sweet finger picker, to Maton killing open loud singer. But does so with brilliant composure. I still get blown away...

The guitar was set up wonderfully from the factory. It has only had a couple of slight adjustments after numerous air plane rides. Doesn't rattle, fret buzz is non-existant. Holds it tuning day in day out.

The finish is smooth and beautifully sprayed. The nut and bridge are well cut (no major adjustment yet...still factory).

Look...you can't fault the quality of this instrument. Not only is it good on paper, it just bloody good...full stop! (period for the US readers).

This just a top quality solid body guitar at an awesome price.

This guitar will travel the world in a flight case. It will stand up night after night and give its all.

These are built to last.

What can I say...is it dependable? Have you read what I have written yet?

I never like gigging without a back up...but i have confidently done just that with this guitar a number of times.

Brad Clark has provided A1 support to so many people, myself included.

When you have a company owner providing customer support you know you're dealing with someone who gives a shit!

1 year warranty, but seriously it's highly unlikely you'll need to worry about that.

Been playing too many years to remember.

I own all kindsa stuff...but who really cares what I own??? Apart from those people who won't tell you their names and will take ya gear!!!

If i lost this guitar i would be the saddest bastard in this town! I know that's self centred, but what do you expect from someone who plays music!

I choose this guitar because i played lots of others (3 times the price) the day that i ordered it and none came close. The one gripe I have is that it took over a month to arrive after ordering it, but it was worth the wait. It was even better than the display guitar...

I can't really compare this guitar...no other i have played has this much personality. It can be an escaped convict or a true lady...

It's not adorned any fine jewellery, it's just a beautiful crafted guitar.

Fat Lady 1, Spruce top, Queensland maple back and sides, cutaway, aluminum face brace sensor.

Wowzers. I am going from a big baby taylor to this which is approximately twice the width. She has some serious bass and can go almost as low as i would anticipate a bass guitar!! Very full bodied sound along with some sweet highs.

The strings came loose so i think the neck had some time to bend but it took about a day to get the appropriate action and for the neck to properly adjust after it was tuned.

Pretty heavy. I think the new gen of these pick ups are quite heavy so the guitar feels very sturdy. The built in neck provides some more assurance about stability.

Man-

They probably hate me by now. If I were Brad Clark, I would definitely not respond to idiotic e-mails and drunk phone calls from a customer like me but he sure does. And its great, they answered all my questions and helped me get her here.

Great. I want the Violap now!

Compared to others in this price range there is no comparison whatsoever

2005 FL1A (dreadnaught, with pickup, no cutaway) grade 'A' spruce top with queensland maple back and sides, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, with a satin finish for the body. If you are looking at these reviews, you probably know a lot about these guitars already...

Obviously (probably like everyone else) I found out about these amazing guitars becasue Jack Johnson plays them. I've been a JJ fan for several years now, and I totally dig his sound. This guitar can do it all though...and man, is it loud! Great volume and AMAZING tone, both plugged in and unplugged. It is rich, full, loud, and just all around f-ing awesome. I've play numerous Taylor's, Martin's and Takamine's, and nothing can even touch the tones this monster releases. My other acoustic is a Takamine EGSF15SC with a cedar top, and I love it, but it's a totally different sound. This Fat Lady sure sings...

I just got this lady here very recently, so the wood is probably adjusting to my dry Colorado climate, so the action is a little high right out of the box. It comes equipped with Elixir 12-53 (I think) nanowebs, so I will have the action adjusted here soon and have it set up with Elixir custom light nanowebs (11-52), not all that different, but every little bit helps. The satin finish is really great, and the wood grain is beautiful, both in the spruce top and the maple back & sides.

The amazing thing I've found it that the guitar is really one solid piece of wood, but very light in weight. I could play this thing standing up live for hours...not like my beefy Les Paul Standard. There is no binding on the neck or body, so be careful when you lean this guitar up against anything (or just don't do it at all)...go & spend the 10 to 20 bucks on a good stand. I think this will be a very dependable guitar for live playing and durability. And Grover tuners are always great

I haven't had to deal with them yet, but the website (www.coleclarkguitars.com) has a great FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, and I would have to say that it is very helpful if you might have any questions on your fat ladies.

I've been playing now for about 13 years, and I do all kinds of different styles, but mainly U2, Jack Johnson, Led Zeppelin, some country, you name it...
My other gear consists of way too many pedals (mostly vintage stuff), an old Korg SDD-1200 delay, Class A tube amps, a Les Paul Deluxe, a late ninties Fender stratocaster, and the Takamine I mentioned earlier.
My overall opinion of this guitar is great, and I enjoy playing it. I always thought I wanted a Taylor 614ce, but their expression system sucks!!! The Cole Clark blows the Taylor out of the water both plugged in and unplugged. But Taylor's do play nice (action, fretting, picking, etc.)

2005, made in Australia, all the usual details. No cutaway, solid bunya top, Qld maple neck, solid rosewood back and sides (optional), ebony fingerboard and bridge (optional), pickup. Finished in satin, with walnut face edge inlay. So, this is essentially a Fat Lady 3, but without the pretty inlays and gloss finish. Grover tuners that are solid and precise, beautiful headstock, strap buttons, etc. Only downfall is no inlays, could have had a few more pretty things but I didn't pay for them so it's fine!

This bit is incredible... the ebony starts the not off clear and sparkly, the midrange of the bunya brings it forward a lot and the rosewood just throws in a lot of bass and even more volume. All in all, extremely clear resonant tone, very sweet and well and truly suited for anything. Plugged in, I think the rosewood causes it to feed back a little tiny bit, but then again it was through a JCM800 tube amp... Anyway, plugged in it's quiet, clear, extremely detailed and extremely faithful. Very impressive sound, still in disbelief.

The price I paid for it, it blew away anything up to $4000-5000. That includes Matons, Taylors, Martins. And being all solid wood, this baby is just going to get better with playing.

Set up perfectly from the factory. Frets are incredibly smooth, highly polished, seated well, no rough spots. Fingerboard is smooth and nice to fret, neck is smooth and the perfect radius. String spacing is a tiny bit wide, action a tiny bit high, but I think this is a very good thing. Finish was flawless, wood of excellent quality, bookmatched and highly detailed grain. No sharp edges, but I'm not worried about that anyway. This baby plays incredibly well, every single note rings like a bell, no dead spots, all the way up to the top fret on every string. Very well put together.

Definitely withstand live playing, rock solid hardware (what there is of it). I think the finish will wear off in a few years, and the face edge is susceptible to dents. However, again, I didn't pay for binding, inlays, and pretty stuff so this is more than acceptable. I would gig this without a backup for sure, though I would be a little careful with it.

Although it took a little longer than i would have liked to get from Melbourne to here (two months), customer service was second to none. I emailed them, corresponded with Bradley Clark himself, and when I call them up, who was manning the phones? Bradley Clark. This is a man truly passionate about his work, willing to take time out of what must be an incredibly busy day, and an absolute top bloke at that.

I've been playing piano for about 15 years, and guitar for about 6. Owned a couple of Yamaha classicals, as well as an FG-400 (I think that's right), also by Yamaha. Played a couple of nice Taylors and Martins, and while they were extremely nice for the most part, I'm completely convinced the Cole Clark is a superior instrument, and for 1/3 of the price. This is a truly beatifully crafted guitar, the sound is incredible and I expect it to last me for a very long time. Absolutely rapt; the guitar is incredible and these guys really are onto something.

My model is a 2005 Fat Lady (FL1A) with a solid bunya top, and blackwood sides. Rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a Natural Satin Finish. Grover Machine heads. It has a dual input acoustic pickup.

I prefer Blues, Funk ... but play almost all styles. I am using a Bose PS1. The sound is unbelievable. I have never heard an acoustic guitar sound this good, with little or no adjustment. It is truly amazing. The sound is extremely balanced, full, and FAT! Cole Clark is on to something!!!

The action is just right. I typically play Martin ... which runs a little too high on action ... Taylor are a little too low ... Cole Clark is right in the middle ... perfect!

The guitar did not have any flaws

This guitar will blow away all others when played live. The hardware, quality, finish are top of the line! I own Martin, Taylor, Takamine and so on ... nothing comes close to this one!

I dealt with Worldstrum out of Boston. They are a Cole Clark Dealer in the United States. Very friendly, and went above and beyond ... they are doing good things for the guitar community ... their website is www.worldstrum.com ...

This guitar is the best value for the money. It is unbeatable.

I own several Martins, Taylors, Takamine, Gibson, and so on ... they have honestly been packed in their cases and stored since I got the Cole Clark ... I no longer need them.

If the Cole Clark was stolen, I would replace it immediately. I would not do the same for my Taylor or Martin after playing this one ...

The only thing lacking in the FL1A is inlays ... but most musicians need to re-focus on sound and not appearance ... these guitars are very earthy, pure, and are made from renewable resources that do not destroy our world's forests ...

Made in Melbourne Australia, 2005

Dreadnought style, 20 frets, solid spruce top, QLD maple back and sides, no pickup or cutaway. Grover tuners.

Rosewood fingerboard. Quite a wide neck throughout, just the way I like it.

Plain black pickguard, non pearloid.

No case included.

I play all kind of music, from rock to pop to metal to blues (Jack Johnson, N.E.R.D, Metallica, Slipknot, 3 Doors Down, Nickelback...etc).

This guitar is so awesome that makes all kinds of music sound good. It makes me want to play better too.

So there you go, a good guitar will make you want to play better.

The sound is bright because of the type of wood used. I have played many guitars with rosewood back and sides, so I wasn't used to the sound at first. But after playing it, it makes rosewood guitars sound dull.

Rich and excellent sustain. Good volume, quite loud. Bright, crisp harmonics. Beautiful sounding guitar.

The action was OK right out of the box.

The spruce top looks like 1 piece, I could not find the separation in the middle. Either that, or mirror perfect book matching. Maybe because grain is so narrow towards the middle that it's hard to spot.

The back of this guitar is actually a 3 piece. A narrow, darker strip of wood (blackwood?) towards the middle. The other 2 pieces of Queensland maple on either side were book matched. It looks kinda cool.

The headstock is of a darker colour too than the rest of the neck. Blends very well. I like it!

I have not noticed any flaws in the construction.

This is the FL1, no pickup. So no, I would not gig with this. Just something I could pickup at home and play straightaway.

The satin finish seems suficient to withstand everyday playing. Although, gloss finish seems a more durable option. I love the satin finish though.

The Grover tuners are fantastic. The strap buttons are solidly screwed.

I certainly would think that with a little TLC, this guitar will lasts a lifetime.

Haven't had the need to deal with the company. I'm certain in the future I would like a custom FL2 made for me, so I will contact them then.

I've been playing for more than 10 years. Mostly electric. This is my first good acoustic guitar.

If this was damaged or stolen, I would buy it again. This guitar provides more bang for your buck than any other guitar in the same price range.

I love it's unique look and construction. A real revolutionary Aussie innovation in it's construction. This Fat Lady does sing, and I love the sound of her voice.

It's Fat Lady by name, not by nature...

Made in Melbourne Australia 2005

The shop wouldn't sell me their display model, I had to wait about 5 weeks for this baby to get made and delivered.

Dreadnought style. Solid spruce top, Queensland Maple neck, back and sides. Satin Finish. Non cutaway, no pickup. 22 frets. Grover tuners. Comes with strap buttons already attached!!

No case was provided with this guitar, I paid an extra AU$150 for a deluxe gator case.

Looks wise, it's better finished than the display model. The headstock's a little darker as well, goes well with the spruce top and the rest of the guitar.

This guitar came straight from the factory, never been displayed. Still smells fresh!!!

Very rich, bright sound. Different than any other acoustic guitars I have played before. Excellent sustain. Nice and LOUD!!!

It sounded exactly like the display model I saw in the shop. I liked the sound when I first heard her, I got what I asked for. No inconsistency here.

The set up was spot on right out of the box. I haven't noted any flaws.

The satin finish looks fantastic, I love it. Gives the guitar a more "natural" look.

Pearl dot inlays!!

As I've mentioned above, the overall finish of this guitar is better than the display model at my local music store.

This guitar will last a lifetime if properly cared for. The Grover tuners are great.

I hope the satin finish doesn't "wear off" easily and will last as long as my cheaper, heavily glossed guitars. This is my first guitar with satin finish. I love the look of it though...

I bought this guitar as my "everyday" leisure guitar... I dunno if I would gig with it. After all, it's got no pickups.

Haven't dealt with the company personaly, the guitar did take a little long to get delivered though.

OK... I admit, I'm just impatient...

I have been playing on and off for 13 years. I own another Yamaha acoustic and a couple of Les Pauls electrics with Marshall amps. I also own a couple of Keeley modded pedals.

The shop did not inform me that there is an option to get this with a Bunya top instead of spruce. No biggie, I would have choosen spruce anyway... but it would have been nice to know. I did not even know which one I'm getting till I got it. Lucky it's the one I wanted.

If this got stolen, I would get the Fat Lady 2 to replace it. Cole Clark guitars are great! I almost bought a Maton, but I'm glad I got a Cole Clark. I just like to be different...

I love the sound... the endless sustain...

I did not buy this guitar for the looks, although the one that I got is very well made and finished.

The only complaint I have is that the edges of the body are a little sharp without any binding. It's hurting my right arm a little. But hey, with a guitar that sounds this good, I don't care if I keep plaing till I pass out from bleeding.... (maybe not, blood would really spoil the satin finish)

FL1A with solid spruce top and queensland maple body, 2004. Excellent features for the price. No other manufactures could really match the quality what the price paid.

Purchased as a beginner guitar player that had saved up for a while. Shopped for over 4 months and clearly this was the best sounding guitar of all tested, even for an untrained ear. As I have progressed, it has been rewarding to bring out more and more sounds from this guitar. Found that the FL2 was a slightly better sound, but no value for the difference in price. Lessons with the guitar teacher can be a challenge in wrestling it from his grasp.

Only drawback of the guitar is the action, which is a bit high. Otherwise an a perfectly prepared and presented instrument. Cannot go wrong.

As per others comments, this is a delicate instrument that does not appreciate any medium impacts. Beginners be careful. Edges of the guitar have taken a bit of a dint with the odd accident.

The best customer support is one that is not needed. Not needed.

Shopped for a long time as a beginner with no prejudice to brands, and this guitar definitley has the feel of a $2000 guitar for $1,000 dollars. Shopped for an amp about 6 months after purchasing the guitar and took it on the excursion. Outlets that did not have Cole Clarks on offer were blown away by the sound and were more than just eager to have a go.

Dreadnought style acoustic with pickup, no cutaway. My cole-clark has a solid bunya top, and solid queensland maple back and sides. The neck has a spanish heel neck-body joint (very old-school construction technique) and is also made of queensland maple. The interior of the body, on both front and back, is carved to provide maximum acoustic response with the minimum of bracing and weight, i am told some violins also use this process. It has Chrome grover machine heads and a cole-clark pickup system with 3 band eq, volume and blend, the last control lets you blend the bridge piezos with secondary piezos placed on the soundboard, this really gives a good range between bassy and bright signals. The Fat Lady has 20 frets with the neck joining the body at the 14th. My guitar has no binding (which can be a hassle as the construction of the guitar is very lightweight and its easy to dent the edges) and simple dot marker inlays.

I play mostly blues and roots music, and for acoustic styles you cant beat this guitar. It sounded better than the matons and even the Fat Lady 2 guitars i tried in the shop. Very responsive and you can get nice ringing picking sounds or a very satisfying bassy strum out of it. When its plugged in I normally DI it to the stage PA and the pickup is brilliant, better than anything i have heard short of top-range guitars like Martin and Taylor... These guitars blow most matons away and at about half the price. Lately I havebeen plugging into my Fender Super 112 valve combo, on clean, and the Fat Lady sounds good like that, a little muddy and swampy like a resonator.

I actually ordered this guitar to be custom made, the one at the shop had a cutaway and I didnt want it, and so it came literally fresh from the shop about four weeks later. The strings that came with it (elixir brand) are pricey but in my opinion pretty shite. I replaced it with some inexpensive ones and the guitar sounded better. New strings settle in almost immediatly...
Action is reasonably high but I sometimes drop down to a d tuning so i wanted that, when the strings are looser in d the tone suffers a bit but you would expect that...
The Bunya top is great, its pretty much only used in Australia, and it has beautiful grain. Top and back are bookmatched perfectly, with the back having a lovely dark stripe that makes my guitar look beautiful and unique. The tuners are good quality and she can sit for a week or two and when i pick her up its still plum in tune. (that doesnt happen often, tho) Has a plain, satin nitro finish, which feels a bit thin, after 6 months you can see where my pick arm has buffed away some of the finish. As i said above, binding on the body would help toughen her up a bit; the FL1 seems very light and fragile for an acoustic.

See above... the finish seems a bit thin etc. Ive gigged a dozen times with her and I wouldnt just prop this guitar against the amp or anything, needs a padded stand. Still, I play damn hard, my gigs always end with blood sprayed across the board and my fingers sticky, and she has been up to it so far. I play every day, detune it, have drunken singalongs for hours and no damage yet. I think it looks more fragile than it is. I never bring a backup, sold my (six or so) other acoustics when i got this one.

Never needed it but they are local to me and I have heard Cole-Clark will reset the action or whatever you want "while you wait".

Ive been playing for eight years and gigging for three of those...THis is the first decent quality acoustic i have owned, and no plans to replace it. I wouldnt mind another cole clark thats a bit more solid for live work, though. If she broke id happily buy another one.
I also use a Maton Tasman electric guitar, a fender Super 112 60watt valve combo, and a self-built lap slide, but the acoustic is the core of my instrumentation.
I cant recommend this baby enough...go try one and youll see what i mean.