Hohner HW 640

1999, made in Korea, 20 frets, bookmatched spruce top, maple sides, bookmatched maple back, three-piece maple neck, satin finish, dreadnought, schaller-style w-6 die-cast tuners, nice neck, came with extra saddle, sadle shims and truss-rod tool.
Also, tortise binding EVERYWHERE except the headstock. Tortise shell pickguard too.

It has a bright sound due to the maple, but the lows shine through elegantly. The sound is rich and full. The brightness makes finger picking jump out, while struming with fingers gives a warm, balanced tone. You will stand out in the mix with this.

Action: Excellent! (IMHO) The top and back are matched acceptably.
The finish is a wonderfully thin satin, letting the sound of the instrument REALLY shine through. Any epiphone, cheap fender, or Dixon with that glopped-on plastic finish really sound dull compared to this one.
The finish is a tiny bit streaked on the bass side of the neck right on the neck binding, but doesn't really show, I agree with the previous listing, the insides and bracing are wonderfully glued with no excess all over the place like so many others.

I will say that the finish is delecate, as I've managed to scar the top already by bumping (crashing)into a metal keyboard tray, but its really only a light scratch.

I see no reason to buy another acoustic.

This is a Korean-made 1999 model with 20 frets, a laminated maple body, dreadnought body style, solid spruce top, sealed tuners, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, tortiseshell pickguard and body binding, and a satin finish. The back and sides are blonde. This guitar was highly-recommended by Acoustic Guitar Magazine in a recent article about guitars selling for under $500 dollars. I needed a "travel" guitar, so I was looking at many under $500 dollar acoustics that would possibly fit the bill. This one does. As far as features, it is just a simple acoustic box, which is all that it is meant to be.

The magazine article described the sound as, "stunning" and I cannot disagree. I was amazed at the sound that this guitar produced when I first strummed it at the music store. It is bright like any other maple-bodied guitar, but it also has sufficient bottom end as well. It is also quite loud when strummed. It really cuts through when used in a recording or ensemble application. I am a strummer and a fingerpicker and this guitar is fine for both styles.

This guitar is built as well as any guitar costing three times as much. I do not make this claim lightly. The fit and finish are excellent and there is not a trace of glue anywhere on the inside of the guitar. The spruce top and maple back are nicely bookmarked. There is no fret buzz and the action is good, although the strings could be a bit lower toward the upper frets, as I like low action. The guitar was setup nicely right out of the box and I've made no adjustments.

As I said before, I purchased this guitar to be my travel, camping, bring to work guitar. I think that with proper care, it will do just fine. It appears to be very well built and I can't imagine it falling apart in the near future.

Guitar comes with a limited-lifetime warranty. I have not dealt with the company and hopefully I'll never have to.

I have been playing for thirty years and over that time period I have played just about every brand of guitar even if it was just strumming one in a music store. I currently own 20 guitars including a Taylor 615, Guild D-25, Yamaha FG 411S, an old Takemine and numerous electrics and basses. This guitar plays and sounds like guitars costing three times as much. But don't take my word for it, go out and play one. Originally, I had no desire to buy a Hohner. I played Epiphones, Fenders, Alvarez, Yamaha, Aria, and a number of others. I only played the Hohner as a favor to my buddy who works at the music store. As soon as I played it, I knew that this was my new travel guitar. I find that I am playing it everyday. No, it is not a Taylor and cannot match the sound I get from my 615, but if you are looking for a nice second guitar that sounds good, with a solid spruce top, will hold up at any acoustic jam, and you only want to spend $230 bucks, then this is for you. If it were lost or stolen, I would run to the store and get another.