Hohner HW-220

My guitar is about 5 years old. It was made in china. I agree with the last review on the wood and the lamanation. when I got it from a music store 3 years ago, I had never touched a guitar before, (I am only 14) so the sound and quality was perfect for a begginer. Lets face it, thy're not Martins, but the guitar is overall satisfactory.

This guitar is good for blues/jazz progressions, it has a nice sound, but it is not perfect. The fret board is a little tough to use, but if you can play well on a average guitar, you can play well on a great one.

I am impressed with the duribility that this guitar can withstand. I play for at least an hour a day, so the strings get quite a beating. It is not the kind of guitar that you would want to use proffessionaly. everything seems solid, even after years of playing. The finish seems that it will last a long time. I play for mass at a church every Sunday, so I have a good feel for the instrument. I will be able to use it for many more years.

I have not had to deal with the company yet (I hope that I wont have to for my warranty is up). The warranty that come with it was for 3 years.

I have been playing since I was 11, and I have loved playing the guitar. I have no regretts in buying this guitar. I bought it when I was a begginer, and loved it, but i do not reccomend using it for an experienced guitarist, especially if you have a nicer guitar.

This is a dreadnought all-plywood guitar that I bought a month after picking up the guitar again. It's a factory second, with some minor cosmetic flaws. I've made earlier attempts at mastering the instrument and thought I was done for good. But when I mentioned I had an interest again, a friend at work said I could have her old Hohner from the '70s. It wasn't bad sounding, but the slightly warped neck made it a little hard to handle. Fortunately, I got some trade-in $ for it when I bought this instrument. Nothing fancy about this Hohner, but perfectly functional. It has a transparent finish and a very blond, bland wood grain top. The sides and back appear to be surfaced with something that suggest wood; it's hard to tell what the material is supposed to be.

When the salesman played this a little for me, it frankly sounded thunky and tinny. He said it was probably due to the strings that come on it, and he suggested I put some D'Addario EXPs on it. He was right. They improved the sound and made the guitar presentable. So that as I got slowly up the learning curve, I could get some decent sounds out of it. That being said, this instrument won't get you the sound of a good solid-top. Almost from the week I got the Hohner, I was checking out better quality guitars; so I could make that comparison. (I promised myself a new instrument if I stuck with it for six months. I've wasted money on good guitars before, that I ended up selling cheaply.) But the Hohner was good enough for my purposes. It has good volume. The top E string is nice and clean; the B a little dead; the G D and A not very rich, but with an honest resonance; and the low E thunky/plunky, but loud with a good bluesy quality. I think it's best playing blues progressions. You don't want those sounding too smooth and sweet.

I find the neck easy to negotiate and the action OK, if not great. It was tweaked in the store, after I bought the new strings. Barre chords are tough at first. One thing I did learn is that a dreadnought is maybe too big for me. I play sitting, and after 30-40 minutes this Hohner would give me the shoulder equivalent of writer's cramp. That's why my new guitar is an OM.

This is a cheap guitar and I doubt if it would hold up to professional use. But for playing at home or the occasional campfire gig, I expect it would be OK.

NA

Let's be frank here, it's not a great instrument but good enough for a beginner to hack around on; if you can find it for under a hundred bucks, including better strings. If it costs more, I'd check out Jasmines and Johnsons and the cheaper Washburns and Epiphones, and Alvarezes. Even though I got that better guitar (a Larrivee OM01), I'm still fond of this one and plan to keep it for a while. Because I do like its grittier, bluesy quality of sound. I find myself grabbing it to plunk on during TV shows, when I don't feel like hauling the Larrivee out of its case. It's up and down, so I don't strain my shoulder. I would not replace it, knowing more about guitars now after eight months of playing. I'd probably buy another small bodied guitar; or maybe try an electric.