Lakewood A-14

A14 12 fret slothead acoustic made by the Lakewood crew in Germany, sometime this year (2002). Top solid is Sitka spruce, probably AA, impeccable grain, solid mahogany back and sides, Solid mahogany one piece neck, ebony fretboard and saddle, ebony saddle, maple binding, Schaller old style nickle tuners (nice!) Hardshell Hiscox case included.

I play classical and celtic fingerstyle on a Ramirez. This guitar will take me in different directions, and add dimensions to the music I'm already playing. This guitar is a powerhouse. I have a shop and this particular guitar was in my stock until this week - everyone who played it was delighted, and sometimes surprised, at the tone. You would never expect such a big focused sound from such a small instrument. Beautifully balanced and intonated.. this lady deserves an eleven.

Absolutely the best guitar I have seen in a long time. You expect guitars in this price range to be well constructed but the Lakewood is absolutely perfect. I looked hard for glue blobs, misaligned bits, flaws in the finish, rough bracing .. she's an eleven.

I'm not a pro so I am not concerned about road worthiness - this guitar will be pampered. I expect she would stand up to as much as any guitar in her class.

Martin Seeliger responds immediately to inquiries. I don't expect to have any problems ever. Warranty is 10 years to the original purchaser.

I play a Ramirez R4. The Lakewood is a perfect compliment to a great classical. I would probably replace this guitar if it were lost or stolen, and I don't think I would change anything.

I spent a long time thinking about what steel string would suit me before I bought the A14 and came to the conclusion that I am most comfortable with a 12 fret guitar. I played various Larrivees (wonderful guitars) (several Morgans - superb) and some other Lakewoods while I was searching. I'm really totally delighted with this guitar. She has been in the shop for a month or so and if musicians had any money I could have sold her at least 10 times over. Thought I had better bring her home before someone else did!

German-made slotted headstock auditorium-style acoustic, with the neck joining the body at the 12th fret. All solid wood, cedar top with mahogany back and sides. Impeccably put together! This is a review of a guitar I sadly no longer have. (Aww!)

This guitar sounded, to me, absolutely perfect. Balanced, surprisingly loud for it's size, and every last note perfectly defined within chords. It's a fingerstyle player's dream.

The guys at Lakewood sure know how to put a guitar together! Not a trace of excess glue anywhere to be found. Everything was 100%, the guitar played beautifully, and always stayed in tune.

I didn't own this particular Lakewood for too long, but I had two other Lakewoods before it, both of which stood up perfectly well to heavy gigging and studio work. The satin finish can get a little dull looking after a while, but it's easily taken care of.

I never had to deal with Lakewood, but judging from experiences I've heard, Martin Seeliger (the lakewood Grand Poobah) will normally reply personally to any email queries within a few hours. Seems like a man who's happy to stand behind his product!

I sold this guitar about four years ago, and I've regretted it ever since. I was moving to the US, so I made the decision to let someone else enjoy this little wonder rather than risk it getting turned to firewood by the airlines! (Forklift impaled flightcases, anyone?) I replaced it with a Taylor 412, mainly because finding Lakewoods over here in the US is a pain, to put it mildly! And on the rare occasion you find one, the price tends to be on the high side. I don't normally give tens, but overall, if you're in the market for a guitar of this style, you're nuts not to at least give an A-14 a try!

Solid Cedar top, Mahogony back and sides,
Ebony and mahogony neck
46mm profile neck

This is the best acoustic I have ever played, and i've played Taylors, Martins, Ovations, etc etc. This is just such a responsive guitar, the whole instrument feels alive and is dynamic, clear and balanced.

The action is a little high for me, but I need it low as I play jazz.
The build quality is in itself a work of art.

I give it a nine only because it has a satin finish which is probably quite fragile. (And so lightweight!)

What better service can you ask for than being able to speak to the owner, and get a response to any quiries within a day!

I have a Taylor 412 which i'm selling as the lakewood blows it away, though that's no critisism of the Taylor, the LW cost me a lot more! I also think the price for a custom guitar, made exactly to my specifications down to the bindings, is very competitive.