Lakewood M-14

Grand Concert Side Guitar.
AAA Cedar top, Solid AA Mahogany back and sides, double abalone rosette, flamed maple binding, Schaller Tuners, beautiful without-dots Ebony fretboard, one piece-mahogany neck, bone nut and bridge...glossy finish....do you want more from a guitar? A beautiful lookin piece of luthery.

The size is perfect for fingerpicker.
Very balanced tone...you'll hear every note and variation.
Very bright and definite tone. Works good with Elixir strings.
The basses are not boomy..but you can't pretend all from an instrument.
At the nut the guitar is a little thin...so it works good with thin fingers.
Not the definitve sound, but you can hear heavenly tones from this guitar :D :D

Action is good...a little bit high, but a good luthier can solve the "problem". The finish is absolutly amazing.
The woods are very high grade woods, beautiful to see.
Inside, no traces of glue and other things....very simple and clean constructinon.

Be careful...is a very delicate piece of art.
I give 9 only because you can't treat as a tank.
If you are a wild strummer, forget this guitar. :D
Come with a undestructable Hiscox Case..the best case in the market today.

Finally, i have my picture in the lakewood gallery!!!!! :D
For every problem, you can simply send an email directly to Lakewood and you'll be able to have answer in a couple of days.
Taylor guitars.....you must learn!!!!!!

A beautiful piece of art.
Sound like heaven.
Not for all...only for thin fingers guitarist..but you can solve with a customization.
I'll change this guitar only with a Lakewood M-32 or M-56.
With this money you can buy a Taylor 314...i have a 210 and trust me..sounds alot better than a 314.

?? M body shape with soft cutaway (Lakewood call it a grand concert but I've heard it's closer to a grand auditorium)
?? Made in Giessen, Germany, 2002
?? 14 frets to the bout
?? Solid cedar top
?? Solid mahogany back and sides
?? Flamed maple binding
?? Mahogany and abalone rosette
?? B-Band New Frontier side-mount preamp with low-battery indicator, volume, edge and bottom controls
?? 1-piece mahogany satin-finished neck
?? High-gloss finished body
?? Ebony fretboard and bridge
?? Chrome-plated Schaller tuners
?? Nut-width: 44mm / 1.73"
?? Total length: 1020mm / 40.16"
?? Body length: 502mm / 19.76"
?? Hiscox/Lakewood hardshell case

Sound is a difficult thing to describe, but two words I'd use would be bright and warm. This guitar is perfectly suited to fingerstyle playing and is very intimate. It only requires a very soft touch to make it sing. It strums well too, although hard strumming with a pick may cause it to break up a bit. This is not a problem as it only takes a light strum to fill the room with sound. It works very well in open G - it just rings forever.

I've recently started playing fingerstyle/plucky bluesy barre chords and was simply amazed at how good this guitar responds to such music. It really is quite inspiring. I find that with this guitar I have a proper relationship; it takes time to get to know its strengths but once I did, I found myself sneaking off to play it at any given opportunity.

The only slight dislike I have of this guitar is its lack of bass; I'm guessing that that is more to do with its size and combination of woods, and I think it's that lack that makes it such a warm and intimate guitar; therefore I shall give it a 10 for sound.

I use Nanoweb Lights (12/53)

Finish

The finish on this guitar is first rate. I can find no flaws at all. The mahogany is simply a delight to behold and I often find myself sitting looking at it. The matching mahogany rosette sandwiched between abalone is a particularly nice aesthetic touch, as is the abalone Lakewood logo on the headstock.

The cedar top has a really tight grain and the high-gloss finish is very classy.

My favourite thing about this guitar is its flamed maple binding. It contrasts the top with the back and sides perfectly, and the vertical binding on the back looks wonderful. This is a really is a well-crafted instrument.

Action

The action is a bit on the low side and I haven't had it adjusted; however I've only noticed this as the days have got warmer so I'm wondering if it's a humidity-related issue.

Another thing worth pointing out is that when I had Martin Phosphor Bronze Lights on this guitar (12/54) the bottom E string would sometimes sound muddy. I thought that this may be due to technique, but since changing to the Nanowebs (12/53) this problem has resolved itself. I'm not sure whether this could be related to the action or not.

This guitar just oozes quality. As far as reliability is concerned, one need not worry. The finish is very well done and will last.

The B-Band side-mounted preamp is diminutive in size and is very discreet. Its battery is both velcro-strapped to the back of the preamp and held in by a metal clip; it is in no danger of coming loose.

The tuners are very smooth and feel solid, and the guitar stays in tune.

I'm sure this guitar would work well in a live setting.

I did a lot of research before deciding on which guitar was for me, and one of the deciding factors was the very personal approach that luthier Martin Seeliger offers to his customers. He responded to each email I wrote to him in the same day, usually within a couple of hours. That degree of customer care really did make a difference.

The guitar comes with a 10-year warranty.

I have been playing acoustic guitar for 12 years and this was my first "real" guitar. Since I bought it 7 months ago, my level of competence has increased dramatically because it suits my style so well. It's the sort of guitar that brings such pleasure when you sit alone with it and get to know it. Its warmth envelops you and makes the simplest fingerstyle chords sound beautiful.

As I mentioned above, its lack of bass is the only niggle I have but my Gibson J-150 more than makes up for that. And besides, the Lakewood does what it's built to do so well that I feel bad even bringing up the lack of bass - however it may be relevant to anyone considering an M-14 and I've heard that the M-32 (spruce on rosewood) has more tone in the low registers than the M-14. I have subsequently had a chance to try an M-32 and was pleased to hear that I actually prefer the M-14.

When choosing this guitar, the only other contender was a Taylor 314ce which was similarly priced. I've since tried the Taylor again and that convinced me that I'd made the right choice.

If it were lost or stolen I would probably take the opportunity to try other M-model Lakewoods, just to check them out before deciding which would replace it but based on my experience with the M-32, I'm sure I'd stick with the M-14.

-1998 Deluxe model (Grand Auditorium, though Lakewood says it's grand concert)
-20 frets (14 fret at the body)
-Solid spruce top, solid mahogany sides and back
-Solid wood purfling, double abalone rosette around mahogany ring
-Ebony fretboard, rosewood neck
-bone nut and saddle
-Gloss finish (part of the Deluxe)
-Abalone logo on headstock
-Great custom Hiscox hardcase

Knowing Dave Matthews (yeah, im a fan) used an M-32 as a backup and after hearing the guitar used in Live in Luther College, i fell in love with the sound. The M-14 is no different. The sound fills you. It's the best way to describe it. Every note resonates beautifully. The only bad part is aggressive strummers might cause this gorgeous instrument to honk. It definitely isn't meant for them. Fingerpicking is without a doubt it's strong point. Medium strumming also sounds amazing. There is actually no need to strum that hard since it provides tons of volume despite it's size. I've heard a lot of top of line guitars, but none come close to the sound of the M-14.

Some find the action to be a bit high, but I loved the setup. It may have been the store that set it up for me, but i was happy. The finish was also perfect. No complaints here.

I'd gig with this guitar, but with extreme caution. Only because I wouldn't want anything to happen to it. I did, in a bout of drunkeness and other stuff, manage to drop it and crack the all-wood purfling. My local guitar store fixed it and the owner Martin helped me with advice. It now has a nice little scar on the top part of the binding. The wood is very solid though. It took a pretty high distance fall for it to crack.

Martin Seeliger is one of the most prompt and nicest owners around. By far the best customer support i've come across in any product i've bought.

If someone stole this, I would cause physical harm to that individual. I love everything about this guitar. It has a simple beauty that cannot be ignored. The fact that these babies are handmade should put Taylor and Martin to shame. The cookie cutter-robot-made guitars lack the craftsmanship of Lakewood. For the same price, they have guitars with less features and laminated backs and sides. Do yourself a favor and get a Lakewood, you'll thank me later.

Great guitar, very nice sound. Solid cedar top, mahogany back and sides, maple binding, ebony fretboard, bone saddle.

I play a little of everything, but mostly fingerstyle. Its a great fingerstyle guitar, and good all around for all styles.

Action was a little high for my taste, but the craftsmanship on this guitar is awesome.

Emailed the owner as I bought the guitar used, and wanted to know more about it. He promptly wrote me back and answered all my questions.

I have been buying and selling guitars for 2 years as kind of a hobby/business. This is the finest instrument I have owned, and I have had Martins, Taylors, Gibsons and Larrivees.

Made in Germany
14 frets
Ebony fretboard
Solid mahogany neck
Solid cedar top
Solid mahogany back and sides
Includes a nice hardshell form fitted case

An absolutely beautiful even tone sound. I have played every othe guitar in its price-range and nothing compares to its sound.

Action is very good, quality of construction is outstanding.

Do not play live.

Very good, e-mailed owner Martin Seeliger, received a reply within one day.

Make sure you play a Lakewood before you buy any other guitar.