Landola LR-855

LR-855 was made around 2000, though mine has a newer serial number. It is a 12 fret steelstring fingerpicking style guitar from Finland. Body ragtime 4/4 size.It is a shame that they seem not to manufacture 12 fret ones anymore. Nowadays Landola makes 14 fret ones (LR-85).
Bought it direct from Landola, this year. Had some cosmetic damage on head (a crack that was nicely repaired; I got it for a real nice price), so they kept it in stock. Maybe that is the reason for this years'serial nr.
Top: solid spruce, Back and sides beautiful flamed nordic birch ( curly)

It is a guitar with a relatively small body and because of the 12 frets ( like a classical guitar) the hole in the body is in a better position to let the sound leave the guitar, critics say and I am willing to believe them.
Also the neck is a very little broader, the string tension seems to be less than a 14 fret guitar.
Head is open ( like most classical and pre war folk guitars and has Schaller M6 tuners.
I never had such a guitar in my hands before. They say that birch is "poor mans" tonewood, but this gives this 'vintage'sound I like.

Bone neck and saddle for improved sound

It is a real fingerstyle guitar.

I once played a 'hybrid', spanish/ classical built steelstring guitar (almirez?), which sounded too classical, too nice.
This Landola on the contrary gives immediately this real country blues, Elisabeth Cotton, Taj Mahal or Joan Baez, sound. Sometimes a sweet, very nice tone (loud enough, though the body is really small and not deep), and, playing a little tougher, jumping alternating bass, you have a real ragtime sound, or hear the dobro from a distance.
Played in f.e. open D tuning, it is even nicer.
Summarized, a very fine fingerpicking guitar for a very reasonable price
If you only use a guitar for strumming, you'd better take a Landola Dreadnought or the J85.

Action set low but not too low ( strings don't hit the neck while normally played). Plays very easy (most Landolas I played, play easy, but this one even more).
No gue rests, nicely finished. Although mine was bought as a guitar with a cosmetic failure - a nicely repaired crack on the head - my friends could not find this immediately.
Only one of the tuners ( screw) seemed to be a little in unbalance and tended to become a little sharp. But doesn't seem to continue

I play it a lot and I don?t think it will wear from playing. I have been playing for about 20 years on my first steelstring, and handeled with a little care, I think this Landola will last long enough. It looks more fragile than it is, because you see the natural wood. It only has a transparant satin finish.

On this one I have a lifetime warranty, the managing director, mr. Noromies of Landola emailed me. Emails with questions are always answered promptly. Guitar was sent quick after payment and was delivered unharmed.

When I decided to go and saerch a new guitar, I played a lot of midrange and sometines a real expensive guitar. But I always asked myself: "what does it add to my old guitar's sound? Nothing worth the price. And my old one was getting really dull.
Once I played a Landola, I always returned to this brand, because of the the ease I played them and the very bright sound. A customer in a shop told me "that guitar fits you" so I knew the next guitar was a Landola.
The 12 fret was a gamble, because I never heard it before. But if it were stolen. I'd order one again!