Olympia Mischief

solid cedar top, solid mahogany back, laminated sides (but for $115.00 on ebay, I suppose I'll live with that) thin body offset "paisley" soundhole. Bolt on, very slim, fast neck, combined with the "less than dread" size make this the most comfortable playing acoustic I own. this is the korean version of the chief, and for the money, it's a TERRIFIC guitar. not sure of the year, but it was used, and I do mean well used when I got it. this guitar would get a ten for features (for the price) except for one thing.....the tuners were crap. total crap. wouldn't hold a tune at all (pretty much the only expectation I have of tuners). replaced them with a nice set, problem solved. now stays in tune better than a standard set neck acoustic (I live in the notoriously fickle tempretures and humidity of MD). has the fishman electronics, again, well played when I got it, never a problem.

the unplugged sound of this guitar is, well, um, let's use the term "unique". I'm sure it won't be everybody's cup of tea, as the shallow body makes it quite midrange heavy. it does however mix well with other guitars unplugged, and is as loud if not louder than a standard dreadnaught, no kidding, this thing projects like mad! Now on to plugged up: WOW! I'll take the pepsi challenge with anything out there plugged in. played it alongside a taylor last summer and honestly I wouldn't trade dead even! very full and bright, lots of control over the tone, and outside, in the wind, through a 300 watt p.a., no feedback. even sitting on a stand with the volume up. I usually play bass in my little acoustic combo, and this guitar is routinely confiscated by the lead guitarist over his takamine. outshines most everything it plays alongside.

as I've said, this thing was well played when I got it, so I can't speak to factory anything really, the action is great and very even, the top has a fairly good compliment of dings, scratches and war wounds, but then again, hey, it's a cedar top. I've never messed with the set up, but I can't speak to what the previous owner might have done. that being said, this is the easiest acoustic on the hands I've ever played. plays more like an electric than an acoustic. I'll bitch about the tuners again a bit here. Tacoma should be ashamed to put their name on them. I'm a famous pack rat, and when I replaced them, straight into the trash. other than that, fit and finish was way better than I expected for a korean cheapy.

I'm gonna go ahead and say that this thing withstood more than it's share of live playing when I got it. I've used it extensively on gigs, never let me down. seems to be built like a little tank. I bought it as kind of a beater, and because I had the bass that's the big brother to this thing, and I thought they'd look cool beside each other on my guitar stand (they do in fact). I'd never gig without a backup, but this is probably reliable enough to make it if you've got the testicular fortitude for that kind of thing.

never had a lick of contact with them, but then, never had a problem!

I've been playing forever, and I've owned a ton of guitars. this is the best acoustic electric I've owned. I'm so impressed I'm currently trying to decide between a cheif and a roadking in the usa line. it's super easy to play, small enough to take along anywhere, sounds terrific, and I've paid more for boutique stomp boxes! It also has that unique appearance that makes people go "what the hell is that?" if it was stolen, I'd buy a usa cheif and hope my wife didn't notice the difference! if you're looking for a real workhorse acoustic electric that you can buy cheap, you could do a lot worse that this little gem! for the money, a total 10!

not sure what year it was made, but judging from the condition, several years ago! mini jumbo size shallow body, solid top, solid back, lam sides, I belive I should mention the top though, it's as nice a piece of cedar as you'll ever see on a made in canada guitar, and I belive these are either korean or chinese. fishman electronics (which coincidently sound nice and quiet and clean in a guitar that has clearly had it's share of abuse!) terrific neck, very easy on the hands good action, plays very much like an electric (it is a bolt on) a terrific guitar for younger players or anyone with smaller or weaker hands. with the size and nice neck, it's a great fit and very easy to play! would get a much higher score without the crap tuners that were on it. it would not stay in tune with the "tacoma" (yeah, right) tuners on it, changed to relatively cheap wilkinsons, problem solved. take note Olympia an extra $5 in hardware at the factory will most likely get you a much higher rating out here in the trenches!

the sound made my non-musician wife walk upstairs to see what guitar I was playing! really quite loud for such a small bodied instrument. one note on unplugged playing of this guitar, the paisley soundhole is so very different than what you're used to, it's a bit decieving. seems to almost need a few feet to "blossom" (rather like an acoustic electric bass). when I heard someone else play this guitar I was stunned. full and rich lows for such a small guitar, nice fat slightly compressed mids, and very acceptable highs from a cedar top! IT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE A DREAD, NOR IS IT SUPPOSED TO! sounds more like a 000 sized guitar. plugged in it's got a fabulous sound, makes a nice addition to an acoustic line up, gives clear definition as to who's playing what. sounds (to my somewhat redneck ears) just like a real tacoma cheif!

can't speak to the factory set up, as it was used (very well used) when I got it. pickup sounds great, setup is just about where I like it, low, but high enough that my rather large fingers can get under the next string to bend 'em. hard to tell what might have been factory flaws and what might be just hard livin' on this baby!

this thing must be a tank to be in the shape it's in and play the way it plays! no real wear to the finish, except where it's been banged and dinged up (pretty much all over). I've gigged it a fair amount, it's never let me down, previous owner said the same thing. I'd never gig without a backup anything, but I'm quite sure this one would not let you down short of a lightning strike or a mortar attack.

never felt the need. why bitch to fender about crap tuners? I'm quite sure they know crap when they roll it out of their many lucrative factories! you want top quality hardware on your fender product, pay the bounty on a made in usa product!

been playing forever, had (and have) tons of gear. I have the bass guitar match to this, and frankly, I bought it on a whim because it was cheap, and I thought that it would look cool to have "the twins" on stands in my music room (it does, by the way!) I find that it's hard to walk by this little cutie without picking it up and knocking out a few chords on it! hangs around your neck like a lightweight electric, it's comfortable as all hell to play, and it sounds great! if it were stolen, I'm sure I could find a receipt for a tacoma c1c for my insurance agent somewhere. I play in an acoustic group, it's perfect for my needs, so, yeah, I'd buy another one in a hot minute! I've got several guitars that I paid a lot more money for that don't come to evey gig like this thing does! it also has a very funky "what the hell is that thing?" vibe that I love! I'm restating this again, it ain't for eveybody, but if you're looking for something that will stand out in a visual and sonic sense, it just might be for you! put a piece of blue painter's tape over the name (like I do with all my guitars, nobody's paying me to advertise for them) and people might think it's a tacoma!

2004 Olympia Mischief made in Indonesia. Solid Cedar Top, Laminated Mahagony Sides, Solid Mahagony Back. Built in Fishman Classic 4 Pickup. Neck is Mahagony with a Scarf(sp?) joint so not one piece. Sealed Tuners with Tacoma stamped on them (I have several tacomas and these don't feel as nice as the tuners on them so it may be Tacoma in name only).
Mini Jumbo Body with bolt on neck and Paisley Sound hole. Olympia offshore brand for Tacoma

The Cedar top gives it a nice warm sound. Suprising Volume for the size. Sounds fine plugged in. Sound is not as nice and full as my other Tacomas but for the price not bad at all.

Action feels fine. I might lower it a tad but overall not bad. Top grain looks nice. The finish is not quite even and some excess glue inside

The guitar feels solid but time will tell.
It has a satin finish which might not stand the test of time but if kept clean it should do the job.
I would gig with the guitar.

I dealt with Tacoma before they were bought by Fender and they were fine, a little slow but I was happy in the end. Hopefully fender does as well if not better.

I have been playing for over 20 years. I have 4 other Tacomas(DR-12 JF19-12, ECR38C and M2E mandolin), A Baby Taylor, 2 basses (fretted and fretless) Ibanez roadstar and other acoustics. I bought the guitar based upon other Olympia's I had seen and my expereince with Tacoma Guitars. I bought it as my kickaround bring on vacation guitar. If it were stolen I would get another one.
I may try my hand at refinishing it just because I think it would look nice in gloss and the current finish is soso.

I have a 2003 Olympia Mis-Chief. It is a small to mid sized guitar with a paisley sound hole. This Olympia a foreign made budget line that is almost identical to the USA made Tacoma chief. I bought it used and somewhat distressed, but fixed it up quickly and it has become a favorite. It has a solid Ceder top and alminated cedar back and sides. The finish is satin with a clear pickguard. It came from the factory with a Fishman pickup and preamp. The reason I bought it is that it makes the best travel guitar. It has a fully detachable neck which comes off cleanly with two bolts. I take it apart, wrapped the parts up in clothes and pack it in a suitcase with a gigbag. If I were Tacoma-Olympia, I would market this guitar as a travel guitar. Its the only guitar like it and it's the best!

This guitar is really meant to be an acoustic electric. Sound is a bit tinny but acceptable played unplugged. Plugged in, it has a nice acoustic electric sound to it. The sound is pretty bright and almost sounds like an electric if you play with the controls enough. That can be good and bad.

Pretty well made. No glue gobs or defects

This is a pretty durable guitar. Everything is pretty solid. The neck and body fit together perfectly.

Haven't dealt with anybody there yet

I've been playing for 27 years. I'm not one for fancy high end guitars. I like guitars that were made to play and get a little dirty. I also own a 1980 Ovation Ballader, a 1997 Guild D4 a 1981 Takamine 12-string and a 2002 Ibanez Day Tripper.