Tanglewood TW45NS-B

Bought the guitar and case for $550 in February of 2006 after seeing it hanging in a music store and not resisting the urge to play it. Nice, dark-colored solid cedar top (solid back, too -- mahogany?), slightly smaller body with cutaway and star (or snowflake)-shaped inlays. Satin finih, active pickup system with an easily accessible battery compartment. Pretty certain the top nut is bone. I'm not sure if the price was competitive, since I'd never heard of the brand. I fell in love with it instantly, though, and to me the price paid was definitely worth it.

I lead worship with guitar every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday night, and the size of the guitar is perfect without sacrificing too much tone. Compared to the Yamaha APX series and similar Ovations (the only guitars with comparable size & features that I've played), there really isn't any. Tone acoustically is very good -- could be a bit fatter, but that's a trade-off for the body size. Pickup system sounds great (and fat)! Bottom end when boosted sounds very natural, and from what I read about the B-Band pickup system, it's more like a mic system than a piezo pickup (which I really hate the sound of). I've had nothing but positive comments, both from musicians and "regular" people. I've gone to extra light gauge strings (.53 - .012), so this thins out the tone. Used to play medium gauge (on other guitars), and am considering doing so on this one to see what difference it makes.

Action was a little high beginning around the 5th fret when I picked it up. I played it this way for a month before tweaking the truss rod a bit and bringing it down, with only very, very minor fret buzz. I'm very happy with the action now. Only very minor spots where I can see glue around one or two of the inlays. Binding around the body and neck is superb. No fret "jaggies" on the edges of the neck.

So far, so good. Only been a month. Third day I had the guitar, a friend said the fateful words, "May I play it?" I opened the case (I leave my strap on the guitar in the case) and turned around to get a glass of water. Apparently the guy picked it up by the strap (!) and I heard, "Brangggg!" as the strap slipped off the strap peg (that I'd installed on the heel joint) and the headstock hit the ground!! I lived in paranoia for the next couple of weeks, wondering if this had whacked out the setup, action, or otherwise screwed it up. Thankfully none of that had happened.

Hardware (mainly tuners; not much other hardware on the guitar) is solid. I've had to tighten up the input jack (which doubles as the bottom strap peg) a couple of times, though. The guitar is light, but feels durable. Time will tell.

Wasn't very happy with the lack of supporting material for the guitar, particularly becuase I'd never heard of the brand. No product brochure or anything in the case.

I intend to rely on my local music store for any support I need, though. That's what I view as one of the main reasons for purchasing locally instead of online or mail order. I don't mind paying a little extra for this service, and I let them know that I expect a high level of support when I need it, but I definitely won't abuse it.

I've played for about 20 years, and this is the first "nice" acoustic I've ever bought. Price range was great for me. Not so much that I feel like I have to be too careful, but definitely not cheap. I love the guitar. Would buy it again in a heartbeat, and if it gets lost, stolen, or run over by a car or something, I'll try to find an identical one. Have a dreadnought Ibanez Artstar that I really like, but this one smokes it. Only complaint -- I wish that the pickup controls had sweepable midrange EQ. I think that's an absolute necessity on any acoustic pickup system, though it's probably not on most. Happy to trade e-mail with you if you have any questions.

Electro-Acoustic made in far East (Korea I think). Equipped with a B-Band A3.2 active electret EQ & under-saddle transducer (from Finland). Cutaway body with neck joining ath 14th fret. Solid Spruce Top, Mahogany Back & Neck with Rosewood fingerboard & Abalone 'Snowflake' position markers. I think the nut & possibly the bridge are bone but I'm not certain.
Satin finish which is smooth & even (no runs or patchy bits). & a nice thin neck (good for those who are used to playing electric).
Quality & construction are excellent however the finish could be better: Frets needed just a little more polishing, the nut is a bit rough & the scratch plate dosen't match the curve of the sound hole properly. Also there is no strap button on the neck.

Really sweet & bright with the Elixir strings it came with, perhaps slightly lacking in bottom end but thats easily sorted when you plug it in. The B-Band EQ offers a good range of sounds & gives an incredibly natural tone & plenty of headroom for loud strumming.
I generally play Blues or Rock either finger-picked or with a pick & I might try some different strings for a ballsier, less sweet tone.
When I bought this I was comparing it to a lot of more expensive Gibsons, Fenders, Martins, Ovations etc & it put most of them to shame (especially the Gibsons).

Played beautifully as soon as I picked it up. I dont know if it had been set up by the retailer or if this is how it came from the factory. All the wood is a beautiful colour, straight grained and well finished. Nice player-friendly action but not too low (so tone is not sacrificed much). Frets needed a weeks playing in as they were not quite filed enough & the scratch plate could be designed better.

Only had it about a month but everything seems very solid and of high quality. I would trust this Guitar to be used without a backup. The satin finish may get polished over time but I like instruments to look a little worn anyway.

Not needed it so far.

Been playing Electric Guitar about 8/9 years & this is my first Acoustic. I was very impressed with it compared to the many guitars I tried out & then shocked by the low price tag (#270 but I actually paid #250). The #999 Gibson that was next to it felt flimsy & cheap and wouldnt even stay in tune. Yamahas in the same price bracket just screamed 'BUDGET GUITAR!' at me. Its the best Tanglewood I've played, the B-Band EQ sounds really 'expensive' and looks classy & discreet.
Most importantly, it sounds fabulous. If I lost it, I would definately get another (although they dont seem to be widely available). I dont think anything else comes close at this price.