Wechter Pathmaker

The features of this guitar, which include the Wechter 3-pickup system and rosewood/spruce construction attracted me to it. Timers are usable and the neck has a decent feel.

The sound is what I would expect from a $200 - $300 guitar. Not very full. The sound-hole pickup really adds hum in many situations and the condeser mic feeds back very easily.

This guitar has the worst manufacturing I have ever seen. Went through 2 of them before I sent it back for something else. Both guitars I has exhibited neck/finish issues where the neck meets the body. The second one's neck was not even lined up straight with the sound hole... so bad the magnetic pickup had to be significantly offset.
The binding around the headstock and body of the guitar is horrible. I own a lot of guitars. The Pathmaker 5730 is without exception the worst quality guitar I have ever owned.

I tried using the Pathmaker to gig, but every time I got it somewhere I would have to tune it. Not just a little tuning... half steps. Something is wrong, very wrong. Comes with a gig bag. I was going to get a hard case, but once I played the instrument and had a chance to look it over I decided not to waste my money.

Thought it was great. Sent the first Pathmaker back and Abe himself worked with me on the return. The second guitar they sent me was worse than the first and when I complained nobody from Wechter would respond. When I spoke to Abe he seemed to think I should not have high expectactions of Chinese guitars compared to US made. I have Korean and Mexican guitars that put the Pathmaker to shame.

I have been playing guitar for 24 years and have had quite a few high and low dollar instruments. THIS GUITAR IS HORRIBLE. SHAME ON YOU WECHTER!
If stolen or lost I would have been relieved. In fact, before Sweetwater sound came through to exchange the second guitar for another product I seriously considered smashing it.
This guitar is so flawed that I could not sell it with a good conscience. Looks great, but is a terribly made sub-par instrument.

2006 Pathmaker model 5730. Manufactured in China, with electronics added and setup completed in USA.

Solid spruce top, with laminated rosewood elsewhere. Bound (thin, comfortable) neck, small offset position markers, 3-pickup system.

Preamp layout takes a bit of practice, but the good news is that it's worth learning -- the sounds are all there.

I like the headstock design. It's cosmetically distinctive, but a closer look reveals that it aids in placing the tuner shafts almost perfectly in line with the slots in the nut. The result is straight string pull across the nut, which helps to keep the strings (particularly the wound ones) from binding at the nut when you release a bend. This is a nice touch on a guitar you'll be tempted to play like a true electric; the 5730 does stay in tune remarkably well.

I'm primarily an electric player, but I use the acoustic for solo songwriter things once in a blue moon, as well as for "around the house" and for recording.

Acoustically, the 5730 has a nice overall tone. The lack of shoulders (removed to create the unusual double cutaway) limits the volume somewhat, but not to the point of making this not a "true" acoustic. The designers seem to have been going for a Taylor sound more than a Martin or Gibson. An A/B comparison to my Taylor Big Baby (Taylor's budget 15/16 scale dreadnaught) shows the Taylor to have a little more note separation and "air." The slightly deeper-bodied Wechter still has very good overall balance, with more bass than the Taylor. They're both very good acoustics for recording, particularly strummed parts.

Electrically, the 3-pickup configuration gives you have access to pretty much anything other than a bridge-pickup high-gain sound.
On the subject of gain, there is plenty of gain from the onboard preamp to drive any standard guitar amp. The internal mic will, as others have noted, feed back at anything above a moderate volume.

I've been able to go from a clear, fairly natural acoustic sound (mixing about 1/3 neck magnetic with 2/3 piezo into a solid state PA) to a Ted Nugent "Hibernation" Gibson hollowbody sound (neck pickup thru an overdriven '83 Fender Concert 112.) That skinny neck makes you want to play the 5730 like a Byrdland, and the upper fret access is actually better on the 5730!

One recording option involves recording the acoustic signal with a good mic, while simultaneously sending the pickup signal through a cable to an amp isolated in another room (or a simulator right beside you) for a very unusual type of stereo recording -- two identical performances with both acoustic and electric tonal characteristics.

Here the 5730 shines. The construction is spotless, even internally. There's none of that crap where the bridge plate holes are splintered by a careless drilling operation, no blobs of glue -- everything's clean and straight. The setup is beautiful, and hasn't budged despite the guitar's relative newness (I've had to adjust the Taylor's under-designed, temperamental neck 6 or 7 times since buing it.) It plays in tune, the fretwork is the best I've seen in an Asian guitar, and all in all it has a very high-end vibe for a sub-$600 instrument.

I've seen some reviewers say disquieting things about a couple of trouble spots (especially the bridge plate.) So far so good -- my bridge is solid. Everything else seems to be at least as durable as it needs to be for the long run. I won't rate it, since it's only a few months old. I will say that the general level of attention to detail leads me to conclude that if there was a known problem, the Wechter folks have probably rectified it by the time mine was built.

In making the purchase, I dealt with 2 people at Wechter, plus Simon (the dealer) at Mumbojumbo. My phone calls and emails were all returned, my questions were all answered.

Simon was particularly patient in brokering the transaction. As I'd been unable to find a Wechter to try locally, I had quite a few questions. He answered them all, then went beyond my questions to offer up tips accumulated from his own use of another Wechter model.

Yes, it was a potential sale, rather than a problem, so it's not the full spectrum of "customer service." But: The general vibe I got was that if I do need help with something in the future, both companies seem to be small enough and consciencious enough to respond and take action. I was pretty impressed with the level of access I had to everybody concerned.

I've been playing for 30 years. I have 3 acoustics, about 15 electrics, a mandolin, etc.

I've always preferred (on the infrequent occasions when I actually play somewhere out in the real world) to mic my guitar. But after two straight bad experiences with either the wrong guy on the mixing board, or with the wrong king of mic, I started thinking about getting an acoustic with a pickup. Now I have an acoustic with 3 pickups, and a very good-sounding one at that.

The 5730's super confortable to play -- thin neck, great upper-fret access, relatively small body. It sounds really good, and is versatile enough to sound good in several different ways. It's not so expensive that I'm afraid to take it out of the house, but its sounds and looks are comparable to more costly models.

I'm very happy with it.

The features have been talked about adequately on this page. Suffice to say the only thing I would have added was a built in tuner. That being said, I got way more than my money's worth with this guitar.

I play at coffee shops and clubs. I tend to use a straight piezo guitar in club and band situations but I'm itching to try this guitar out that way. It works great in "acoustic" environments. Incredibly versatile but I love that its'a rich complex sound while plugged in. I also love the sound unplugged which is what first attracted me to this guitar.

This guitar was perfect off the wall. I wouldn't and didn't change a thing.

This guitar feels durable. I never go without a backup! LOL! But it feels solid.

The man answers his own e-mail!! Nuff said! Haven't needed anything since I bought it.

I've been playing for over 37 years. I have a Washburn D10s, Yamaha, APXT, Matrix Ovation and sundry electric guitars as well. Lost or stolen, I'd cry, seek revenge and get another!! This guitar is a working musicians dream. I've never gotten this rich a sound from any guitar. The fun part is that it's easy. Truly plug n play! I love my other acoustics. Both the Wasburn and the Matrix have rich unplugged sounds. The Yamaha has a powerful plugged in sound. This guitar has both and is comparable to guitars costing twice as much, even just unplugged. I fell in love with this guitar. Pulled it down and loved it's chime and response unplugged. It's timbre is much like a Taylor or Larivee. I spied the mic and said, Oh what the heck, let's hear what she sounds like and I was blown away.

Great features. Read the webpage before buying and you'll know how to make full use of this guitar before you get it shipped to you. I can't think of anything else i'd like other than the second strap button. I did it myself without any problems. I have to knock it down to 9 for the strap button.

Well the sound...wow....what can i say. Put a 399.00 wechter next to a 2800.00 martin and what do you get? A pissed off martin owner! It's so close it's scary...and by the way, when did maple start sounding so rich?

The fit and finish were increadible. I'm TOTALLY impressed. The action was a bit high for my tastes and the bridge seemed to be pealing off ( i noticed another guy mentioned that as well). I called and talked with them and the provided me a return authorization number to get the work done. I emailed pictures and Abe HIMSELF called me back and said he'd fix it, no charge. So for the action problem and the bridge, i am knocking off 2 points. But please keep in mind, the guitar is absolutely perfect otherwise.

when i get it back from Abe, I'll let you know how it stacks up later. While i've played it, aside from the previously mentioned problems, it's been great.

TOP NOTCH. Actually answer their phones, return calls, return emails...offer to fix problems. What more can you ask for?

Overall, all things considerred, it's like the 2nd best guitar/value i've ever owned. They really have crammed a $1500.00 guitar into a $399.00 price tag. Just hope they don't do like mazda did and start jacking prices up when the product becomes popular

Pathmaker 3101 with jet black finish. A complete list of the
features can be found in other reviews. The important feature
for me is the 3-pickup system, which allows blending between
a magnetic pickup, a piezo pickup, and a microphone mounted
inside the body.

I found the 3-pickup controls a bit counter-intuitive. I
expected that I would find 3 sliders, one for each pickup.
Instead there is a slider to blend magnetic/piezo, a knob
for microphone volume, and another volume knob. (There are
also other controls for the electronics, but these are the
ones for controlling the balance between the 3 pickups.)

However, it only takes a few minutes to get used to this
arrangement. The only part I couldn't figure out without
looking at the Wechter web site is that to get microphone
only you turn the second volume know to zero.

I forgot to mention that this guitar is B-stock. The electronics,
fit, and finish were like A-stock, except for a few barely
noticeable finish problems. It would be difficult to get
these problems to show up in a photo.

I was looking for a guitar for playing and recording jazz, both
chord-melody style, and single-note soloing. I was having trouble
with my jazz guitar in getting a good recorded sound.

In the test recordings I've made with this guitar I have been
able to get a very good recorded sound, better than I was able
to do with my jazz guitar (into a Boss BR-864). The versatility
of the 3-pickup system is very handy; I like using about half
piezo when comping, and all or nearly all magnetic pickup when
soloing. In both cases adding a little microphone does give
slight but noticeable airiness, which I like.

I plug my Pathmaker into a Roland Cube 30, and am happy with the
sound. I have not tried plugging it into an acoustic guitar amp.
With the Cube I use the clean (JC-120) setting.

Acoustically, the guitar was not as loud as I expected and has
a somewhat compressed sound. I don't normally play acoustics,
so I can't compare with them. However, compared to my unplugged
jazz box, the sound is more compressed, and no louder. The
compression could be regarded as a plus or minus. When strumming
it helps in getting a smooth and even sound, but some might miss
the dynamic range.

I can see no flaws at all on my Pathmaker, except for the very
minor finish flaws mentioned above that caused the guitar to be
sold as B-stock.

The action of the guitar was a bit higher than I expected, especially
towards the bridge, making the higher frets (which are accessible
because of the guitar's design) not so usable. I was expecting the
neck to play more like an electric, but the action was more like
what I would expect from an acoustic. I plan to take the guitar
in to see if I can get the action lowered a little.

The intonation of the instrument is excellent. It tunes up very
well and is in tune all over the neck.

The guitar seems to be very solid. I would probably feel
comfortable using it on a gig without a backup, but that
wouldn't be very smart, would it??

The web site is very useful. I have not had to deal with
the company for service.

I've been playing for almost 30 years. I currently own
an old, cheap Gibson solidbody, a DeArmond jazz box (Korean),
and a Yamaha AEX-502 semi-hollowbody.

If I lost this guitar I think I would replace it. I love
it's flexibility and the sound I get when I record it.

I was reading about other multi-pickup guitars, like the Carvin
185, but the price was so low on this one that I couldn't resist.
Also, I have no other acoustic guitar and thought this would also
fill a gap there.

I wish this guitar had its second strap button installed at the
factory.

Everyone knows the features by now; basically it's touted as an inexpensive guitar with beaucoup features for the buck spent.

Plugged in, there's a lot of variety depending on how you tweak the three way system. Unplugged, it loses a lot. The plywood top just doesn't do a lot acoustically. Plugged in, it can howl like a banshee if you're too close to the amp.

Everything seemed okay in this category.

Lacking one strap button (will someone please explain what sort of guitar maker deliberately puts only one strap button on their guitar?) is a definite minus. The gig bag was nothing to write home about either.

Never tried them; their web site seems alright -- only excerpts from the stellar reviews given by Guitar Player and Guitar One-- it would have been nice to be able to read the whole reviews. Makes you wonder what they left out. Does the top delaminate?

Been playing 40 plus years. If it had a solid top and a way to mute the soundhole when plugged in, and a second strap button, I might have gone for it. A lot of bang for the buck, but not enough for me to shoot the lock off my wallet.

I have a natural finish Pathmaker Artec HT-TBL, purchased brand-new in 2004. They advertise that although it is manufactured in China, it is finished by Wechter's team of luthiers in Paw Paw Michigan before being shipped out for sale. It has a long and very slim 19-fret neck that is solid mahogany with white plastic binding. It is an acoustic-electric with a 4-inch body constructed of maple with that distinct double-cutaway design. The body is a high-gloss finish and is bound in white plastic that adds to the guitar's cool looks. For this price range, it has a surprisingly diverse set of electronics. There is a bridge pickup, a magnetic pickup at the sound hole, and a microphone set back in the body visible through the sound hole. The controls include volume and mixing switches and are made of a fairly cheap-type of plastic. You need a 9-volt battery in order for it to work. Tuner keys are a sort of light chrome metal no-name variety that appear to be less heavy and durable than more expensive brands (probably the only thing I'd consider replacing on this guitar). It has both the standard 1/4-inch jack and an XLR cable jack. The guitar comes with only one strap button, so you have to purchase and install another one if you are going to play this standing up (not a big deal, but why can't they at least include a spare one so that they match?) The only accessory that comes standard with the guitar is a soft, but relatively durable gig bag. I'd prefer to see a hard-shell case come standard with this guitar.

I play mostly rhythm guitar in a contemporary Christian worship service. We play a variety of folk rock and country-style music. I plug into a 30W Crate acoustic amp which is fed into a mixing board. The sound of this guitar is absolutely fabulous, much fuller and richer than my more expensive Ovation. The various switches on the pickups and microphone give you lots of room to play around with different tones. My only dislike is the sound-hole mike squeaks out with some serious feedback when I get within a few feet of my amp, so I've learned to be more careful where I stand.

Being made in China and all, I was thinking that this guitar would have at least a few visible flaws. Not so! Whether they are hiring good luthiers over there or Wechter's team of experts did a bang-up job, but either way, this guitar is flawless. The fit and finish are just awesome. I went over the entire guitar closely and could not find one problem with it. The set-up is just what I was hoping to get -- nice and low. With regards to playing this guitar, I absolutely love the long and very slim neck, which has the feel of an electric guitar. The weight of the mahogany neck tends to pull the neck down, so I've had to learn to put a bit more pressure on the body of the guitar with my other arm while I'm playing to keep it in an upright and playable position.

I've only been playing live with this for a few months, but in between I've put in a lot of hours in rehearsal. It has been very reliable. Finish remains solid, and it has held together so well that it now has replaced my Ovation as my main acoustic guitar.

No need to call them as of yet.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. I have an Ovation Balladeer, and a few electric guitars as well. I really love the feel of this guitar, as well as the looks and the versatility. I'd definitely buy another one if it was lost or stolen.

Chinese made Pathmaker I believe a 2002 model year. The three pickup Artec system.

The features have been adequately described below. This guitar packs a lot of features. I include the extended double cutaway as a "feature."

A well thought out guitar, with many features.

I truly enjoy the sound this guitar makes. Very full and rich. If it loses anything from the extended cutaway of the body I could not tell.

The Artec system works very well in my opinion. The microphone does get somewhat boomy if the level is too high. I like to add just a little bit to the piezo to round out the amplified sound a bit. Also nice that you can plug an XLR cable straight into this guitar.

When I received it, it was set up very nicely. I understand that all of these import "grey market" guitars are set up in Michigan, and I believe it. When I got the guitar it played wonderfully, no buzzes and nice low action.

Minor finish flaws but nothing egregious. Everything looked pretty good to me.

Here is where my problems started. After about 6 months, I noticed that the action seemed to be getting higher, but I could not discern any bowing of the neck. I took it to my apprentice-luthier friend. He examined the guitar and determined that the bridge appeared to be separating from the body. He showed me the situation, and you could fit a medium pick between the body of the guitar and the rear of the bridge.

I then brought the guitar to a true luthier and asked him to repair it. He informed me that when he was in the process of removing the bridge, he noticed that the bridge had actually cracked, and that is why the rear of the bridge appeared to be lifting.

The luthier ordered a bridge from the company, and was charged $15.00 (not bad, but what about the "warranty?"). Unfortunately, the bridge delivered was slightly smaller than the one originally on the guitar, so the luthier had to make accomodation for the smaller bridge (mainly a visual issue). Further, there was also wood damage to the body of the guitar underneath where the bridge sits, so he could not get as secure of a bond as he wished. He therefore would not guarantee the work, and didn't charge me labor as a kind favor.

The luthier said there were other issues which could be addressed, but without spending money well in excess of the value of this guitar (considering the $399 purchase price).

There is a significant possibility I got the "lemon" of the group. All the other reviews seems to rate this guitar very highly. Guess I just got unlucky.

I have e-mailed and discussed the guitar with Abe Wechter, both before and after purchase. He seems like a truly nice person, and very interested in his guitars.

Unfortunately, when I informed Mr. Wechter about the issues I had with the bridge, I was informed that the problems with my guitar were not covered by the warranty. Apparently I lived in a region that was too humid, and this voided the warranty. Therefore, I got no "warranty" for the problems I had with my guitar.

I like many things about this guitar, and obviously I was very disappointed in the problems I had with mine. I enjoy the extended cutaway and the 3 pick-up system. I do think this guitar was very well designed. Unfortunately, it seems I got a grey market lemon.

The features of the Wechter Pathmaker (I have the 3120 Ovankol model) are well-documented on this page. Rather than give yet another laundry list, I will say that this is the most well-conceived acoustic electric I have played, especially for the price. This guitar is very versatile tonally with the electronics, and the neck joint is the most solid I've ever seen on an acoustic. Whereas my old guitar (an Alvarez Yairi WY-1) feels fragile, this one feels solid, like I could smash something with it.

Acoustically, this is a great guitar. I prefer smaller-bodied guitars tonally to dreadnaughts. This guitar delivers. Electically, I can get a very nice tone, which is the foundation of my sound in <a href="www.freakwitch.net">Freakwitch</a>. The condenser mic isn't of much use, I've found; though it does at a subtle "air" to the amplified sound that can easily become mud. I haven't yet tried using the built-in mic for recording. This guitar is a joy to play live. The sound is consistent across the board, from open bass strings to fretted strings in the upper registers.

The stock action was a bit too high for my taste. I originally hired a luthier to lower the saddle, but he lowered it too far and I got some serious fret buzz. So I got a blank bone saddle and some 150-grit sandpaper, and made a new saddle myself (yes I was looking for a new skill/hobby). Now it plays great. The guitar is set up very nicely, just the saddle was too high, which is largely a matter of taste. The action is wonderfully consistent across the board. This is the best playing acoustic I've ever played. Just amazing for the money.

Also, the stock strings absolutely sucked. Just dreadful. $3 Darcos that I had lying around were a huge improvement, until I could get to the store. Now I have my Elixir Nanoweb Custom Lights on there, and it is a dream. So while it wasn't perfect out of the box, it was pretty easy to get it there.

I've only had the guitar for a month, but anticipate no major problems. This guitar is solid as a rock, by far the most solid-feeling acoustic I've ever played. The neck joint is amazing, and really has to be seen/felt to be fully grokked/understood. It almost feels like an electric neck/neck joint, with an acoustic body attached. This is definitely superior engineering. Kudos to Abe Wechter and his workers in Michigan and China for delivering an amazing guitar at an amazing price.

One minor thing: the nut came unglued, but a drop of superglue gel fixed it. Though this was a minor issue, it keeps the rating at a 9 rather than a 10.

Superior service. I've had many email exchanges with them, including replies and setup advice from Abe Wechter himself. The guitar has a lifetime warranty. This is as good as it gets, service-wise. This is a small company doing the right thing. I just like the vibe of this company.

The <A href="http://www.wechterguitars.com/models/model-3120.htm">Wechter Pathmaker 3120</a> ovankol guitar is an amazing value for the money. It would still be a great instrument and a superior value at double or even triple the price. I look forward to playing them live and in the studio for years to come. If it was stolen or damaged I'd replace it in heartbeat. As soon as my budget allows, I plan to get another one as a backup. This guitar has become a cornerstone of my sound.

New Wechter Pathmaker, 3103 (transparent blue), made in China but set up at the Wechter factory in Paw Paw, Michigan. Laminated spruce top and maple sides. Artec electronics with piezo, magnetic soundhole pickup, and internal condenser mic. Dreadnaught dimensions, but it feels smaller because the rear of the guitar doesn't get as wide as a D-18. Sealed no-name tuners, look like Schallers, work smoothly. Rosewood board, fairly small frets, well dressed. Neck is fast, like an electric, and the unique double cutaway design gives you access to the high frets. You can play blues at the 15th fret (i.e. you can play the 19th fret without interfrence from the body or the heel). Comes with a nice padded gig bag.

I play folk, country/rock, alternative, rock, blues, etc. I've got a nice '60's D-18 and a nice '60's J-50, but I wanted to play acoustic live, and I didn't want to put electronics in these old guitars. I read the Guitar Player review, and this seemed likely to fill the bill. Guitar Player said that the acoustic tone was "prosaic" because of the laminated top. It is true that the tone is less complex than the Martin or the Gibson. I find it rather sweet and appealing, and for playing live through an amp, a little simplicity can be a good thing, and save you from boomy bass and feedback problems. The three pickup options give you quite a variety of sounds and approaches. There is a three band eq, a slider that blends from all piezo to all mag pickup, and anywhere in between, and a volume control for the mic. There is also a sharpness control which I don't quite understand yet. I find that just a little bit of the mic adds some reality and air to the piezo sound. The mag pickup can be noisy around flourescent lights or computer monitors, so maybe the shielding isn't quite as strong as it could be. Like with a Strat, sometimes you have to align yourself carefully to get rid of the noise.

The action on my guitar is very nice, smooth, easy to play, no stiffness. The intonation is quite good, and there are no buzzes or high frets. The fret work is quite good. I played another Pathmaker on which the low E fretted slightly sharp, and the tone was a little compressed, so there is some variation. That one needed a little bit of setup work, but so do most new guitars. Fit and finish are quite good, especialy for the price.

It looks reliable in terms of hardware and finish. It doesn't have a second strap button, but there are instructions on the website for installing one. I haven't used it live yet, but I would take it without a backup. Of course, for me, playing live means playing at a coffee house for fun.

As someone else noted, Abe Wechter answers his own email. I had a question about the strings (it comes with Dean Markley Alchemy light gauge)and I got a personal response. According to the website, it has a lifetime warranty. It seems to be a family business run by good people.

I've been playing since about 1966. This guitar is unique because of the innovative neck joint which allows the double cutaway and the extremely easy access to the higher frets. It's almost like an acoustic SG. I haven't used it live yet, but I think I'd buy another if it got stolen. There are lots of acoustic-electrics, but there isn't any other guitar like this in terms of design and electronics, especially for the money. I've been using a G&L ASAT to play lead behind a folksinger, and this will allow me to have a more appropriate acoustic sound, but still play all the way up the neck.