Since we have worked with the L.R. Baggs company, we have found that they are universally recognized as developing the finest acoustic transducers and pre-amps in the business.

Last year we had the opportunity to review both the M1 and M1 Active soundhole design pickups. The M1 is a fantastic sounding pickup - but faces the problem of aesthetics. Soundhold pickups do tend to be a bit obvious. If your objective is to have an inconspicuous transducer option without cutting giant holes in your guitar then another option is in order.

Thankfully, LR Baggs developed an elegant and stealthy undersaddle transducer and preamp for steel string acoustic guitars called the Element Active System (EAS). While most undersaddle pickups have faced lackluster response from sound purists, the EAS pickup has certainly changed the game.

In this article we describe the install process and review the EAS sound quality. The short version is that installing this unit properly takes a little time and some elbow grease, but the steps are easy and the results are great! Read on for the details.

Even in a world of synthetically resonant materials (e.g., Carbon Fiber), good old solid wood still rules the roost. As most beginning players graduate from their “starter” acoustic guitar they come to realize that there is a magnificent array of choices competing for their attention. There are carbon fiber guitars, solid tops with plastic or fiber glass backs, laminate guitars with solid tops, and guitars with solid tops and backs but with laminate sides. This only details the body materials - there are also varying bracing patterns, bolt on vs. dovetail neck joints...the list goes on and on!

In general, it is important to realize that all the components of the guitar are elemental to its tonal properties; however, there is a “pecking order” in terms of relative importance. It’s clear that the shape and the top of the guitar are the top two factors that contribute the most to the overall tone of the guitar. The bracing pattern probably comes in third since it can influence the ability of the top to vibrate. The back of the guitar is fourth. Other factors that heavily influence tone are the strings (e.g., phosphor bronze are typically brighter than 80/20 bronze), the neck and fingerboard wood, and the nut, saddle, and bridge.

All other factors being equal, it is my opinion that a well made "solid wood" acoustic guitar is almost always more tonally appealing than a well made laminate guitar. Solid wood acoustic guitars simply sound more resonant and tend to improve with age. The only drawback has been that solid wood guitars are known to be much more expensive. That is until now. In cooperation with Greg Bennett, Samick has released a series of solid wood acoustic guitars that play great and sound great. It was my pleasure to review one of the first production units of their new ASDR (All Solid Dreadnaught Rosewood) models.

Anyone who has visited the Pacific Northwest can attest to the incredible diversity of landscapes in this region of the United States. My home state of Washington is a prime example. To the West you have the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain range, which includes the infamous Mount St. Helens. As you move to the East you find rolling wheat fields and desert terrain. The area I want to mention in this review is the west coast peninsula. This are is known as the Olympic Peninsula.

The Olympic Peninsula includes the smaller and less known Olympic mountain range and the Olympic national rainforest. You may be wondering why I would bring you here for a guitar review. The simple answer would be the vast quantity of trees in this territory. A large percentage of the wood used in guitar construction comes for the Olympic Peninsula including curly and flame maple used in highly figured tops. The most impressive however are the huge and majestic cedar trees that are native to this area.

On a recent camping trip with my family, I decided to bring the Remington OM13-CE that Samick sent me for review. I always like to bring a guitar with me on trips like these, so I put it in the RV before we left. As I was sitting in camp one night, my eyes were drawn to one of the large cedar trees and I realized that a tree like this very one was used to build this guitar. In fact that tree probably came from this very region. I find myself wondering if I just brought a part of this guitar home after a long trip around the world.

East of Osaka and west of Tokyo, Gifu rests on the northern edge of the Nobi plain in Japan. In a small city in Gifu, named Kani, two Japanese luthiers began to create finely made, handcrafted guitars in Post WWII Japan. The father’s name is Sada Yairi and his son’s name is Kazuo Yairi. Together, they develop some key innovations to acoustic guitar design, such as the Yairi Direct Coupled Bridge and the Alvarez Yairi Neck Extension.

Although perhaps not quite as well known to the masses as their marketing savvy siblings from Taylor and Martin, most acoustic guitar players treat the Alvarez Yairi name with a sort of reverence. Let me put it this way, telling another acoustic player that you own an Alvarez, any Alvarez, will garner you a certain nod of respect. Telling the same person that you own an Alvarez Yairi usually induces a telling, wide-eyed “Whoaaa!” – followed quickly by requests to play the fabled instrument. I say fabled because these Yairi’s are tough to find. Each one is hand made by this little shop in Japan and once you own one you’ll certainly want to keep it in the family!

The instrument I received to review is even rarer still. The FYM95C is an OM shaped guitar with unbelievable acoustic tone. Not only is it part of the “Masterworks” collection of top-of-the-line Yairi’s, but it is a brand new model. In fact the one I received is not even displayed on the website since it features a non-standard cutaway and the amazing new Aura pre-amp from Fishman. If you can find one, buy it – otherwise read on for more details!

Invented in the 1500's, the acoustic guitar continues to shape the sound of popular music and is still one of the most sold instruments on the market. Of course, during this time there have been many advancements made and options added to the overall construction of the acoustic guitar such as bracing styles, truss rods, tone woods, and body shapes.

One company that has consistently turned out top-quality acoustic guitars for more than 30 years is Alvarez. From their professional, hand-built "Yairi Masterworks" models that can cost upwards of several thousand dollars, to their easily affordable "Regent Series", Alvarez has a guitar to fit every player’s budget and playing style with ease.

The guitar that we are going to look at in this review is a brand new model for 2006, from the Alvarez Masterworks series. It is called the MD350C. This guitar is a classy looking dreadnaught with a lower bout cutaway and some very impressive features. It was designed and built using many of luthier Kazuo Yairi’s traditional philosophies and concepts which gives this guitar the potential to be something special indeed. Read on to take an in-depth look at the MD350C by Alvarez.

My memories of the acoustic guitar go back to my very early childhood when my Dad would pick up his old "Decca" acoustic guitar and play. Over the years there would be many nights of jam sessions where he and my uncles played for hours. I can still remember the guitars they played, and although they had different brands, every single guitar was a dreadnought. Years later when I began playing guitar myself, I naturally leaned toward the same body style that I had become used to while growing up. Ultimately, every acoustic guitar that I have owned up to this point was a dreadnought style body.

So when Dan and I were selecting the guitars we wanted to review from the Greg Bennett line, I naturally selected a dreadnought for my review. When I told Dan which guitar I wanted to review, he informed me that I was stuck on dreadnoughts, and that I should broaden my horizons and try something in a different body style. Realizing that what he was saying was true, I set out to find something different than I had ever reviewed before. The result was the "Rio Grande OM 15 CE" acoustic guitar, which is an orchestra model body with a cutaway.

In 1976, a young man named Dean Zelinsky set out to design a progressive boutique line of guitars that would eventually go on to define the sound of many top name guitar players around the world. Some of these players, past and present, include Randy Rhodes, Sammy Hagar, Nancy Wilson, ZZ Top, Chuck Goff (Toby Kieth), and the late Dimebag Darryl. As I sit here, I wonder if the young Zelinsky could have predicted the power house that Dean Guitars has become.

From the Hardtail to the Cadiillac, Dean Guitars have inspired novice and professional players through innovative designs and quality construction. The most notable player for the purposes of this review would be Billy Greer from Kansas, who plays the very guitar I received from Dean. This guitar is a cool little number called the Tribal, and this is the guitar Billy uses on stage to play Dust in the Wind.

The acoustic guitar is a magical instrument. It is known as much for both livening the party at small clubs and backyards to quieting large crowds at indoor theaters and concert halls. In the hands of a master, the acoustic guitar is a living breathing soul, with individuals in the audience enraptured by the complex qualities of its six strings. As we have discussed before, capturing and amplifying the tonal qualities of an acoustic guitar is no easy feat. However, the L.R. Baggs company has dedicated enormous resources to developing technologies that deliver the promise of transparent acoustic tone. In fact, the M1 series of soundhole pickups were designed with the purist in mind. This is the person who relies on the natural feel of the instrument and does not want to cut a giant hole in their guitar in order to be heard. As of 2005, there are now two products in the M1 family, the M1 passive and the M1 active pickup. We review both in this article.