NGD: MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo 00-12

[OddManOut]

Well...a brown truck stopped by and left a guitar box for me. Inside I found a new Mackenzie & Marr Opeongo: 00-12 in Sitka over Khaya Mahogany. I thought I'd post my first impressions. Pics and specs are posted below.

This is one of MacMarrs’s entry level guitars @ $799 shipped. MacMarr offers a 100% refund and a 7 day trial period, so I decided to give it a shot.

The packaging was excellent with everything packaged well including headstock support in the case.

It came with a very reasonable branded archtop HSC which fits like a glove.

I've played it for about an hour in three sittings, letting it settle in between. It has a good setup out of the box, level frets, plays well. All tuners (Grover Sta-Tite18:1) worked w/o issue, the tuning is stable. The frets could use a better polishing, but there's zero buzzing.

I have to say this is a nice sounding guitar. It has a strong and warm mahog/spruce tone. It has ample bass evenly balanced with the mids and trebles. It is resonant. It is not at all boxy sounding. It is very responsive to a light fingerpicking touch and has a wide dynamic range. It kept up with strumming fine. It took a capo well w/o any tonal fade.

The build is clean and very light, with a thin open-pore finish. It weighs just a skosh over 3 pounds. The bridge and neck joints are tight, the workmanship inside the box is clean. The neck set is good and it shows good saddle height. The slot head is cleanly done.

The neck profile is a C with a slight flat at the back of the neck. I would call it a medium feel overall. It’s a bit of a different feel than typical Martin or Taylor necks..a bit more toward a classical neck (with a 1.75" nut).

The woods seem of good quality. She has a nice silky quartered sitka top with no runout, and typically unflashy banded mahogany B/S and mahog neck. The binding is subtle (looks like Pau Ferro perhaps). The Pau Ferro bridge and fretboard have nice wood grain...a touch of oil should darken them up nicely. The x-bracing is not advanced…the x junction sits a bit south of the soundhole.

The finish is cleanly done but thin. I can feel the texture of the woods and herringbone through the finish. I assume MacMarr is saving production cost on the finish. There is a bit of buffing compound in one corner of the headplate. It’s not a boutique finish, but it certainly works.

Overall…I’m kind of blown away, frankly. This is a lightly built long scale guitar…it’s got a lot of power and surprising sustain. There is real depth and character to the tone. The warmth of the tone is traditional, but the sustain and power give it a slightly modern “kick” to my ear. It’s kind of like a mini 000-12 with a bit more snuggle. Also kudos to MacMarr for using the Grover tuners…solid!

I’m going to try some uncoated strings and bone bridge pins to see if this adds anything to the tonal picture…maybe, maybe not…guitars move in mysterious ways.

Neck Profile: C
Frets To The Body: 12
Scale Length: 646mm (25.5 in)
Fretboard Radius: 14 inches (35.56 cm)
Neck width at nut: 44.5mm (1 3/4 in)
E to E string spacing at nut: 38.5 mm (1.55 inches)
Body Style: OO
Width at Upper Bout: 245mm (9.5 in)
E to E string spacing at saddle: 55 mm (2.15 inches)
Width at Waist: 203.2 mm (8 in)
Width at Lower Bout: 360mm (14 1/4 in)
Body Depth: 970mm (4 in)
Body Length: 475mm (18 7/8 in)
Overall Length: 98cm (38.5 inches)
Body finish: Open pore
Neck finish: Hand buffed satin lacquer
Fretboard and Bridge: Pao Ferro (Bolivian Rosewood)
Neck: African Mahogany
Tuning Machines: Open gearing high ratio (18:1) Grover tuning machines
Body Back and Sides: Solid African Mahongany - Open pore finish
Body Top Wood: AAA grade solid Sitka Spruce
Nut & Saddle: Bone
Bracing: Scalloped Spruce X bracing
Strings: D'Addario EXP16 light gauge (12-53) coated Phosphor Bronze
Bridge Pins: Ebony
Case: Professional arch top hardshell case (no additional cost)

[OddManOut]

Here's a few more pics...

[colins]

Congratulations! Looks like you have another 00 for your herd.
I read the thread because Marr is both uncommon and my mother’s maiden name. Nice to see it being applied to a guitar.

[bobster7]

This looks like some serious vfm!Congratulations!!! Their riverboat dreadnought looks phenomenal.

[BlueBowman]

I'm such a sucker for a slothead! Very cool-looking guitar. Glad you like it!

So you got to customize all these features? That's a lotta features for the price!

[OddManOut]

Originally Posted by BlueBowman

I'm such a sucker for a slothead! Very cool-looking guitar. Glad you like it!

So you got to customize all these features? That's a lotta features for the price!

Thanks! Me, too...love me a 12 fretter! Huge bang for the buck.

It's stock out of the box. In the order notes I did request of them to please send me a good one as I'm a picky buyer. They came through.

[Raj the Smiler]

Nice looking guitar. I have never heard of them. I went to their website. Their dread is definitely appealing.

[jricc]

Congrats on a nice looker! Nice tall saddle too.
Thanks for the review!

[kbraker]

There is a lady who has a YT channel, can’t remember the name of it. She’s reviewed them before. They look great for the money. I’d try it out if I had a need .