Quote:
Originally Posted by eatswodo
The Kestrel is not primarily an acoustic guitar...
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The Kestrel is about the same size and thickness of a Super 400 or L5. The thicker arch tops have more bass and they vary by as little as an 1/8 inch in some models where you can hear the difference. You can find fully acoustic arch tops clocking in at 3 inches or maybe less. The Kestrel is 3.5 inches thick and can hold it's own in a chunka chunka situation without need of amp even if it's providing the rhythm for a brass section. As a soloing instrument it'll likely need to be amplified if in the same group with the brass though.
Nice thing is that it can go both ways as the need arises. I haven't tried it with any players yet, but I think it is easily loud enough to solo with a django style group without any amplification. I want to check it for feedback issues too. I suspect it will be fine, but I haven't checked in a loud-ish setting yet. I was at a venue this evening where I could have tested feedback if I had thought to bring the Kestrel with me.
Compared to the X20 or X30 the Kestrel has a noticeably weak bass. However this guitar can pin a fly to a wall across the room in the midrange without an amp in ways those flattops could never do.