After the lesson learned from
a travel/practice guitar experiment, I began a search for a parlor guitar. I thought about
an option with a repaired crack, but I found a rather interesting option from the same vendor from whom I bought
this gem.
The basic descriptions are
listed here. But the dimensions are a bit inconsistent, so I measured some of them myself.
Scale Length - 24 3/4"
Nut Width - 1 23/32"
String Spacing @ Saddle - 2 1/4"
Lower Bout - 13 1/8"
The fit and finish wasn't perfect, but not too bad for a laminate B/S parlor made in Indonesia that cost $330 (including international shipping). Aside from a not-completely-smooth polish in the back, I did like some subtle touches (like beveled headstock edges). It's also nice to have the bone nut/saddle at this price point. I replaced the plastic bridge pins with the ebony set I had on hand.
How much the brand's soundboard features (like perforated bridge plate or the Taylor-esque "woofer line") affect the overall tone is debatable. At the end of the day, the guitar sounds like a parlor guitar is expected to sound like. It IS boxy (there's no getting away from that), and the bass is not as prominent as in my OMs. But after removing the factory-installed 12-gauge EXP strings (that really seemed to choke the tone from the instrument) to 11-gauge SIT Royal Bronze strings, the guitar sounded much more alive and resonant. I might try the DR Dragon Skin strings next, since I'm going to be taking this guitar outside frequently and want the strings to last for a while.
The best part of this guitar is that it's very comfortable. The small body size and the 24.75" scale length make it quite enjoyable to play just about anywhere. (I had to let go of a Yamaha CSF3M because the scale length was too short.)
I also got this guitar to install a soundboard transducer for the Sunday services. I first tried the
Barcus Berry 1457, but the jack end would continue to fall off the adhesive tape, and the wire would easily pick up unwanted noise even when something brushes on it ever so slightly. So off it went and came on the
KNA UP-1. It stays in place well with the blue putty, and the cable doesn't pick up noise unless you bump on it noticeably. It doesn't provide a "pristine" tone, but for a small auditorium in my church it's serviceable. I did notice that the bass response is a bit more prominent from the pickup than in a purely acoustic setting, which is a plus. I might install a more permanent pickup later on if warranted.
Overall, the guitar is visually pleasing, is fun to play, and does the job I require of it.
