I finally got it! Enya acoustic-electric guitar review.

[gerardo1000]

Warning: this is a long post!
There have been some discussions about this new brand manufactured in China, Enya guitars, and about their carbon fiber offers that look quite affordable and sound nice on youtube videos. They also offer a base model, all HPL (High Pressure Laminate) top, back and sides, like Martin "X" guitars. I didn't want to take the risk to be the guinea pig for the more expensive carbon fiber topped guitars, that cost between 500 to 700 dollars, depending if you want an only acoustic or an acoustic-electric. So I decided to order the all HPL base model, acoustic-electric, Enya EA- F1QI. I ordered it from Way Depot, based in Oregon. The guitar cost me $225.00 because I choose the acoustic-electric version (the only acoustic costs $ 195.00). However, the guitar was not shipped from the States, but it was sent from Singapore instead. Shipping cost have been only $21.00, very reasonable considering that the guitar was shipped DHL Express and I got in in 9 days (!).
When I got it I was scared: it was shipped in a light cardboard box with NO padding at all! Luckily, when I opened the box, the guitar was perfectly fine.
The first thing I noticed is that the instrument was inside a very well made elegant gig bag, with lot of padding and obviously built to fit exactly the guitar. In fact, it fits it like a glove. Inside the cardboard box, there was a complimentary bag containing: 1} a nice velvety cleaning cloth 2) a clip-on tuner (I used it and it is very precise!) 3) a capo (the clamp-on type) 4) two picks marked "Enya" 5) a cable to connect the guitar to an amp, very well made and thick.
Now let's see the guitar itself: the first thing that I noticed (I am very picky) is that the guitar is built with IMPECCABLE care, up to the smallest detail. No glues residue, all seams look perfect, the interior of the body is VERY clean, and the fret work is SUPERB (medium-jumbo frets). Really outstanding for a guitar of this price.
The HPL body has a Koa pattern, quite pleasant to the eye. Richlite fretboard and bridge. Scale is exactly 25.5. The neck has a "C" shape but it has a tiny bit of "V". I find it comfortable. The nut width (unfortunately for me) is a narrow 43mm i.e. 1 1/16 of an inch, strings spacing at the nut is 35mm but there is enough room on both sides of the fretboard to replace the standard nut with one that as a wider strings spacing and gain a couple more mm. Nut and saddle are "fake bone", i.e nubone. The nut slots are cut well, not too low, not too high. The guitar's top is perfectly flat also under strings tension, no dipping of the top between the end of the fretboard and the bridge. The top is also perfectly flat behind the bridge, no "belly". Tuning machines are marked "Enya" and so far they work well and keep the guitar in tune. Another PROS: the intonation is 100% perfect, almost unbelievable. I checked it with a Yamaha tuner.
The body shape is a small jumbo, similar to some Seagull guitar models, but the depth is bigger, 4 full inches depth at the lower bout.
The back of the guitar is slightly arched, like a Guild, but not too much.

NOW let's go to the CONS !:

Strings action was way too high (at the 12th fret, 8/64 for the low E and 6/64 for the high e....I had to substantially sand down the saddle.)
The guitar is QUIET. Not much volume here especially when finger picked with no nails. Don't know if it's because of the HPL material or because of a heavy build. I play finger style with no nails, only the flesh, and this is definitely not the ideal guitar for this style. Unless I want to practice at night with no risk to wake up the family. BUT, it looks like the guitar has a double personality: it has a pleasant and balanced tone when strummed with a pick. I like its sound, although still a bit quiet. The low E and low A strings (D'Addario EXP Phosphor Bronze medium) sound a bit muddy, typical of HPL topped guitars, although not as muddy as Martin X models with HPL top.. Medium range is nice, trebles are Ok, may be a bit thin. But as I said, when strummed you get a pleasant balanced sound... it reminds me, when strummed, of a Taylor guitar (it's not a Taylor at all, it is just to give you an idea of the tone!) Maybe replacing the strings with 80/20 bronze could make the low end strings sound less muddy..and it would be interesting to see what happens with a Tusq or real bone saddle.. But overall, if you use a pick, the guitar's tone is OK, "round" and not "clangy" at all.
In summary, considering that I have spent in total $245.00, I am not sure that the guitar, although VERY WELL built, is fully worth its price UNLESS you are mainly a flat picker and/or strummer who want an all HPL instrument for practice, that can be left all year round on a stand with not too much worries about humidity or the lack of it. This guitar, in fact, could be a cheaper alternative to carbon fiber guitars in terms of resistance to humidity changes, and it also looks stronger than all laminate instruments. But if you don't have this specific need and just want an affordable guitar, I think that for the same price you could consider also offers from Ibanez, Yamaha and Alvarez that are in the same price range and deliver a more lively sound especially when finger picked. However, considering the quality of construction and attention to detail, I wonder how an Enya carbon fiber topped guitar would sound?

NOTE: the guitar has a black knob where the neck joins the body (see fourth pic), that is supposed to allow the customer to adjust by himself the neck angle if needed, and as a consequence to adjust the strings height. I don't know if this is obtained by simply turning the knob, or if you have to release the knob and have access internally to some mechanism. I didn't want to fumble with this feature because I was not confident in my ability, so in order to lower the strings action, as already said, I just sanded down the saddle. Seems an interesting concept, though.

NOTE 2: I DID NOT TEST the guitar connected with an amp ! I do not have an amp, I only play acoustic. The reason why I choose the acoustic-electric model is only because it was in stock, while for the only acoustic version there was a 2/3 weeks wait. Thank you everybody for the attention. Pics below.

[teasypee]

Thats cool, thanks for being the pioneer and providing a well done review!

[Mark L]

“$250 guitar plays, but needs some work”.
Reminds me of several used cars I had in the 60’s-90’s.
Really good review!

Very nice review, thank you. The guitar is very nice looking and it sounds as though attention has been paid to quality control.

I wonder if the quiet nature of the guitar could be corrected with string, nut, and saddle change?

You get points in composite heaven for giving being the first scout.

[gerardo1000]

I own seven guitars and do not really need to add the Enya to my stable. I was just curious about this brand. Thanks !

[BT55]

Ill agree with a very nice review, well worth reading. It’s nice to read a review that fairly explains pro’s and con’s with a good amount of detail!

[GuitarLuva]

Thanks for the review very detailed and the guitar looks nice as well. Just an FYI those Enya guitars are supposed to have a transacoustic system. I don't know how similar it is to Yamaha's or if yours is equipped with it. The Yamaha transacoustic gives you reverb and chorus through the soundhole without an amp, so long as you put batteries in it of course.

[gerardo1000]

Not all Enya guitars are equipped with the Transacoustic system, only the most expensive. The one that I got and reviewed is not equipped with the system

[GuitarLuva]

Originally Posted by gerardo1000

Not all Enya guitars are equipped with the Transacoustic system, only the most expensive. The one that I got and reviewed is not equipped with the system

I'm actually glad you said that it would've made the price too good to be true, if it works like Yamaha's of course.

[roundsound]

Great review Gerardo1000. Nice pics too. I just bought the CF version and here is my review.
Introduction: I pulled the trigger on an Enya EA-X3E. I need a guitar that isn’t influenced by climate. I live in the mountains of southern New Mexico where it can be dry in the spring, wet in the late summer and the house is heated by a wood stove in the winter. I had a very nice Blue Ridge guitar that eventually got a back bowed neck and currently have a great Breedlove American Series that I love. It has internal bracing to help protect from climate variations but I’m still worried about it, even though I put humidifiers in my guitar cases.
So, since this is such a rare breed of guitar in the English/Spanish speaking world, I’ll share my experiences with you.
Before I get into the details I’ll give you the punch line first. It’s a surprisingly good guitar. The neck is just about perfect and the sound is clean, clear and plenty loud enough. The onboard Yamaha effects system is amazing and inspiring. That said, there are some weird things.
Unpacking: It comes with a charger for the 2600 mAh 3.7v battery that slides into the body by the strap button, 1/4” output jack. It’s like a AA on steroids. I was able to bring it to full charge in 4 hours.
Also included is a nice white vinyl gig bag with backpack straps. But...no pockets or pouches. Where do you put your capo, spare strings and that guitar strap that came with the package? Aesthetics over function? I disapprove!
There is an Allen wrench for adjusting the neck (which you will have to do) and that’s all you get.
Documentation: There is no manual or “quick start”. Obviously Chinese is very difficult to translate to English so good luck with info online. The Enya web site will give good info on the Transacoustic FX and you can read up on Yamaha’s pianos and guitars that use the same system.
1st Impression: Action is way too high. Nice sustain. Thick C shaped neck. Action is wayyyyy too high. So, I sanded the bridge 1/32” and tightened the truss rod to flatten out the neck. Now it’s a whole new guitar. I approve.
2nd Impression: The guitar plays great and I can begin to appreciate it now. I like the gloss finish with the fabric underneath. I’d prefer a flatter D neck but I usually play electric guitars. The neck feels unrealistically perfect, like a machine instead of a friend. The sustain and clear sound are impressive.
Embedded FX: Reverb, chorus and echo emanate from the sound hole making for a very inspiring experience. Effects are convincing with plenty of control. I haven’t plugged it into an amp yet. This is the Yamaha Transacoustic system
The Neck: I knew from their propaganda that the neck is adjustable. When I took the strings off to sand the saddle I played with the neck but couldn’t find any adjustments. So I emailed enyamusic who told me The BT neck design helps to adjust the neck angle. All you need to do is to loose the nut and remove the neck. By adding cushion( folded paper most commonly) between the neck and body on different sides of the nut, and putting the neck back on, the neck angle is adjusted which results in a string height adjustment. It’s a cool trick but I don’t see any reason to go beyond the truss rod and saddle to get good results.
Conclusion: With a little adjustment it turns into a really great guitar with clarity, punch and sustain. Once I turned on the Transacoustic system, I was a goner. I didn’t expect to be impressed by this gimmick, kinda like the adjustable neck. But, to have a nice reverb, chorus or slap back come out of the sound hole along with the ringing strings is something I wasn’t prepared for. It’s been keeping me up late at night.
Coming Up In Chapter 2:
1. Compare it to my Breedlove American.
2. Plug that puppy in to an amp and console.
3. Take it out for some gigs.
Stay tuned!!

[kramster]

Originally Posted by roundsound

Stay tuned!!

Staying tuned is another CF benefit

[bmoss02]

Nice review. Ive been checking them out and they seem pretty good I think I might try and get one of their Nova Gs with transacoustics when they release them.