Tonewood Amp - Anyone used one in a Taylor GC? Post-honeymoon reviews?

HotRodx14 · #1 06-27-2017, 09:34 AM

So I went to Acoustic Vibes here in Tempe and played a Tonewood Amp that they had installed on a Martin dread in the shop.

Wow. It is a fantastic little invention and I am very inclined now to buy one for my guitars.

I have seen lots of reviews and demos, and most of the demos I've seen are on larger guitars. I have a 12-fret 512e Taylor I'd like to use it on, and wanted to know if anyone has installed one on a similar sized guitar? I'm just wondering about fit on the smaller body and if it can be positioned so that the amp on the back of the guitar is out of the way (from my body) when playing.

Also, for the guys that have owned one for a while and have had a chance for the honeymoon phase to wear off a bit, what do you think of it now? Most of the reviews I have read are during or shortly after getting it. I'd like to hear some reviews from people that have used it for a while.

robj144 · #2 06-27-2017, 11:13 AM

Haven't put it on a Taylor GC, but I put it on my Goodall GC and it fit fine. Usually it needs to be in the middle of the back of the guitar, so it's kind of in the way, but I don't mind.

I've had mine for about 5 months now and still think it's great.

Mark Lew · #3 06-27-2017, 02:33 PM

Hey, Rod! I was down at Acoustic Vibes about 2 weeks ago, and it was just Bernie and me in the shop, and he brings out the Martin with the Tonewood amp on it and asks "have you seen this yet?" I had not, so he proceeds to demo it for me. It was pretty fun, with several different effects possible. My wheels start turning, and I'm thinking that this would be a nice fit for my 714ce, but I wanted to do a bit more research on it first. He told me that a lot of the development of the Tonewood was done by local folks in the area here. Judging by the size of the external unit, I would say that it would be no problem on a GC. When I played it, the amp did not seem to get in my way at all. The internal X-brace would be an easy fit in a GC as well, from what I saw that day. Will the novelty wear off? That's a good question. It could, but I think it's a pretty solid product worth trying out. You know, you can get a couple of those internal X-braces and then use it on ANY of your guitars!

Methos1979 · #4 06-27-2017, 02:56 PM

I had one in my Santa Cruz 00 12-fret guitar. It was a little tricky getting it in there because of the spacing of the braces and the wires from the K&K so I had to re-position it a few times to get it just right. But it wasn't too bad.

It was definitely a neat effect and a cool toy. I did find that it inspired me to noodle around a little more at first but ultimately that wore off. I had a hard time taming the feedback issues. I would get them at two frequencies and it seemed that taming one would kill off the taming of the other.

The other issue I had is it ate batteries something fierce. In the end I found myself using it less and less and then when I sold the guitar that I had the X-brace in and needed to remove it, I ultimately decided to not put it into another guitar and eventually sold it off to the next guy.

D.Arnold · #5 06-28-2017, 11:02 AM

TWA user and employee here.
I've been using mine since Dec of 2015. It has changed the way I play and inspired so much music since I've purchased it. I use them on several guitars and can tell you that the settings for Master Gain and Notch Filters vary greatly from one guitar to another! I rarely play without it anymore.

The first guitar I set it up on back in 2015 was my Taylor 414ce. I ended up placing it closer to the end pin jack then recommended, but the amp really sounded best there to me. As far as the configuration, 99% of feedback can be dialed out by adjusting the Master Gain and Notch filters on the TWA. All in all, I spent a little less than a week learning what to tweak to dial it in. Once I was happy with how it sounded I saved the settings and never looked back!

Disclaimer: I was not associated with TWA at the time of my purchase. I started working with them in February of this year after graduating from Roberto-Venn and being a solid TWA user for over a year. I honestly love this product and recommend it to all of my guitar player buddies.

Dave

robj144 · #6 06-28-2017, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Lew

Hey, Rod! I was down at Acoustic Vibes about 2 weeks ago, and it was just Bernie and me in the shop, and he brings out the Martin with the Tonewood amp on it and asks "have you seen this yet?" I had not, so he proceeds to demo it for me. It was pretty fun, with several different effects possible. My wheels start turning, and I'm thinking that this would be a nice fit for my 714ce, but I wanted to do a bit more research on it first. He told me that a lot of the development of the Tonewood was done by local folks in the area here. Judging by the size of the external unit, I would say that it would be no problem on a GC. When I played it, the amp did not seem to get in my way at all. The internal X-brace would be an easy fit in a GC as well, from what I saw that day. Will the novelty wear off? That's a good question. It could, but I think it's a pretty solid product worth trying out. You know, you can get a couple of those internal X-braces and then use it on ANY of your guitars!

You don't need more than one X-brace unless you're playing more than one guitar at a time with a Tonewood. You don't install it permanently. I just put it in the sound hole and remove it each use. I can put it any of my guitars.

steelvibe · #7 06-28-2017, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robj144

You don't need more than one X-brace unless you're playing more than one guitar at a time with a Tonewood. You don't install it permanently. I just put it in the sound hole and remove it each use. I can put it any of my guitars.

Huh? Isn't that a lot of work to loosen the strings and then squeeze the TWA x-brace in and finally tune back up? Not to mention how hard it is on your strings?

Mark Lew · #8 06-28-2017, 03:01 PM

You probably could use the same brace, but the x-brace actually has adhesive pads on each of the four feet, and their intention is to have a brace secured into each guitar you want to use it on. If it works OK without the adhesive, then I say great, save some money! Check out the Tonewood website for details.

robj144 · #9 06-28-2017, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelvibe

Huh? Isn't that a lot of work to loosen the strings and then squeeze the TWA x-brace in and finally tune back up? Not to mention how hard it is on your strings?

You don't have to loosen the strings. You just tilt it so it goes in... not a problem.

robj144 · #10 06-28-2017, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Lew

You probably could use the same brace, but the x-brace actually has adhesive pads on each of the four feet, and their intention is to have a brace secured into each guitar you want to use it on. If it works OK without the adhesive, then I say great, save some money! Check out the Tonewood website for details.

It works fine without being installed permanently. I know... I've taken on and off just about all my guitars without a problem.

Mark Lew · #11 06-29-2017, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robj144

It works fine without being installed permanently. I know... I've taken on and off just about all my guitars without a problem.

Thanks! That's actually good to know. I wasn't too crazy about having to stick those things on the inside with an adhesive. If it works well with just the magnets, then I like it even better! You've had hands-on experience with it, and I've just seen it demonstrated the one time. I defer to your first hand knowledge. Thank you for the insight! It does seem to be a fun little amp.

HotRodx14 · #12 07-06-2017, 12:13 PM

Thanks guys for the feedback!

I just purchased one and now I just get to impatiently wait for it to show up!

robj144 · #13 07-06-2017, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotRodx14

Thanks guys for the feedback!

I just purchased one and now I just get to impatiently wait for it to show up!

Lay the guitar horizontally, tilt the X-Brace and slide it into the sound hole. Then, slide in the X-Brace over the first back brace, so it straddles it. After, tilt the guitar slightly to expose the back of the guitar and attach the amp via the magnets. That way you don't have to permanently.

Acousticado · #14 07-06-2017, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robj144

Lay the guitar horizontally, tilt the X-Brace and slide it into the sound hole. Then, slide in the X-Brace over the first back brace, so it straddles it. After, tilt the guitar slightly to expose the back of the guitar and attach the amp via the magnets. That way you don't have to permanently.

Of course, I have to ask...the amp itself doesn't leave any marks whatsoever on whichever finish type and whether it's left on for long periods or frequent on/off, right?

robj144 · #15 07-06-2017, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Of course, I have to ask...the amp itself doesn't leave any marks whatsoever on whichever finish type and whether it's left on for long periods or frequent on/off, right?

I don't know. I take it off after each time I put it on. Better safe than sorry.