Phil
New member
Our latest model, the BETA, is currently available for sale. The creation of this model stems from our desire to offer the budget-conscious guitarist the luxury of owning, playing and enjoying a full-solid guitar. Your budget may be restricted, but that does not mean you need to settle for less, not anymore.
It is a known fact that the cheapest full-solid guitars from credible brands often start at a grand or more, so at a mere $899, the BETA truly raises an eyebrow. Let's take it for a spin and see how it performs in a real-life setting.
Upon picking up the BETA, you would notice how bare it looks. Aside from the abalone inlay on the headstock, the BETA convincingly reflects its positioning as a stripped-down, no-nonsense workhorse of a guitar. There are no intricate inlays on the rosewood fingerboard, present are matching abalone dot-inlays. The absence of a rosette around the sound-hole is replaced by a thin brown binding. Frankly, I have no qualms about ditching all the fancy appointments in exchange for some monetary savings. In fact, I think the BETA has an understated, handsome charm about it that I find rather appealing.
The Engelmann spruce top has a beautiful milky, ivory-like sheen to it. This piece that I am using for the review has very even and tight grains. Starting from the top, the BETA uses Grover machine-heads which offer a 18:1 tuning ratio and are known to be very stable. The Tusq nut is well-cut, running my hands along the edges of the reveal no sharp-frets and the carbon-fiber reinforced neck is fast and satin-smooth. A peek into the sound-hole reveals the hallmarks of quality workmanship; bracings and supports are neat and clean with no excess glue spotted.
Playability-wise, the BETA is outstanding. The action on this piece is moderately low which is just ideal for me – low enough to be able to play fast passages comfortably yet high enough to withstand heavier flat-picking without encountering fret-buzz.
Tonally, I would say that the BETA is very direct and forthcoming. The AA Grade Engelmann spruce gives the BETA a good amount of brillance although it is still less punchy than Sitka spruce, in its place you get a kind of warmth to the tone that is exclusive to the Engelmann variant. Clarity is exceptional with good note-separation when chording and when strummed vigorously, the BETA remains cohesive and projection is good. The directness of the BETA can be attributed to the solid mahogany back and sides which add a significant amount of mid-range to its tone. The treble notes are sweet and ringing, bass notes thump with authority - bluesy fingerstyle with a melody upon a driving bass-line is a total joy. The BETA is very responsive and balanced and owing to the workmanship and the full-solid nature, the BETA possesses a kind of resonance that is hard to come by. When strumming, you can literally feel the vibrations running through the neck and onto your palms - giving the term 'feeling' your music a whole new meaning. The only gripe that one might have with the BETA is that its tonal palette may not be as refined and complex as something like the Rosetta, however, it still boils down to a matter of taste. The directness and brightness of the BETA has a character of its own and may just be what you are looking for.
All in all, I like the BETA and would safely recommend it to my friends. At $899, it is a steal - it sounds and feels much more than its humble tag of $899, although some may argue that it looks too plain. That being said, if you are looking for something to display on your wall to compliment your collection of vintage furniture, maybe you should give the BETA a miss. However, if what you want is a great sounding, reliable workhorse to create music with, then the BETA is something to consider.
Regards,
Phil
It is a known fact that the cheapest full-solid guitars from credible brands often start at a grand or more, so at a mere $899, the BETA truly raises an eyebrow. Let's take it for a spin and see how it performs in a real-life setting.
Upon picking up the BETA, you would notice how bare it looks. Aside from the abalone inlay on the headstock, the BETA convincingly reflects its positioning as a stripped-down, no-nonsense workhorse of a guitar. There are no intricate inlays on the rosewood fingerboard, present are matching abalone dot-inlays. The absence of a rosette around the sound-hole is replaced by a thin brown binding. Frankly, I have no qualms about ditching all the fancy appointments in exchange for some monetary savings. In fact, I think the BETA has an understated, handsome charm about it that I find rather appealing.
The Engelmann spruce top has a beautiful milky, ivory-like sheen to it. This piece that I am using for the review has very even and tight grains. Starting from the top, the BETA uses Grover machine-heads which offer a 18:1 tuning ratio and are known to be very stable. The Tusq nut is well-cut, running my hands along the edges of the reveal no sharp-frets and the carbon-fiber reinforced neck is fast and satin-smooth. A peek into the sound-hole reveals the hallmarks of quality workmanship; bracings and supports are neat and clean with no excess glue spotted.
Playability-wise, the BETA is outstanding. The action on this piece is moderately low which is just ideal for me – low enough to be able to play fast passages comfortably yet high enough to withstand heavier flat-picking without encountering fret-buzz.
Tonally, I would say that the BETA is very direct and forthcoming. The AA Grade Engelmann spruce gives the BETA a good amount of brillance although it is still less punchy than Sitka spruce, in its place you get a kind of warmth to the tone that is exclusive to the Engelmann variant. Clarity is exceptional with good note-separation when chording and when strummed vigorously, the BETA remains cohesive and projection is good. The directness of the BETA can be attributed to the solid mahogany back and sides which add a significant amount of mid-range to its tone. The treble notes are sweet and ringing, bass notes thump with authority - bluesy fingerstyle with a melody upon a driving bass-line is a total joy. The BETA is very responsive and balanced and owing to the workmanship and the full-solid nature, the BETA possesses a kind of resonance that is hard to come by. When strumming, you can literally feel the vibrations running through the neck and onto your palms - giving the term 'feeling' your music a whole new meaning. The only gripe that one might have with the BETA is that its tonal palette may not be as refined and complex as something like the Rosetta, however, it still boils down to a matter of taste. The directness and brightness of the BETA has a character of its own and may just be what you are looking for.
All in all, I like the BETA and would safely recommend it to my friends. At $899, it is a steal - it sounds and feels much more than its humble tag of $899, although some may argue that it looks too plain. That being said, if you are looking for something to display on your wall to compliment your collection of vintage furniture, maybe you should give the BETA a miss. However, if what you want is a great sounding, reliable workhorse to create music with, then the BETA is something to consider.
Regards,
Phil
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