Godin LGXT Solid Body 3-Voice Electric Guitar (Trans Blue AAA) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Guitar is very playable and worked well with my VG99 systems (once you set up the VG99 to handle the guitar) Functionaly I had no complaints.
My complaints are with the appearance of the guitar. I purchased a LGXT AAA in Transparent Blue and It looked nothing like the Pictures. The coloring was very dark (hardly "transparent") and the wood grain was not visible in standard room lighting (under direct sunlight it was visible but I tend to play in darker bar environments). I was very disappointed.
When you purchase a guitar of this Grade you have expectations and this time I was let down. It looked nothing like the pictures from the website or the owners manual. Heck the serial number even looked like it had been re-stamped to include the "AAA"
Next time I need to see the guitar before I buy. Not gunna use Amazon for this type of purchase again.
Sean

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Solid Body 3-voice Electric Guitar

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Dean Tradition Acoustic Guitar, Exotic Birds Eye Maple Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been playing my "Dean Tradition Acoustic Guitar, Exotic Birds Eye Maple" ever since I received it this evening; I've taken a break to upload some pictures and write an initial review.
It is a very attractive instrument...well-constructed with nice details...and has decent action & volume...its pitch is somewhat bright, which I like, as it provides a contrast to my warmer cedar-top Seagull.
Here are Dean's specifications, directly from their web site:
"TRADITION EXOTIC
* Solid Spruce Top
* 5 Body Types Available (see below)
* 25-1/2" Scale
* Mahogany Neck
* Rosewood Fingerboard
* Pearl Dot Inlays
* Sealed Die Cast Tuners
* Celluloid Binding
* Woodcut Mosaic Rosette
* Finishes: Birds Eye Maple, Mapa Burl, Lacewood, Zebra, Quilted Ash"
I believe that the Birds Eye Maple covering the sides/back is a veneer over a mahogany underlayment.
Generally, the guitar was finished with good attention to detail: the only undesireable things that stood out to me [but were not 'deal-breakers' and may not matter as much to other folks] are:
* a few flecks & chips of wood embedded in the gloss finish
* the veneer is not aligned well [ie, the Birds Eye pattern is not matched up closely on the sides...I'm posting a photo to explain better].
* of more importance...at least, to me, since I initially ordered my guitar based on Amazon's "Product Features," which, as of this writing states "Machine Heads: Grover"...is that this guitar DOES NOT have "Grover" machine heads. It apparently has ones made by "Ping" [this is what I was told when I contacted Dean...and I also asked them why more than one website says "Grover" but they couldn't tell me]. If anyone is really hankering for Grovers, they'll probably have to plan on spending at least $50 to upgrade...just an FYI.
My pictures that I uploaded to the gallery will tell the rest of the story...excuse me while I get back to playing my new baby ;-)

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Dean's Tradition Exotic series offers players a line of guitars that are crafted from exotic tonewoods at great prices. This guitar is made from Birds Eye Maple for a unique voice, plus a solid spruce top for added tone and volume. It's mated to a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. A classy parquet design adorns the rosette. Also features a set of chrome die-cast tuners. Case not includedTradition Exotic Birds Eye Maple~Solid Spruce Top~25-1/2" scale~Birds Eye Maple Back and Sides~Rosewood Fingerboard~Pearl DOT Inlays~Mahogany Neck~Sealed Die Cast Tuners~Celluloid Binding~Woodcut Mosaic Rosette

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Normandy ATGHT-OB Archtop Guitar, Anodized, Obsidian Review

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(More customer reviews)Not quite as mellow-sounding as most hollowbodies, this guitar has more of a Les Paul growl, with a huge booming bassy sound at the neck pickup, and shimmery, twangy highs at the bridge. Maybe there's just a little resonator-like twang in there? I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, if there is, it's subtle. The aluminum is lightweight-- this guitar weighs about the same as my telecaster, and is cold to the touch, at first, but has a nice satiny feel that doesn't show fingerprints-- which is why I chose an anodized over the chrome finish, I hate seeing fingerprints on my guitars, and am unable to prevent them from occuring. The neck is slick and fast, and the factory set-up was ok. There was no relief set in the neck, so the strings were buzzing at the low frets. A little truss-rod adjustment fixed that problem right up.
I like unusual guitars, which is why I originally bought this, because it was metal, but I'm just blown away by the sound. Absolutely fantastic, I'm not trading this baby for anything.
Definitely a great, unique guitar that is equal to any in it's price range-- but make sure to get a professional setup done on it as soon as you get it!

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Manufacturer's Description (March 31, 2009)Key FeaturesEvery Normandy anodized archtop guitar comes fully loaded with these features -
Triple-electroplated chrome
Aluminum body constructed of aircraft-grade material
Warmoth hard rock maple with rosewood fretboard
Tuners made by Gotoh
Graphite nut made by Graphtech
Normandy Humbuckers for high output, powerful midrange and tone
Optional Vintage-style Bigbsby virbrato tailpiece or Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridge

Ten Reasons to Own a Normandy Guitar
The Look – From the classic arch top curves of the body, to the vintage Bigsby-vibrato tailpiece, to the distinctive rivets front and back, there is simply no other guitar like it.
The Sound – The resonant, aircraft-grade aluminum body produces smooth, warm tones that ring true and long. Sustain is increased significantly when compared to that of a conventional wooden guitar body.
The Feel –The Normandy weighs 8.6-pounds, which is roughly the same (or less) than most other electric guitars. It maintains perfect balance when on a strap, and is so accommodating that you may just be able to go at it all night.
The Durability – This is a deceivingly solid piece of equipment. You may be able to snap the neck, but the body will stand up to the most aggressive punk-inspired outbursts.
The Neck – Our maple-on-maple and rosewood-on-maple necks are shaped close to what you would find on an old-school jazz guitar – not too fat…not too thin.
The Pickups – Normandy Old School-Humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets are overwound to 12K ohms for higher output, powerful midrange and driving tone.
The Craftsmanship – Normandy Guitars are made one at a time with quality and durability as our foremost concerns; they are built to stand the test of time from one gig to the next.
The Finish – The Chrome guitar is triple-electroplated, the School Bus and Army Green guitars are powder coated using a special baked-on finish and the Candy Apple Metal Flake finishes are far superior to the standard paint, stain, or varnish typically found on guitars. Whatever the color, the appearance will outshine that of any guitar you've ever seen.
The Service – Normandy offers a warranty against defective materials and workmanship for the life of the guitar (check with the vendor for details). Normandy takes pride in every one of their instruments playing its very best right out of the box.
Add it all up – Custom, boutique styling and quality that every player can afford.

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Blueridge BR-180C Historic Premium East Indian Rosewood Dreadnaught Guitar with Cutaway and Abalone Purfling Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a beast of a guitar. The tone is absolutely remarkable with strong clear low and middle with sparkling clear higher tones. It came with D'Addario light strings which I played on some then promptly replaced them with Elixir Nanoweb Mediums. The guitar sounds way better with medium strings.Play it soft and it sounds sublime but it sounds just as good played loud; and believe me this guitar is loud. Out of the box the guitar was nearly unplayable for me however. The frets are very tall and just chewed up my fingers, I like my fingertips to feel the fretboard and the tall frets prevented that. Also, while the neck width is identical to a Martin, the strings were spaced closer together which really threw me. I felt like a total klutz playing this thing. I took it to my luthier and he milled the frets down to match my Martin and installed a new nut that matched the string spacing to my Martin. After these modifications, this guitar plays so well I'm amazed every time I pick it up. It almost plays itself. The neck now feels fast and easy like playing on a fender stratocaster. My luthier says it sounds better than the HD-28's he's worked on. Hate to say it, but I enjoying playing this axe more than I do my beloved Martin. You would have to spend a ton money to get a Martin that sounds this good. Some people can pick up any guitar and play it like a pro, not me. If fretboard ergonomics are important to you and you are bugged by tall frets and string spacing closer than normal, spend the $150 or so to have a good luthier set it up to your liking.
As to construction, the fit and finish are excellent. Lots of abalone inlay and its beautifully done. I can't find any flaws at all. I probably should give this guitar a 5 star rating but am knocking off one star because of the dreadful tall frets and skinny string spacing. If you buy from Amazon, it doesn't come with a case. It was inside of its original box from the manufacturer which was inside of a slightly larger Amazon box when it arrived on my doorstep. It arrived in fine shape but I would never pack an instrument I was shipping this poorly. If you buy from Amazon, don't fool around, spend a few extra bucks an get overnight shipping. Ground shipped items get handled a lot more and are jostled around much more whereas overnite shipping lowers your chances of it getting dropped or banged hard. Besides, when you give that credit card # you're gonna want this thing fast.

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Blueridge Historic Series guitars are exceptionally well-made, all-solid wood construction.The handcarved parabolic top braces are in authentic, PreWar, forward-X position.

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Normandy ATGWB-GD Archtop Guitar with Bigsby, Anodized, Gold Review

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(More customer reviews)I own this guitar, and I love it...here's why:
BIGSBY!!! I've owned Bigsby equipped guitars in the past, and they've never stayed in the stable long. I love the IDEA of a Bigsby and the sound, and vibe...but the honeymoon always comes to a screeching halt when it comes to practicality: I've always had tuning stability issues on my Bigsby equipped guitars. NOT SO WITH MY NORMANDY!!! The roller bridge on this thing allows me to get vibrato happy as much as I want with NO tuning issues. Plus the bridge allows me to adjust intonation, height, and string spacing. Cool.
Tone: I didn't know what to expect from an Aluminum guitar, but I was stunned. This guitar sustains like nothing else I own. I even love playing it unplugged. The pickups are exceptional...very articulate and present. They are at their best serving up a muscular mid range tone that really penetrates a mix.
Playability: World class, AND straight out of the factory with 11's! NICE. These guys nail their set ups.
Appearance: Great looking guitar that is classic and modern at all at once. Great fit and finish. Nice details. BE WARNED: You will NOT pull this guitar out of it's case without every guitar player in the room lining up to check it out.

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Manufacturer's Description (March 31, 2009)Key FeaturesEvery Normandy anodized archtop guitar comes fully loaded with these features -
Triple-electroplated chrome
Aluminum body constructed of aircraft-grade material
Warmoth hard rock maple with rosewood fretboard
Tuners made by Gotoh
Graphite nut made by Graphtech
Normandy Humbuckers for high output, powerful midrange and tone
Optional Vintage-style Bigbsby virbrato tailpiece or Gotoh Tune-O-Matic bridge

Ten Reasons to Own a Normandy Guitar
The Look – From the classic arch top curves of the body, to the vintage Bigsby-vibrato tailpiece, to the distinctive rivets front and back, there is simply no other guitar like it.
The Sound – The resonant, aircraft-grade aluminum body produces smooth, warm tones that ring true and long. Sustain is increased significantly when compared to that of a conventional wooden guitar body.
The Feel –The Normandy weighs 8.6-pounds, which is roughly the same (or less) than most other electric guitars. It maintains perfect balance when on a strap, and is so accommodating that you may just be able to go at it all night.
The Durability – This is a deceivingly solid piece of equipment. You may be able to snap the neck, but the body will stand up to the most aggressive punk-inspired outbursts.
The Neck – Our maple-on-maple and rosewood-on-maple necks are shaped close to what you would find on an old-school jazz guitar – not too fat…not too thin.
The Pickups – Normandy Old School-Humbuckers with Alnico 5 magnets are overwound to 12K ohms for higher output, powerful midrange and driving tone.
The Craftsmanship – Normandy Guitars are made one at a time with quality and durability as our foremost concerns; they are built to stand the test of time from one gig to the next.
The Finish – The Chrome guitar is triple-electroplated, the School Bus and Army Green guitars are powder coated using a special baked-on finish and the Candy Apple Metal Flake finishes are far superior to the standard paint, stain, or varnish typically found on guitars. Whatever the color, the appearance will outshine that of any guitar you've ever seen.
The Service – Normandy offers a warranty against defective materials and workmanship for the life of the guitar (check with the vendor for details). Normandy takes pride in every one of their instruments playing its very best right out of the box.
Add it all up – Custom, boutique styling and quality that every player can afford.

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Giannini GWSCRA6-P Handcrafted Series Steel Craviola® Guitar (Acoustic, 6-String) Review

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(More customer reviews)I own other acoustic guitars: an all solid wood Martin 000, a Taylor 810 Limited, a 90s Tacoma dreadnought, 2 Takamines (one Japan, one Korean made), a Jasmine S34C NEX (which I reviewed here on Amazon) even an Esteban (which I gave away with no regrets). So to be honest, this "handcrafted" instrument is the worst built of any that I have ever handled. The wood used is of low quality even if it is all solid; and the fit and finish is on par with the Esteban (I would venture to say that the Esteban is a little better built and finished).
To give you a better idea, the finish is uneven to where you can see the difference in the level of lacquer on the surface of the sound board. On the back side, you can see areas where the lacquer is thick and cloudy. Some areas on the edge of the sound board looks like it was cut with a dull blade. They even used off colored wood filler to fill in the dog eared areas where the sound board meets the side. The fretwork is sloppy on the edges, and unleveled which leads to lots of buzzing. Very disappointing for an instrument at this price range.
Now, the style is very cool and the sound that the instrument gives off is full and unique; not boomy like a dreadnought and not shallow like some concert body styles. It sounds better than my NEX Takamines, but not as rich as my 000 Martin and does not have the projection and volume of any of my dreadnoughts. It is definitely worth owning for the unique sound and body style. But, just beware that Giannini is way behind the Indonesians (don't mean to knock anyone, but there is a pecking order) in their guitar craftsmanship. My NEX styled Jasimine will attest to that.
I ordered two from Amazon, the first one I returned promptly due to the fact that it looked like some used cheapo you would pick up at a garage sale or flea market. The second was much better and actually looked new. That is the one I based this review on, sorry to say. I would have given the first one 2 stars all around. This one actually gets 3 for build quality at least. I give it 4 stars for sound and playability (if I ignore the fret buzzes), and 5 for cool factor and fun to own. This averages out to be a 4, but actually more like 3 1/2.
If you are going to buy one of these, I hope you get a chance to check it out first. I don't recommend buying sight unseen due to the differences in build quality in the two specimens that I received. And, don't pay over a grand for this thing. I got mine on a good sale day and it was much, much less.
BTW: Amazon does have a great return policy, even though they made me pay for return shipping on the first one until they verified my complaints and refunded me some of the return shipping cost (but not all). And of course, they promptly sent me another to replace the first. Kudos to Amazon, even though they sometimes try to pass a reject along for the real deal. This is not the first time they did this to me with a guitar purchase. Come on Amazon, you need to inspect your instruments before you send them out. It would save a lot of time, money and frustration.


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Handcrafted all-solid acoustic 6-string, steel, Craviola. Solid Sitka Spruce top and Solid Rosewood back and sides, gold plated machine heads and adjustable truss rod. Supplied with Giannini Hard Case.

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Breedlove Revival Series D-R-Deluxe Acoustic Guitar, Made in U.S.A. Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had this guitar for about three years, bought it new. Build quality is first rate. The only problem I had were the Grover open back tuning machines that came on it. One tuner failed completely; the others never had a very positive feel, although this was easily remedied by replacing the tuners with Gotoh tuning machines. Waverly tuners would have been even better, but considrably more expensive. To their credit, Breedlove sent me a replacement set of Grovers, but I never had them installed.
Now to the best part: The sound. Oh, my gawd, this guitar is a cannon! Banjo players run and hide when it shouts. The Adirondack Spruce top has all kinds of headroom. The sound never breaks up, it just gets louder the harder you play it. But, it isn't all about volume, the tone is pure, just as a rosewood dread is supposed to be. Intonation up and down the neck is spot on with medium gage strings. The bass to treble balance is excellent. The factory set up on mine was very good; I usually have my technician do a set up on new guitars to tweak them to my preferences, but on the Breedlove it wasn't necessary.
The guitar came with a very nice arched top case with six latches and a carrying strap in addition to the usual handle.
If you play bluegrass, you won't go wrong with the Breedlove DR Deluxe. It's like a Martin D-28 on steroids. (Yes, I have a Martin, too, so this isn't sour grapes!)

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The Revival DR Deluxe is built with Select Rosewood and an upgraded Red Spruce Top and Bracing, gloss finish and a hand- cut Bone nut and saddle.

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