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For the past year I've been intrigued by Maple guitars. To my ear they have the warmth of Mahogany with a little bite. Much like dark chocolate made with a touch of chili. So when the Acoustic Shoppe received a special run which included some Maple laminate dreadnoughts I had to check them out.
Not expecting a lot at the $399.00 price point, I stopped by the Shoppe. Masked up and fully sanitized I checked these out. First of all the Maple is beautiful. The top is listed as Stika but the tight grain and creamy color reminds me of Engleman. The fit and finish is very well done. The Rosewood for both the finger board and bridge are much darker than that used by some of the domestic companies. Bone nut and saddle, full comfortable C neck. Setup is spot on.
How do they play and sound? They punch well above the price point.
Since the Acoustic Shoppe is taking customer and employee safety very seriously, I didn't want to grab and play the Maple against the Koa or Cocobola. They are cleaning each instrument after a customer plays it. Fortunately the very talented Trent who was working that day was gracious enough to play them and let me hear the difference from the front side. That young man is good!
I did change the plastic pins to Ebony only because I don't like plastic. That had no discernable change to tone or volume, but every guitar is unique.
My wife came in the living room to check out the new guitar. She was amazed at the tone of this new acquisition and couldn't believe it was not a solid wood guitar as well as the price. She checked out all the beautiful figuring in the back, sides, and neck. It received the seal of approval.
Currently I'm waiting for the "new string zing" to wear off. In the meantime this little budget friendly guitar is getting a workout.
If you're looking for something that won't break the bank but can more than hold its own, put the PCH 3 on your short list.
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