Tanglewood Acoustics - is it just me?

steamboat

I have been playing a Takamine 12-string acoustic for the last 9 years. I love this guitar, seems to get better with age and is a real workhorse. But 12-string guitars can be a little awkward to play at times, and I'm getting a little board of the sound - so I want to try my hand at a 6 string. I was looking particularly at a Taylor or Avalon. I was very impressed by some of these guitars – but I expected to be for the price! In fact some of the lower end Taylors and Avalons (particularly the new silver series Avalons) sound very plain and are not very smooth to play.
I recently happened to try out a Tanglewood guitar and I have to say the tone and playability of this guitar is right up there with the big names – but for a fraction of the price. The gutair was priced somewhere in the region of €600 - €700 and came with fishman electronics. It sounds, looks and feels great. Now this guitar is machine made rather than hand made, so I’m thinking maybe it was just a fluke that this guitar came out of production the way it did. So my question is, has anyone else been impressed by the quality of these guitars for the price? Does anyone have an opinion on tanglewood guitars? Should I buy one?

legofsalmon

Hey,

Just want to say I got a tanglewood acoustic for my birthday 6 months ago. I was impressed with the tone most of all from such a cheap guitar ( I don't knwo the model, but I got it for the 450 mark ) . I usually have it in a A frame style holder I got in america for acoustics. Anyway, a friend of mine bumped into it one day and knocked it onto the ground. I treated in wtih great care, but upon impact with a deep pile rug from its only height the neck snapped.

So the only doubt I woudl have is the build quality/quality of the wood.

Eoin Madsen

Under studio conditions Tanglewoods can't really be compared to Taylors or Avalon. At the very least the few that I've recorded have been unexceptional - they seem to be cheaper for a reason.

It wasn't me!

I was never that impressed by them. Even quite expensive ones (Eu1500+) were a bit lifeless. The best reasonably priced guitar maker I have found is Simon and Patrick. I think they're really lovely guitars for the money and extraordinarily playable for the money.

dublinario

I own a Tanglewood. It was actually the first guitar I bought, many years ago, and I am massively impressed with it to this day. I remember an experienced guitarist came with me to buy it, and he was blown away by the tone and playability of the Tanglewood, even when compared to his own Takamine. I'm not for one second suggesting it was better than the Takamine, but the gulf in quality was not representative of the gulf in price.

Anyway, I have since bought and replaced a couple of brands of guitar (e.g. Takamine), and I currently own a low-end Taylor, which I adore. But I still have, and doubt I will ever sell, my Tanglewood. This is partly for sentimental reasons (how could I sell the guitar I learned on?), but predominantly because it is just a damn good guitar, and with it's Fishman pickup, sounds pretty good plugged in. It also holds it's tune extremely well.

I always recommend that people try out Tanglewood (and also Seagulls) for that sort of low-to-mid price range.

I have to say, I have never heard of either Simon or Patrick guitars. Any good sites you can recommend for reading up on them?

RicardoSmith

I thought tanglewood were a budget division of ovation. But I could be mistaken. Personally I'd go for a plain cheap Martin , they start about 600-700, much better tone and sound.

Tazz T

Best semi I ever played was a Tanglewood. Could never find one I really liked when I was looking and regret it now. Very playable guitar. Might get one in the future.

dublinario

RicardoSmith wrote:

I thought tanglewood were a budget division of ovation. But I could be mistaken. Personally I'd go for a plain cheap Martin , they start about 600-700, much better tone and sound.

True Ricardo. But I think you underestimate just how cheap a Tanglewood actually is. Tanglewoods can retail for less than half the price of your low-end Martin, so it really comes down to budget.

fitz

Well, you'll have difficutly finding Simon guitars or Patrick guitars.
"Simon and Patrick" guitars however...:p
They're a Canadian handmade guitar, and provide great value for money. Think Musicmaker do them, and well worth checking out, they sound and play very nicely.

Tanglewoods, imo, seem much better than Takamines because Takamines are horribley overpriced. They also tend to be very plastic sounding and thin. Tanglewoods are far better value, and as an entry level semi-acoustic, are well worth a look.

They are by no means a great guitar, but their pricing is extremely competative for the instrument you get. Plugged in, they sound okay. As Eoin said, studio-wise, they ain't spectacular, they can sound nice, but you can spot that it's a Tanglewood. Personally, I'd check out the Simon and Patrick, or a Taylor Big Baby, which will be at similar prices.

But as soon as you start going over €700 mark, I think you'd be insane not to try an Avalon. Martins are nice, but not very ballsy, they don't offer the same dynamic as something like an Avalon will. Keep in mind that some of the entry level guitars from Avalon or Taylor may not be finished to a great standard. A goot setup and service and you'll realise the difference between one of them and the higher end Tanglewoods.

It wasn't me!

That said, I fell in love with a E3000 Avalon in Musician a while back. They've since sold it and I've never played or heard a nicer acoustic. Everything else just sounds and feels bad in comparison.

RicardoSmith

dublinario wrote:

True Ricardo. But I think you underestimate just how cheap a Tanglewood actually is. Tanglewoods can retail for less than half the price of your low-end Martin, so it really comes down to budget.

€300 really. I thought they were like 500-600. Haven't looked at them in a while. The high end yamaha's used to be very nice too. Avalon haven't heard about them.

It wasn't me!

Try one down in Musician. They're pricey but oh God they're worth it!