marrakech resonators 4pp - pete turner guitars · gear pete turner marrakech resonators £2,249 and...

74 acoustIc MagazIne aPrIL 2012

GEAR Pete turner Marrakech resonators £2,249 anD £2,249

What We ThinkWhat did our test results reveal?

Pros: Elegantly designed, great-sounding and very player-friendly.

Cons: Perhaps some subtle volume and tone controls could be included somewhere?

Overall: Choice of woods, fi xtures and fi ttings all top-notch – would suit a bluesman who wants to make a style statement!

Acoustic Test ResultsOur ratings explained

Rating out of fi veHow well did this guitar fare?

5 Stars: Superb, Almost faultless.4 Stars: Excellent, Hard to beat.3 Stars: Good, covers all bases well.2 or 1 Stars: Below average, poor.

Build QualitySound QualityValue for Money

again it’s the general design of the guitar and sleekness of conception that hit you fi rst. You could say that this guitar is white chocolate to the other instrument’s plain, or a positive to the other’s negative. Either way around, they make a very handsome pair!

Build Quality and FeaturesAs I have said, the features here are essentially the same as before, but the medley of woods used in construction is the main striking diff erence. To begin with, the top is a very fi ne piece of bird’s-eye maple, and in keeping with the general build ethic the grain

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Technical Specifi cation

Contact DetailsHoliday MusicTel: 0170 256 0594sales@holidaymusic.co.uk

Manufacturer: Pete Turner Guitars Model: Marrakech MapleRetail price: £2,249 (£1,995 without pickup)Body size: OO12FMade in: Kent, UKTop: Bird’s-eye mapleBack and sides: English walnutNeck: Honduras mahoganyFingerboard: CocoboloFrets: 19 Jascar Evo medium jumboTuners: GotohNut width: 47.7mmScale length: 630mmOn-board electronics: Pete Turner magnetic passiveStrings � tted: 13–56 D’AddarioLeft-handers: Yes, no extra chargeGig bag/case included: Fitted archtop hard case

patterning is subtle and not overwhelming. Back and sides are English walnut with a discreet fl amed binding back and front. Th e neck is made from Honduras mahogany with that same soft V-profi le as before, but perhaps marginally thinner and less chunky … It’s diffi cult to tell with merely a touch test, but my impression is that this neck is sleeker than that of its sister model.

Th e fretboard is cocobolo, a wood that is rapidly becoming thought of as being an ethical alternative to Brazilian rosewood. Certainly the straight grain and understated patterning are very attractive indeed. Th e headstock veneer looks like cocobolo too, with a maple truss rod cover that again bears Pete Turner’s signature.

Frets on the maple Marrakech are gold-coloured jumbo, and it being set up for slide would seem to render this fact almost irrelevant, but converting it back to a fi ngerpicking machine is always a consideration and so it’s worth noting.

As with the rosewood variant,

there is the optional pickup fi tted to the maple model and its presence is as subtle as before, the cover matching the wood of the top perfectly. Th e pickup option adds nearly £255 to the price of the guitar (retail price of the non-pickup version coming in at £1,995), and so prospective customers would do well to make their minds up as to the desirability of the electronics beforehand. After all, if you’re not headed for gig work it might not be necessary. One thing in common here between the two models is that there are no volume or tone controls built in to the instrument, and so, like many current acoustic pickups, EQ and volume duties would need to be carried out via some external device.

Sounds and PlayabilityI opted for open G tuning as I’m more familiar with it than playing in standard tuning when I have a lump of copper tubing attached to my fi nger. I must say that I was more instantly drawn to the sound of this guitar when I fi rst noodled around with a few Delta blues slide stylings. Th at nasal quality so immediately reminiscent of many classic blues recordings was apparent from the start. Acoustically, neither guitar is loud, but I remember resonator king Bob Brozman telling me once that this type of guitar takes a while to loosen up, and when they do, tonal attributes and volume come more to the fore.

Th rough an amp, the guitar’s sound is defi nitely mellower and more ‘well behaved’ than you

might expect from a down an’ dirty blues machine, and I think if it was me I’d be inclined to use a mic as well to make sure that the resonator’s voice could be brought forward in the mix.

ConclusionDespite the fact that these two guitars both share a common identity in that they are essentially the same model, both are very diff erent in character. Strangely, or perhaps it’s the diff erent body woods coming into play here, the individuality matched the colour of the woods. Th e rosewood guitar had a pronounced ‘dark side’ to it; you could say that it knew more than it was telling and that the player would have fun excavating deep for further subtleties in tone. Th e maple variation seemed to me to be wearing its heart pretty much on its sleeve; its bright, almost chirpy sound matched its milk chocolate livery to a tee.

All of the above would seem to prove Pete Turner right in his assumption that diff erent tonewoods can contribute to the sound of a resonator, and being a custom build you can add whichever tonal fl avour suits your style best.David Mead

Pickup option adds another £255 to the price

Simple yet elegant headstock Bird’s-eye maple top

Marrakech Resonators 4pp.indd 56 21/02/2012 11:18