tgr215gear_testnew

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ELECTROS UNDER 300

GROUP TEST

56 JUNE 2011


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ELECTRO-ACOUSTICSUNDER 300

Like all musicians, acoustic guitarists just want to be heard. Find out if thesefour electro-acoustics are as easy on the ear as they are on the wallet

THEclassic use of electro-acoustics in rockmusic occurs as follows: the singer, a

sensitive soul, wants to take things down a notch midset. The drummer buggers off for a smoke, and theglow of Zippos lights an arena awash with hormones.

Thats if youre Bon Jovi circa 1988. These days,you cant smoke in a venue and phones are used inplace of a lighter. Still, the fact remains that its likelyyoull want to use an electro-acoustic at some point even if youre not a purveyor of power ballads.

Budget electros used to mean passable woods,passive electronics and rudimentary controls.

The four guitars lined up for this test show exactlyhow much more you get for your money in 2011.Inflation? Well take the active pre-amps, digitaltuners and real EQ circuits over the dogs of yoreany day. The trouble is, these features are no longergroundbreaking at this price point. Were spoiled,and we know it, but gratitude isnt enough to winthis test. Weve selected four rock friendly electrosunder the 300 mark. Ibanez and LTD serve up themetal edge, while TG Group Test favourites Lag andWashburn bring amplified acoustics down from thestadium to the skittle alley.

Words Stuart Williams

JUNE 2011

GROUP TEST


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ELECTROS UNDER 300

GROUP TEST

FORyears, Washburns Dseries was an upper-

entry-level staple, and its recentlybeen rejigged as the WD Series.The WD10SCE here follows itspredecessors dreadnought shape,while acoustic staples such as thesolid spruce top and mahoganyback and sides (were talkinglaminated at this price) meet witha Fishman Isys+ preamp.

Our review model has a highgloss black finish, which isspectacular in the showroom, butcollects fingerprintslike a forensicsexpert. The first

few strums confirmits loud with alow-end punch thatremains controlledwhen you give itsome welly, andtheres a nice sheento the top end. Plugin, though, and thebass doesnt quitetransfer. What youget instead is morefocused towardsthe bottom of themidrange, whichwill help to seat this guitar in themix. The preamps two-band EQ,phase switch and tuner mightnot offer everything youwantfor tonal control, but theyrecertainly all you need.

The WD 10SCE sets thebar high from the off. Withits great sound quality andsolid features, it continuesWashburns track record ofproducing fine acoustics ateven finer prices. Had itnot been for some minorblemishes around the edgeof the soundhole and the

slight fatiguing afterbarring chords, it mighthave swayed us fromthe start.

HOLDon to your EMGs,folks LTD has

started breakin hearts as well asbreaking skulls. Yup, this is thecompanys first proper foray intoacoustic guitars, branded underLTDs existing XTone range.

Familiar features such as the XJfrets and thin neck profile will grabthe attention of electric players.The concert-sized AC-10E has thesmallest and shallowest body in thegroup, which means two things.First, the resulting acoustic tone hasless bass and volume, but the upshotof this is that theres less to muddyup. Second, that bowel-rattling

feedback you get on the confines ofa smaller stage is less prevalent.Through the amp, you get an

immediately hard pick attack,showing that LTD hasnt lost itsedge when it comes to cuttingthrough the backline. Its when you

belt it that thingsreally come to life,adding a zing tothe top-end thatsmissing from thesofter dynamics.

LTD has fitted itsown ESP preampto the AC-10E. Thepreamp controlssit flush, but aresprung to pop upwhen pressed. Itsa simple detail, yetit means that onceyoure finishedtweaking, you canpress the controls

back in so that you dont accidentallychange things mid-song.

The LTD doesnt have the widestsound range, but dont take that tomean its bad. If youre playing rock/metal and you want to switch to

an acoustic for short bursts in yourset, the AC-10E offers minimuminterruption to your technique andyoull still cut through.

WASHBURNWD 10SCE210

LTDXTONEAC-10E 275

AT A G LA NCE

BODY: Solid spruce top,

mahogany back and sides(laminated)

NECK: Mahogany

FINGERBOARD: Rosewood

SCALE: 648mm

ELECTRONICS: Fishman Isys+

HARDWARE: Chrome

LEFTHANDED: Yes

FINISH: Black (pictured), Natural

CONTACT: Sound Technology

01462 480800 washburn.com

AT A G LA NCE

BODY: Spruce top, mahogany

back and sides (laminated)

NECK: Mahogany


SCALE: 648mm

ELECTRONICS: ESP preampHARDWARE: Chrome

LEFTHANDED: No

FINISH: Pearl White, Black,

Tobacco Sunburst (pictured)

CONTACT: Selectron UK

01795 419460 espguitars.com

FEATURES

SOUND QUALITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

OVERALL RATING

SUMMARY

FEATURES

SOUND QUALITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

OVERALL RATING

SUMMARY

58 JUNE 2011


4/4

WINNERGROUPTEST

LAGhas romped homevictorious in some

of TGs past Group Tests. Itsseemingly relentless desire tosqueeze as much tone andplayability into a guitar aspossible raises a cocky middlefinger to its price tag. TheT66DCE is the entry-levelmodel in the Tramontane series,and forgoes the solid top of itsmore expensive siblings.

Its finished in a natural HighGloss, with Honey Mahoganysides, back, andneck. The headstocklooks quite orange,

but black hardware,plus black andivory binding,offset it to achieve acontemporary look.

The electronicscome in the formof a Shadow-builtDirectLag preampand NanoFlex piezopickup. Its the onlypreamp in this groupthat doesnt have atuner built in, offeringTreble and Basscontrols, as well as aDynamics slider for shaping yourmidrange. There are also Phaseand Mute switches.

Acoustically, the T66DCE comesout with its fists up. You get thatelusive sparkly resonance at thetop end, with a full-bodied soundacross the rest of the spectrum.Put it through the amp and youllrealise how useful the Dynamicsslider can be. It takes you from atidy, controlled scoop to accentedpick attack. The satin neck is a joyto play too. The T66DCE is hardto fault, a textbook example of

acoustic sound-over-spec sheet.It doesnt quite win, but joinsthe Washburn in a photofinish for second place.

YOUmight not expecta company with a

tradition steeped so heavily in hardrock and metal to do the businesswith an electro-acoustic. Youd bewrong, as the AW250-ECE proves.

Solid cedar is the choice for thetop, with laminated mahogany onthe back and sides. The low glosssatin finish, sparse appointmentsand wooden rosette make thisguitar look like its been pluckedfrom the you-cant-afford-it sectionof your local guitar shop.

As well as having the most well-stocked preamp here (a FishmanSonicore with three-band EQ,

Shape control, Phase switch andTuner), you can choose betweenits jack or XLR output.

The preamp is mounted towardsthe waist pinch, which seemslike an odd placement until youstart to play. Then you find your

picking arms naturalplaying position formsa pleasant arch awayfrom the controls.

It offers the mostbalanced tone in thegroup: lively andvibrant trebles, asolid yet controlledmidrange, and just theright amount of bassto sound powerfulbut not overbearing.Its consistent acrossthe dynamic rangetoo, so even whenyoure picking softly, itmaintains character.

With a bracketof 79 difference

between the four, this is a tight test,but theres an easy way to get themeasure of a great acoustic guitar its the one that you keep coming

back to. The Ibanez makes sureyou do with its classy finish, stellarfeature set and, ultimately, the bestsound quality in the group.

LAG TRAMONTANET66DCE265

IBANEZAW250ECE LG289

AT A G LA NCE

BODY: Spruce top, mahogany

back and sidesNECK: Mahogany


SCALE: 648mm

ELECTRONICS: DirectLag by

Shadow

HARDWARE: Black

LEFTHANDED: No

FINISH: High Gloss Natural

(pictured)

CONTACT: Barnes and Mullins

01691 652449 lagguitars.co.uk

AT A G LAN CE

BODY: Solid cedar top,

mahogany back and sides

(laminate)

NECK: Mahogany


SCALE: 648mm

ELECTRONICS: Fishman

Sonicore

HARDWARE: Chrome

LEFTHANDED: No

FINISH: Natural Low Gloss

(pictured), Rustic Brown

CONTACT: Headstock

Distribution 0121 508666

FEATURES

SOUND QUALITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

OVERALL RATING

SUMMARY

FEATURES

SOUND QUALITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

OVERALL RATING

SUMMARY

GROUP TEST

JUNE 2011

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