glenatron | Cheap-ass musical instruments...

Last week, after trying to record my old and battered electro-acoustic ( about 14 years old and veteran of many events ) and finding I couldn't build an EQ setting that didn't sound rubbish, I finally went out and bought a new electro-acoustic guitar. It was a big chunky box with strings made by Norman, an acoustic branch of the mighty Canadian Godin family of guitars. It sounded fine, had a slightly high action but was good plugged in, so I bought it.

This week I've been working on some proper Quesada & Molino recordings we started at the weekend, and I ran into a significant problem: The new guitar had a hum. It was a low, bassy hum and it only stopped happening if I touched the jack socket. The only way to eradicate it was to take the bass right off, which made it sound tinny and nasty.

Today I took it back to the shop for nice Mr Fleetcroft to sort out. He took a look at it, tinkered with some shielding and reduced the hum, but couldn't sort it, so he offered to change it for another guitar of the same type. I was remembering another one I had tried last week but decided I couldn't afford and thought I'd ask about that as well. After all the hassle of sorting the Norman, mr F offered me a deal on the other that I found irresistable.

Consequently I'm now the owner of a brand new Tanglewood electro-acoustic guitar*. Now, I know what the guitarists among you are thinking: "Tanglewood? Aren't they the notorious brand of extremely cheap and very basic far-eastern guitars that everyone picks up before they can afford something good?" They are indeed, but after ten or more years as one of the major bottom-of-the market manufacturers, they're working on the idea that maybe they should be moving up in the world. Consequently the guitar in question has a solid mahogany back, spruce front and transducer pickup, all of which are typically more high-end features. Technicalities aside it sounds fantastic - as good as guitars twice the price - and if it doesn't actually make me a better guitarist it certainly makes me sound better than either of my previous electro-acoustics have, being beautifully fast and accurate to play. Overall it's a small guitar that punches well above it's weight - it may not quite match up to the beauty of my Le Trameleuc acoustic, but it doesn't fall that far behind.

Of course, other guitarists will see it and dismiss it as cheap tat, but if they stop to listen they may just change their mind...

*One of these to be precise