Kentucky Artist A--Model Mandolin Model KM-171 in Black Review

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(More customer reviews)My 12 year old violin-playing daughter hasn't put this mandolin down since she received it nearly a month ago!
Seems to be well made with nice details and very good sound. If it holds-up, it's a winner!

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Kentucky Artist A-Model Mandolin Model KM-160 in Traditional Sunburst Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been playing guitar for a while (mostly Contemporary Christian & Irish) and wanted to cross over onto the Mandolin. After alot of research on the web, this one consistently had the best reviews. The fact that it is one of the few in this price range with a solid (not laminate) carved spruce top and a truss rod counts for alot. They may be hard to find, but if you do, you won't be sorry.

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Oscar Schmidt 21 Chord Autoharp Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this for my six year-old's birthday because her father and I play guitar and she always wants to be a part of the music practice. She is learning to strum in time and be dedicated to practicing an instrument. We all love playing this. Fabulous quality, take some time to tune. Buy the hard case for it and plenty of picks.


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Washburn M3SWETWRK Florentine Cutaway Mandolin (Rosewood) Review

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(More customer reviews)The product arrived one month earlier than expected and Amazon kept in touch with me with all questions and updates. This is my first mandolin and its an amazing product...quality!!

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Giannini GBSM3 EL Brazil Series Mandolin (Electric) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this mandolin (bandolim) tonight, so these are first impressions. The instrument I received was not a Giannini GBSM3 EL (Electric) as listed, but a GBSM3 X (Non-electric). I am in the process of exchanging or returning it, but will make a few observations on the instrument at hand. Overall, for the price I paid, this instrument is a good beater or starter mandolin. The woods are very pretty (sitka spruce top, Bolivian rosewood back and sides, lovely binding and inlay), and the fit and finish are well above what one would usually find at this price. Its intonation is pretty good and it sounds fairly loud, resonant, and ringing. The Devon tuners seem cheap but they work OK. The string hooks on the tailpiece are sharp and indeed one of the E strings broke at the loop end before I had brought it all the way up to pitch (It broke at C#). The strings are very light gauge, 10-14-23-30. The action (string height) is a little high, but OK with such light strings. The mandolin has a zero fret about ¼ inch from the nut. The string slots in the nut are all deeply cut without regard to string diameter, but the presence of the zero fret keeps this from negatively affecting intonation. However, the string slots in the nut are improperly spaced, so that the string pairs are difficult to fret. The strings in each pair are not close enough together and the spacing between pairs is too close. The scale length from the nut to the bridge when the bridge is properly placed is 13.5 inches. The ends of the frets are smoothly finished on the E string side, but not on the G string side, and indeed the latter are sharp and jagged enough to catch one's skin. The neck is shallow and very comfortable to my small hand. The bridge is rosewood with a fixed metal saddle. Both the fretboard and the bridge are slightly radiused. The problems mentioned are correctable and this could be a very nice inexpensive mandolin with a new nut, new bridge, finished fret ends, and possibly a new tailpiece.

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Washburn M3SWK Florentine Cutaway Mandolin (Natural) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a guitarist but I have played a few mandolins. The Washburn M3SWK has potential but not right out of the box. The two I tried and returned had issues. the first one fretted out on the fourth string at the octave and the second one came with the bridge saddle broken.These were issues I didn't want to deal with after waiting for a week to get the mandolin. If set up properly I think the M3SWK will sound and play reasonably well. but there are plenty of other brands to compare with in this price range. I would suggest buying one from an online music shop that will set the instrument up before shipping it to you.

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Oscar Schmidt OS15B Autoharp Review

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(More customer reviews)I gave this as a gift to my 11 year old granddaughter. She tells me that she is enjoying it, but has to have her Dad tune it for her pretty often.

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Casio PX-130 88-Key Digital Stage Piano Review

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(More customer reviews)My first keyboard was a Casio. My brother bought it for me when I was 12. It was little more than a 24 note toy, but it was mine and I was proud to own it. As I grew into my music and more serious about performing, I became jaded and picky about my instruments. Casio had a well earned reputation for being cheap, low end starter boards. The most expensive keyboard I ever owned was a Yamaha DX7 FD. Until now, I never owned a full sized, 88 note keyboard, let alone, a keyboard with realistic action.
Enter the Casio PX-130.
Exit all my preconceptions about Casio.
Look and Feel: I love the classic, uncluttered look of the instrument. It has minimal buttons and lights. There is no screen. It first and foremost wants to be a piano. It succeeds. It will look right at home in a studio, a church, or a living room. As for feel, when playing, I have to remind myself that it is not an acoustic. My fingers are convinced that these keys are attached to a big, wooden cabinet in the form of a traditional piano. I did not get a chance to see one of these in a store before buying. I was worried the keys would feel cheap. Needless to say, my expectations were blown away from the first touch. You will not be disappointed.
Sound: If you know what a piano sounds like, you know what this sounds like. I won't pretend to know how all the high end electronic pianos sound, but they can't possibly be head and shoulders above this one. Just as my fingers are easily convinced they are playing an acoustic piano, my ears are equally convinced. If you are thinking about buying an acoustic piano for your home, do it only for the value of a classic piece of furniture, not for the sound. This casio sounds so much better than 90% of the pianos I've played in the homes of people I have visited. The speakers are more than sufficient for most common uses. High notes sound like they originate from the right of center while the opposite is true for low notes, just like you would expect from an acoustic piano. Such full and realistic sound from such a compact package is shocking. You will not be disappointed.
Features: This keyboard has several other sounds besides the traditional piano. To my ear, they are all quite good. Not everyone will find use for all of the sounds, but all of the sounds will be useful to many people. I will not take the time here to describe each sound. There are YouTube videos that do a good job of that. IMO, this keyboard would be well worth it just for the piano sound; the others make for a great bonus. You can split the keyboard to play two different sounds, or you can combine two different sounds to make one composite sound. There is a library of songs built into the memory that are readily accessible. You can even transfer files from your computer to be played on the keyboard. Speaking of computers, this is a great companion for a midi enabled computer, Mac or PC. I use a Mac. After connecting a USB cable, I was instantly able to use the keyboard to trigger the midi in all three of my music creation programs: GarageBand, Logic Studio, and Band in a Box. I experienced no detectable latency in any of the programs. It just worked. You can even record your performances directly in the piano's memory and send them to your computer for editing and use with other programs. There are many useful features. You will not be disappointed.
Value: It is worth every penny of the asking price. Even so, you can find even better deals if you are willing to do a bit of searching. Yes, this is a Casio. No, this is not even the top model in the Privia line. Do not let the low price or the name brand trick you into passing this one up. From now on, I will look at Casio before looking at Yamaha or Roland. Yes, I feel just as silly writing such a thing as you do reading it. But there it is. I have got to believe that the Casio PX-130 is the best keyboard value going right now.
Cons: By no measure can this be considered a toy. Having said that, it is still made out of plastic. Nor is it that good polycarbonate stuff Apple uses for the white MacBook line. It is not industrial grade anything. It is just plain old cheap plastic. I suggest you buy a good case if you are going to travel with it. Also, be prepared for a small learning curve. Because there are so few buttons, most of the functions can only be accessed through the use of a function key paired with one or more of the 88 playable keys. That is a slightly annoying, but acceptable trade-off for having an uncluttered look. Finally, I wish there was more than one USB port. Once you have such a useful device, you will think of many ways to use another USB port or two. That is more of a wish list item than a complaint.
Conclusion: Despite the minor gripes, I gladly gave it five stars. In fact, I plan to buy another one specifically for travel. I do not write many reviews, but I felt it was important to do my part in getting the word out about this product. Casio should be rewarded for what they have done. They have successfully reinvented themselves and we are the beneficiaries. You will not be disappointed.

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The new Casio Privia PX-130 redefines the digital piano category with unprecedented sound quality and performance in a sleek package that is supremely portable. Featuring all new grand piano samples and a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard and weighing less than 25 lbs., the Casio Privia PX-130 is versatile enough for home, church, school or on stage.

Realism, Expression and Dynamics The grand piano sounds in the PX-130 delivers an unprecedented level of realism and expression. Four dynamic layers of stereo piano samples are integrated with Casio's proprietary Linear Morphing System, resulting in a grand piano sound with seamless transitions and a superior dynamic range. For added realism, the PX-130 simulates the sound of the open strings when the dampers are raised by the pedal using Acoustic Resonance DSP. The PX-130 also has 128-note polyphony, enough horsepower for the most demanding musical passages and the ability to layer sounds and use the damper pedal without worry of dropped notes. The result is a grand piano experience that is unmatched at any price.
Expressive Touch The Privia PX-130 features a new Tri-Sensor 88-note scaled hammer action keyboard. Casio's superior engineering has resulted in an authentic piano touch that captures every detail and nuance of your performance.This scaled hammer action provides the weight, feel and resistance without sacrificing the portability of the instrument.
Education Features In addition to the superior keyboard action and piano sound, the PX-130 is the perfect instrument for music education. Featuring Casio's Duet mode, the keyboard can be split into two equal ranges, allowing student and teacher to play at the keyboard simultaneously.The PX-130's built-in 2 track recorder and metronome allows you to practice any tempo and later listen back to what you just played.The recording features can also be used to capture moments of creativity and remember song ideas. The optional SP-32 pedal board simulates an acoustic grand piano by providing all three pedals - soft, sostenuto and damper.
Connect and Create It's easy to connect the PX-130 to your computer with its built in USB MIDI interface. The PX-130's 88-note weighted scaled hammer action keyboard makes it an ideal controller keyboard for using with music software applications. The USB connection also allows you to move songs to and from the computer into PX-130's flash ROM, allowing to you save songs you've created.
Versatility, Portability and Design Whether you're at home, church, school or on stage, the PX-130 was designed to tackle it all, making it a valuable investment. With its light weight, you can easily take the PX-130 from home, to the classroom or even to the gig and back with no worries. It connects easily to your computer via USB, and its Duet mode is perfect for student and teacher practice. The technology in the Casio PX-130 allows you to do it all.
Plenty of Variety Choose from 16 built in tones, and combine if desired--layered or split. Further define your sounds with four digital reverbs, four choruses, along with a brilliance and acoustic resonance setting.
Two Headphone Connections The PX-130 features two headphone connections, ideal for the duet function.
Powerful Speaker System The PX-130 features built-in speakers, with 2 x 8 Watts of output power, to fill a room with sound.
Accessorize With the optional SP-32 three-pedal unit, add damper, soft, and sostenuto pedals to the PX-130.
Optional Custom Wood Stand The CS-67 custom wood stand is available for adding a bit of elegance and holding your PX-130 at ideal level.
What's in the Box Privia PX-130 Keyboard, AC Adapter, Music Stand, User's Manual

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Yamaha DGX-230 Keyboard Bundle, 76 Keys - Includes Professional Headphones, Keyboard Stand, and Power Supply Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought the yamaha keyboard for my wife for Christmas expecting
a middle of the road keyboard,We are both impressed with the quality,workmanship and endless features of this product for the price. We would recommend this to anyone from a beginner to an advanced player.

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If you're looking for a reasonably priced piano-style keyboard, look no further than the DGX230. It's great for veterans and students alike, with 76 non-weighted keys that not only look like piano keys but have a Graded Soft Touch (GST) action with different levels of resistance, making it easier for a budding musician to move to an acoustic or digital piano.

2-Way Speaker System Separate woofers and tweeters deliver sounds in crystal-clear stereo, for more lifelike instrument voices.
Bass Boost System A special port on each speaker adds a impact to low-ed reproduction.
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Enhance sound quality with sophisticated digital effects like Harmony, Reverb & Chorus.
Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Yamaha Advanced Wave Memory technology delivers amazingly realistic sound.
Full Keyboard Mode The DGX230 delivers on its piano theme with a special mode of fingering called Full Keyboard Mode. This allows the player to play the keyboard like a piano; for example a chord with the right hand and bass notes with the left. When using the accompaniment feature, the virtual band will follow these chords. Traditional portable keyboards normally require you to chord on the left side of the keyboard, in the bass section, which is foreign to most piano players. The DGX230 is also capable of this mode, for those who prefer it.
Yamaha Education Suite The DGX230 has 30 built-in songs plus 70 more on included CD-ROM for you to learn to play using the Yamaha Education Suite. The songs are separated into left and right hand parts, providing 7 levels of lessons plus a convenient chord dictionary.
Learning features are plenty. Waiting Mode stops the song until you find the right note, Your Tempo Mode matches the song's tempo to your playing speed, and Minus One Mode plays the song without your chosen part, so you can play along.
The DGX230 will monitor your progress, giving you grades for each lesson. A Chord Dictionary is also included, displaying notes and chord names on-screen.
6-Track Sequencer Imagine capturing your child's first performance or writing and recording your own songs. With the DGX230, you have the equivalent of a built-in multi-track recorder to record one or multiple instrument parts at a time and assign each part to a different track. Six tracks are provided to accommodate sophisticated melodies, chord accompaniment and rhythm parts.
Computer Connectivity: USB and Flash ROM The DGX230 comes with 30 built-in songs plus 70 more on an included CD-ROM and an interactive lesson system, divided into left and right hand parts, for learning them. In addition, you have the ability to connect to a computer via USB, download more songs from the Internet into the internal Flash ROM (PC only), and use all of the Yamaha Education Suitefeatures to help you learn to play them. Yamaha makes it easy to get connected with the new PC button. Now, instead of wading through function menus and fighting through a maze of selections, one button is your expressway to music on the web and your computer. In addition, once connected, you can play your songs into the computer (PC and Mac), edit them if necessary, and e-mail them to your friends and family. And with General MIDI (GM) and XGlite compatibility, song data always plays back with the correct sounds.
Digital Music Notebook Digital Music Notebook is a multimedia internet service that enables you to preview, purchase, download and print learn-to-play music books and chart-topping sheet music. From scales to chords to your favorite riffs, Digital Music Notebook is jam-packed with all the secrets you need to master your instrument. Add accompaniments, record and mix yourself, sing karaoke with friends, learn new techniques while having a blast--Digital Music Notebook delivers everything you need to bring music alive! And it's included with the DGX230.
Ease of Operation There are many tools in the keyboard that make it easy to be a power user from the first day you own the keyboard.
Expandable Music Database: Complete keyboard setups by song title. The keyboard selects an appropriate voice for the right hand melody, the correct musical style and the correct tempo. Simply call up a song title and start playing.
One Touch Setting (OTS): Provides you with a recommended voice with effects for each style. For example, on a jazz style OTS might be piano, for a Latin style it might be acoustic guitar and for a rock style it might be a guitar with overdrive etc.
Registration Memory: Set the keyboard up just the way you like and take a digital snapshot by memorizing it to one of the Registration buttons. Load and save up to 16 Registrations to User memory. The Registration buttons are conveniently located just above the keyboard.
Performance Assistant Technology: Performance assistant technology is a feature from Yamaha that guarantees that you can't play a wrong note or chord. Here's how it works. Select a song, press the Performance Assistant button and play the keyboard--any notes you like. Every note you play will fit the music. If you move up the keyboard, the pitch goes up. If you move down, the pitch goes down. Play a perfect arpeggio, or play chords in time with the music, or really "go for it" and play a solo. As long as performance assistant is "on," you're "on." In addition to working with any of the internal songs with chords, this feature also works with XF MIDI files.

Master EQ: Tailor Your Sound Five different master equalizer (EQ) settings are provided to give you the best possible sound when listening through different reproduction systems—the instrument's internal speakers, headphones, or an external speaker system. You're in control.
Easy Song Arranger You can change the "feel," or arrangement, of songs by simply pressing the Easy Song Arranger button, allowing you to re-mix any MIDI file. For example, you can try your favorite song with a Rock feel, Hip Hop, then Jazz. It's fast, powerful and one-button simple.
Realistic Sounding Voices The DGX230 comes equipped with 116 panel voices, 12 drum/SFX kits plus 361 XGlite voices. Included in this selection is stereo-sampled Piano, a selection of special voices including brass, woodwinds, electric pianos, organs and more.
2 Note Polyphony and 16 Part Multi Timbrel In electronic keyboards, the more sounds made at the same time--polyphony--the more memory is needed. Obviously, more is always better, because too little polyphony can cause dropouts in dense passages of music. The DGX230 has 32 notes of polyphony and will play back 16 different parts or sounds at once (16-part multi timbrel); enough for the most demanding needs.
Digital Effects Yamaha has long been a world leader in digital signal processing technology. In fact, Yamaha professional audio products are found in most professional recording studios around the world. The DGX230 takes full advantage of this know-how, giving you an extensive range of nine, top-quality reverb effects that simulate playing in everything from a small room to a large spacious concert hall and four chorus effects that add richness to electric pianos and guitars in particular. You'll also find 26 types of Harmony effects for your melody part.
Metronome Just what the teacher ordered! A fully adjustable metronome is just a button push away.
Auto Accompaniment Styles In addition to the 100 songs mentioned above, the DGX230 also has auto accompaniment styles that "follow" your playing. Simply select a style of music from the 160 built-in styles (example Rock) and start playing. The DGX230 will create a backup band (bass, drums, strings, guitar etc.) and "follow" you through the song. You can play your songs and try different genres of music. And if you can't find the right style for your song, you can go to www.yamahamusicsoft.com, preview from the selection, purchase and transfer it to your keyboard (PC only).
Portable Grand: Industry's best piano You're never more than a button push away from the most realistic piano sound in portable keyboards today. One press of the Portable Grand button resets the entire keyboard to a stereo-sampled piano--perfect for when it's time to practice. Yamaha is known around the world for the quality of our acoustic pianos and this attention to detail is evident as you enjoy the warmth and clarity of the DGX230 Portable Grand piano. And of course, the keyboard includes a Sustain Pedal jack on the back for practicing and playing piano pieces.
Connectivity The DGX230 features USB MIDI, Sustain Pedal jack and a Headphone jack for private practice.
What's in the Box DGX230 Keyboard, Music Rest, Accessory CD-ROM, User's Manual

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Epiphone LP Standard Plus-Top Les Paul Collection Electric Guitar, Trans Amber Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had one of these amber Les Pauls for several years now. Mine has Grover tuners on it, but it's the same axe. It's an excellent value- construction is very good and so is the fit and finish. Looks sharp too. Mine has cream binding and amber skirted knobs, although they are not vintage correct. I would recomend this axe to anyone looking a for a Les Paul style guitar. The crappy stock strings should be replaced right away with some decent ones- I use Ernie Ball Slinkys... I also replaced the stock pickups- they are muddy and un-focused. Inexperinced players may be quite satisfied with them. Warning: If you replace any parts you will void the warranty!!! That's okay. Just take it to a guitar shop and have them set the intonation on the guitar-that's kind of tricky to do yourself. Some good strings and you've got yourself a pretty good LP- better than the cheap ones all over the internet. It's not a Gibson, but it's not $3,ooo.oo either...

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Hameln Essex Guitar with Translucent Red Finish Review

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(More customer reviews)my frend owns this guitar. i have seen him play it on many occasions and i think that this is a screaaaming deal for just 260.i recomend it to begginers or intermeditate. no fret buzz. frend comments that frets are sharp

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Epiphone Limited Edition 1966 G-400 Electric Guitar Heritage Cherry Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this a couple months ago, and it's become my main guitar. The heritage cherry finish on the instrument is really beautiful; the picture makes it look a bit duller. Anyways, this guitar sounds great and it has all the perks of of an SG. Easy access to all 22 frets, lightweight, looks wicked. I think this guitar looks like it came straight from hell, that's how cool it is. It has a really dark brown fretboard and all the pieces are black too, so it's just a dark and mysterious masterpiece. The pickups are alright... might have to change. My only real problems with it is that it's extremely neck heavy, which is what'll happen if you buy an SG. I solve this with a Levy's suede leather guitar strap. Also, it doesn't stay in tune for longer than 2-3 days. It goes sharp or flat pretty quickly after I tune it. And the color on the fretboard rubs off on your fingers, but it's easily washed off so that's not a big deal. Other than that... Buy this guitar, you will not regret it! It's a pretty good price too.

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Epiphone Elitist 1961 SG Standard Electric Guitar, Cherry* Review

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(More customer reviews)I just perchased this guitar for $500, and it was one of the best desicions I have ever made, but if you are prepared to spend 1300 dollars on an Epiphone, I would spend the extra $300 and get a Gibson, but if you find it between 500-900 dollars, buy the Epiphone, it sounds the same as the Gibson, but I wouldn-t spend over $1000 on an Epiphone when the Gibson has a higher resale value and better paint job.

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Luna Athena Semi Hollowbody Electric Guitar - White Review

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(More customer reviews)and she is smoking hot.
Beautiful white with a glorious neck in the vintage art deco style. I am in love.
I just started playing guitar and I bought a cheaper decent starter guitar for my first. Kept it for a week and then bought Blanche.
I did my research on Luna and fell in love with the company and their goals. As a new female player it is awesome to find a community that supports female guitar players.
I don't know a great deal about guitars yet, but I do know that the Athena sounds so sexy. I paired it with a Marshall practice amp and geeze the sound is 200% different then my $200 guitar.
The neck profile is perfect for my smaller, new guitarist hands. And really even when I play a wrong note it sounds so good I don't care.
I am taking it in tomorrow to a local shop for a custom set up.


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Epiphone Vintage G-400 Electric Guitar Worn Cherry Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this guitar from Musician's Friend on Amazon. Due to some trouble, I had to wait for it for a couple of months. It finally is in my hands and I must say I'm impressed and absolutely satisfied. There's plenty of good reviews of this guitar on the web, so I refer you to those for the features; instead, I want to focus on the quality of the product itself. There is some concern among guitarists about buying instruments online, with random reports about people receiving badly constructed specimens of supposedly quality guitars. It hasn't been my case. This guitar has been known, since it was first released, for being a big improvement in quality for Epiphone, and for being the closest reproduction of a 1961 Gibson SG, for less than a third of the price. The one I received from MF and Amazon completely lives up to such fame: completely solid, flawless construction; gorgeous looks and quality appointments; and above all, near professional performance. Like any guitar that comes new out of the box, it required some action and intonation setup, but that was all: no flaws at all in the general construction or in the finish.
A few comments on the features.
The playability is amazing. The neck has the same satin finish as the body; it's wide and flat but not annoyingly fat or thick; and it joins the body at the 20th fret, giving free access to the last frets. All this makes for a lightning fast playing guitar.
The sound is just great. The pickups are hot, they can really give you that Gibson humbucker crunch, and with high distortion it's just brutal, perfect for everything from riffs to soloing to the mighty pinch harmonic! Of course, there are things that no SG can do, but if you wanted to do those things you would be looking at Strat reviews... but it IS a versatile guitar, it can suit many playing styles, and, unlike other guitars popular in the hard rock/heavy metal world, it can handle clean playing very well.
I encourage anyone who is thinking of buying an SG guitar but cannot afford a Gibson to try this one. Other brands might offer the same quality but just lack the "original" vibe that only Epiphone, being a Gibson subsidiary, can offer... and no, I don't work for Epiphone.
EDIT: the first painful quality issue has surfaced. The wood around the input jack is thin. Due to this, any untoward pressure exerted on the area can potentially crack the wood. I turned around with the guitar plugged in, but the cord was stuck under the amp, and so the plug forced the input jack into the wood and it cracked badly. I had heard that before but I never thought it would happen. So be warned... either you take special care in avoiding this kind of situation, or you don't buy this guitar.

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Breedlove Alpine OF Master Class Mandolin, Made in U.S.A. Review

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(More customer reviews)Howdy folks. Nice to see you can buy one of these top-end mandolins off Amazon these days, but I do have some extended comments:
I'm a professional economist and a mandolin player of over 20 years' experience.
Lemme talk about economics first. There's something in microeconomics called "price discrimination." This means that producers use sneaky means to find out which of their customers might be willing to pay a higher price for essentially the same good, so that they can charge those guys more.
A good example of this would be the difference between the home version of Windows and the professional version. I think there's very few people who could state how exactly the professional version differs from the standard home version, but still, when you've got money to spend and you're setting up your new computer, you wanna buy "the best."
Now let's talk about Breedlove mandos.
Breedlove is widely regarded as the best American-based manufacturer of mandolins currently in mass production. They're fine instruments, of that there is no doubt.
But the question at hand is whether one should one plop down thousands for their higher-end, "Master Class" models (such as the one on this page, the Breedlove Alpine), or whether the Breedlove Quartz OF Mandolin, Made in U.S.A., for example, is enough for you? Nobody wants to spend a ton of money unnecessarily, even if you are loaded.
Now, I had been aching to play a Breedlove Alpine ever since reading the supremely mando-knowledgeable "Mickey" at Folk of the Wood (in New Mexico) declare it to be the best mandolin currently being produced (in a post I cannot currently locate).
But worried about paying too much for a difference that really wouldn't be worth it, I emailed the company with my question. I wanted to know what justified the huge difference in price between their lower-end but still excellent models, and their higher-end models.
I wrote: "I've had my eye on a Breedlove for some time now. But there's something I'd like a straight answer on. Breedlove has what they call a "Master Class" of mandolin, such as their Alpine. I've been wanting a really nice mandolin, but didn't buy an Alpine because I want to avoid the bright tone of the f-models. I need something a little more full and haunting for Celtic music. Anyhow . . . what I don't understand is what exactly is meant by "Master Class." Is that just a bunch of fancy gold trimmings and stuff on the headstock, or is there a significant difference in the wood, the finishing, the playability, etc. of the instrument? I'm looking for a comfortable, playable instrument but don't really care what it looks like as there's certainly no one out here to watch me play. So is Breedlove's "Master Class" just a cosmetic thing?"
This is from their snarky reply: "The finest woods, appointments and attention to detail goes into our Master Class models. IE: out of 500 pieces of wood we might find 50 that will make it to a Quartz Series Mandolin. Of that 50, only 2 or 3 will be Master Class Quality. Does that make sense to you?"
I was not satisfied with this reply, as I don't believe the phrase "the finest woods" can quite justify four grand (or whatever). But I remained determined to own a Breedlove.
Months passed. Then, one August, I found myself in a mandolin speciality store that I learned had a Breedlove as well as one of their "lesser" models -- a Quartz KO.
Wrapping a bandana over my head, I took the Pepsi challenge. I had a friend bring me both mandolins, which I played blindfolded for about 15 minutes, not knowing which was which. The point was to see if I could tell the difference from the sound alone.
Folks, for the life of me, I was not able to tell the difference. Remember I've been playing for a couple of decades.
Sure, when I took the blindfold off, the Alpine immediately struck me as more visually elegant, but in terms of the sound, I was not able to discern a difference in timbre, tone, resonance, clarity, etc. Admittedly, once the blindfold was off, the Alpine suddenly "sounded" better, but I had demonstrated this was just my mind playing tricks with me.
I know they say when you're buying an instrument you should splurge for the best you can afford.
But I am the proud and happy owner of one of their "lesser" jobs: the Quartz. It's all I need.

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Gibson Les Paul Studio 60s Tribute Electric Guitar, Worn Ebony, Left Handed Review

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(More customer reviews)Excellent value, workmanship is excellent, setup perfect for my preference-string height perfect, no buzzing. Very good tone from neck and bridge pickups in all three selector positions. Quality is exceptional - Can never go wrong buying a Gibson!! I own twelve Gibson's- From the Les Paul Custom to the Melody Maker, Flying V's to Firebird. The Goldtop Rocks and when I say that I mean it kicks butt!

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The 1960s Tribute Left-Handed electric guitar consists of a basic Gibson Les Paul chassis with all the essential elements needed to rock including a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece and Kluson-style tuners keep it all rock-solid and resonant and its gnarly P-90 tone stays true to the Les Paul style. A solid, carved maple top and chambered mahogany body give the Les Paul Studio '60s Tribute the same tonewood combination that has been helping Les Pauls rock for nearly 60 years. Authentic vintage-style finishes present a guitar with the look of a well played original, while the instrument's unbound body and neck keep it in line with the popular Les Paul Studio line. The headstock of the Gibson Les Paul Studio 1960s Tribute is equipped with Grover Kluson style green keys. With a gear ratio of 14:1, these tuners deliver precision tuning in a durable housing that provides maximum protection for the gear and string post. The Gibson Les Paul's Tune-O-Matic bridge, sets a standard for simplicity and functionality that has never been bettered. The Tune-O-Matic provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. Both the neck and bridge position pickups are equipped with cream-colored screaming single-coil P-90 pickups. The P-90 was the standard pickup on all Gibson guitars in the late 1940s and into the 1950s and because of its crisp, bright tone it has experienced resurgence in popularity with many of today's modern rockers. These classic Gibson guitar pickups deliver sizzling, slightly gritty midrange roar. You'll find that the P-90s' high output and biting treble has more nuanced harmonic coloring than the typical single-coil pickup.

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