.:woodsong sw-300:.

    Well, my old Gibson finally had to be retired due to damage caused by lack of humidity. Watch those videos and let that be a lesson to you: humidify your guitars! Anyway the search for a new instrument was utterly depressing. My requirements were simple: great sound, solid wood and a nice action on the fretboard. Far simpler to say than it is to do, particularly with regard to budget. Suffice to say, trying to find a solid wood acoustic for under a thousand bucks will exercise your sanity, maybe even exorcise it.

    Serendipity, thankfully, strikes like lightning. Not long after my poor Gibson fell stricken I got an email from a new company that just started putting out acoustic guitars: WoodSong. These are made by the same people who make GoldTone banjos, which generally review very well. In looking around I had played various unimpressive instruments like the Martin D-15 in all mahogany, which had a nice sound but the feel and finish were so far from a D-28 I'd swear it was made by a different company. I had considered Gibson and Taylor as well, but a solid wood instrument from either of those companies would have nuked my budget and forced me to think about how nutritious my own shoes might be. The lasting appeal of poverty aside, I decided on the SW-300 model from WoodSong.

    Shipping took a while, and it took an email from me a week after payment to get a tracking number, but all of my questions were answered promptly and the guitar arrived on time. These complaints are minor given that WoodSong is a new operation and that I ordered my new guitar the day after they announced availablity to the public. The website is also fairly inaccurate, and I would suggest contacting WoodSong with any questions you might have if you do indeed decide to place an order. For example the guitar shipped with a pickguard, but it was not installed. Had I known the option existed I would have had it installed at the factory.

    The instrument was well packaged: the included hardshell case was wrapped tight inside a plastic bag, which in turn was wedged snug into a double-thick cardboard container. It is worth keeping the cardboard even after the seven day trial period, making a good way to pack the guitar for transport. Kudos are due to UPS as well for they were unusually gentle with this shipment: there were none of the holes and chawspit stains that always riddle any package I get from the Brown.

    After extricating the case from the corrugated sarcophagus in which it was shipped I found it cool to the touch, more like cold the touch. Excited though I was there would not be any chances taken today: the last thing that I wanted was to tune a 40 degree instrument in a 70 degree room. I opened the latches but left the case closed and took off to get some chips and beer, which, in the end is always a pretty good idea. When in doubt, go buy some beer. In any case it is obvious that these guys really want you to receive the same instrument that they send out from the factory. There was more packing surrounding the guitar inside the case! After all of the layers of insulation were pulled away I discovered that the guitar had made it here in perfect shape.

    The instrument is visually impressive. It happens to look exactly as it is portrayed in the images on the WoodSong website, rather than in the text description. The wood of the rosette matches the back and sides, and is accented with pearl. The headstock inlay, fret inlays and bridgepin inlays are also all of pearl. On the WoodSong website it is mentioned that the top binding is of ivoroid but the pictures show abalone. The pictures are correct, the top is bound in abalone/celluloid in a BAB pattern, with maple edge binding matching that of the smooth ebony fingerboard. The side binding is a little different than the top, done in a BWAWB pattern. When you add the mahogany back and sides to these jewel-like inlays, and sink it all under a thin but really glossy nitrocellulose finish, well, let's just say again that I am truly impressed. The inlays, the fit and finsh, and the setup [I cleaned the somewhat dirty fretboard, then tuned up] are all excellent, much more than I had expected. Even a semi-compensated saddle for the treble strings. There is a whole lot more going on with this guitar than the website tells you about and I hope WoodSong changes this. This instrument looks and feels superb, and it deserves an accurate description for potential buyers.

     WoodSong touts their 'Slimline Profile Neck' as something special and after playing I tend to agree with them. The bound fingerboard [slightly wide in the hand, slightly thin back-to-belly] and really slick [but not glossy] finish on the neck make playing this guitar feel a lot like playing an electric, but there is still a chunky, woody feel. The finish on the fingerboard is perfect, and the finish of the back of the neck and frets nearly so. These are a little rough, but wear will take care of such slight imperfections: an unplayed guitar should feel unplayed.

    This instrument has one of the most well-rounded tones I have ever heard. Most acoustic guitars I have played have been either too shimmery or too bassy and muted for my taste. This thing sounds like a wily soundman has sneaked in some sort of invisible EQ: the instrument gives a full, ringing sound from all areas of the fretboard. I admit that I was afraid of having made a mistake in buying the mahogany version over the rosewood model but my first few strums put those fears to rest. I am sure the SW-400 is just as fine an instrument but to my ears the combination of the mahogany sides and spruce top make for some very special tones. It is a full and balanced sound, a sound that I have heard on very few guitars. The instrument has a look and feel that I have not seen nor felt in any mid-priced acoustic guitar. The action is smooth and low, and the setup perfect right out of the box. My only gripe, aside from the inaccuracies of the website, is that there are some spotty discolorations on a few of the tuning machines. I really can't say enough positive things about this instrument. It is so impressive that now I want to try the 12-string laminate model in order to see if the same quality and sound holds up over the range of products offered by WoodSong. I have always been a one guitar guy, and when my Gibson became unplayable I was heartbroken. Sooner or later I will get that old Gibson fixed, and on that day gladly become a two guitar guy thanks to WoodSong.

.:soundclips:.

Signal chain:  Condenser mic>Mixer>soundcard. Recorded at 44.1/24 and rendered at 22/16 for sake of file size.

Sample 1    -    My big condenser placed a foot from the headstock. Mic is pointed at the 12 fret.
Sample 2    -    description

.:images:.