La Patrie Etude Acoustic Guitar Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a nice La Patrie Etude model classical-style acoustic guitar that I picked up at my local flea market. La Patrie is an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars and their instruments are made in LaPatrie Quebec. I think Canada may have more luthiers than lumberjacks. Maybe. I have owned a few of their instruments in the past, and came away mostly impressed with what they have to offer.

When I first picked up this guitar, I was impressed by the sound and, and even more by the seller’s asking price, which was right about as low as you can for any new guitar, and it is certainly more playable than many entry level instruments. The condition was good with no cracks or repairs, no fret wear, and some scratches on the top from exuberant playing. It also came with a hard case, so it had to come home with me!

The Etude is a pleasant-looking guitar, with a solid cedar top, and wild cherry (play that funky music) back and sides, which is probably a laminate. The finish is sort of a semi-gloss lacquer, and the body has a simple binding around the top and back. It is not too big, measuring 11 inches at the upper bout, 15 inches at the lower bout, and it is around 4 inches deep. On the downside, the rosette looks a little cheap and the cedar top is very prone to scratching and dings, but it is what it is.

Mahogany is used for the neck, with a rosewood fretboard and headstock front laminate, and it appears to have the same satin finish as the body. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck (gasp!), which allows for a little thinner profile, so it is more comfortable to me than other classical guitars, despite the standard 2-inch wide nut. 19 medium frets are sunk into the fretboard, and they are level with nice edges.

For this guitar, Godin specified black and gold lyre tuners that look kind of funny, but are of barely acceptable quality and hold kind of well. They also gave it first-rate Tusq (by Graphtech) synthetic bone nut and bridge saddles, and a rosewood bridge. Oh yes, and It is nice and light, weighing in at around 3 pounds, 9 ounces according to my scale. The seller threw in a hard case that is uglier than sin on the outside, but quite beautiful on the inside. Bonus!

So, in my opinion, this Etude is a nicely made guitar with no weak points thanks to its solid materials and good craftsmanship. It sounds good and plays well with a sweet and balanced tone. It is has of impressive volume when played hard, and has a nice low-end. It is pleasant to play, and would be a great first guitar, which was my intention when I bought it. I usually try to keep a few nice starter guitars around to loan or sell to friends that are looking to get into playing their own music.

When it come to purchasing a La Patrie Etude, used is the only way to go. MSRP on these is a $524, with a street price of about $399 (with no case), but they sell all day long on the used market for $100 to $150, often with a hard case. It is hard to go wrong for that kind of money - if you get the chance, try one out for yourself!

Mahalo!

La Patrie Collection Acoustic Guitar Review

Hiya!

Today we are looking at a very nice La Patrie Collection model classical-style acoustic guitar, which is their top-of the line instrument. La Patrie is an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars and their instruments are made in La Patrie, Quebec. I think Canada may have more luthiers than hockey players. Maybe not.

I first heard of La Patrie guitars when I was doing some research on a Simon & Patrick acoustic guitar (also made by Godin), and I noticed that this the parent company’ line of classical guitars. Since then I have played their Presentation model (one step from the top), and figured that I had better compare it to the Collection model.

The Collection is a smart-looking guitar, with a solid spruce top that supposedly comes from trees that average 800 years old. When I think about how old those trees are, I feel pretty bad, but maybe they collect the wood from trees that are already dead. Anyway, the back and side are formed from very nice solid Indian rosewood, and there is a simple white binding around the top and back. The body is finished in a semi-gloss lacquer, and Godin makes it a point to say that it is very thin to allow the top to vibrate more freely and to allow the wood to breathe and age better. More on this later…

The neck is made of satin-finished Honduras mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. There are 19 medium frets, and they are finished well with nice edges. The neck maintains the traditional classical guitar string spacing and nut width of (2 3/32 inches), but it has a lot thinner profile than usual. This leads to a huge deviance from traditional construction, in that the neck employs a dual-action truss rod. More on this later, too…

The rest of the specifications list contains no bad surprises either. The black and gold lyre tuners are nice quality and hold well. La Patrie also equipped it with a first-rate Tusq (by Graphtech) synthetic bone nut and bridge saddles, and a rosewood bridge. I mentioned earlier that the frets are good, and the overall construction is very nice too. The finish is pretty and the braces are nicely cut and glued, and I cannot find a visible flaw on this instrument.

The last pieces of the puzzle are how the Collection plays, and how it sounds, and the results are mixed.

I like the feel of the instrument. For a classical guitar it is a little heavier than I expected, coming in at almost 5 pounds, but it is nicely balanced. The thinner profile neck is very comfortable, making it feel a lot more easily (king of like a steel-string acoustic). The action is a tad high, but I was able to get around the fretboard with no troubles or buzzing.

Unfortunately, tone is where this La Patrie guitar falls short. It has a muffled sound, like the top is not able to resonate freely. Despite the company’s assertions that they apply a super thin layer of lacquer, this thing seems like it has a ton of finish on it. The Presentation model I played had a lot thinner finish, and a lot better sound. Also, I have to wonder if the thinner neck is giving less of the juicy classical guitar sound that I expected. Either way, this guitar is just not working for me, and I am disappointed that their top of the line model does not sound as good as their cheaper instruments.

This one might just be a clunker, so I have to recommend that you try before you buy. MSRP on the La Patrie Collection is a mere $825, with a street price of about $695 and I see them on the used market for around 400 bucks. Be careful, my friends!

Mahalo!

Seagull Coastline 12 String Acoustic Guitar Review

Hello!

Today we are looking at another nice 12-string acoustic guitar out of Canada, a Seagull Coastline S12. Seagull brand acoustics are one of the best values out there. They are part of the Godin family of guitars and are made in Quebec. Canada using mostly locally sourced woods (there a lot of trees in Canada, you know). Anyway, I am pleased with the sound, quality and price of this guitar and it gives the entry-level Martin and Taylor guitars a real run for their money.

The Coastline S12 is a handsome dreadnought guitar with a pressure-tested solid spruce top, and pretty laminated wild cherry on for the back and sides. It has a simple blindingly white binding around the top and back, and it has been sprayed with a thin semi-gloss finish that does not muzzle its tone.

This Seagull’s neck is made of flamed Silver Leaf Maple, which is a wood I had to do a little research about. This species is native to northeastern Quebec, and has the same density as mahogany, but it is less porous so it can have a smoother finish. These necks are sanded and buffed by hand, and this one is really quite smooth.

The Tusq nut is 1.8-inches wide and there are 21 well-finished medium frets sunk into the rosewood fretboard. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck, but I have not needed to touch it as this guitar had a great set-up right out of the box. The intonation is good, probably helped in part by the compensated Tusq bridge saddle. The sealed tuners hold well too.

The craftsmanship is first rate, and if you go the internet you can see for yourself that these instruments are made in a small town by luthiers that care about what they are doing. They have a lot of pride in what they do, and it shows in their guitars.

The Coastline is a fairly normal-sized dreadnought, measuring about 5 inches deep and 16 inches across the lower bout. So, it fits well in the lap or on a strap and it is comfortable to play. It also has a fairly narrow nut for a 12-string, and it plays very easily. If you are coming from a 6-string dreadnought it would not take too much adjustment to your playing style if you pick up this twelve-string. You might want to keep in mind that it is a bit heavier than your usual 6-string, coming in at around 5 pounds, 6 ounces.

Besides playing well, it also sounds nice! It has a bright tone that is balanced well with a good low end, and of course it produces good volume when played hard. As I said before it holds up well when compared to the $1000 entry-level Martins and Taylors. Particularly when you consider the price of this guitar…

The Seagull Coastline S12 has a list price of $620.00, and a street price of $499.99. I have seen them a bit cheaper than MAP online, so make sure you shop around. I do not know how they can sell them this cheaply, and this is the best value in the entry-level 12-string market. Check one out if you get the chance!

Mahalo!

La Patrie Presentation Classical Guitar

Hi there!

Today we are looking at a very nice La Patrie Presentation model classical-style acoustic guitar. They are an incredible value. La Patrie is an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars and are made in LaPatrie Quebec. I think Canada may have more luthiers than lumberjacks. Maybe.

When I first picked up this guitar, I was impressed by the sound and the build quality of this guitar, and even more by the price, which is less than half of a comparable guitar.

It is a pleasant-looking guitar, with a solid spruce top, and rosewood laminate back and sides. The neck is made of mahogany with an Indian rosewood fretboard. The finish is sort of a semi-gloss laquer, and the body has a simple binding around the top and back.

The black and gold lyre tuners are nice quality and hold well. It has first-rate Tusq (by Graphtech) synthetic bone nut and bridge saddles, and a rosewood bridge.

The neck is made of a Honduras mahogany, with added sections for the headstock and heel. It has the same satin finish as the body. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck. The nut is 2-inches wide, which is pretty much the standard for classical guitars. The neck is a little thinner profile, so it is more comfortable to me than other classical guitars. There are 19 medium frets, and they are finished well. This one had a great set-up right out of the box, and the frets are finished well, with nice edges.

So, overall it is a nicely-made guitar, with solid materials. But, it sounds good and plays well too! It has a sweet, balanced tone. It is has of impressive volume when played hard, and has a nice low-end tone. It is pleasant to play, and would be great to gig with.

It is nice and light, weighing in at around 3 pounds, 15 ounces according to my scale.

MSRP on these is a mere $589, with a street price of about $479. You will not find a better guitar for the money.

fyi -- I did have a little trouble with this one, as a small crack developed near the edge of the top. There was a question of whether an impact caused it, but the shop went ahead and took care of it, with a very nice repair that was very hard to see when they were done.

Excellent customer service!

Mahalo!

Simon and Patrick Songsmith Acoustic Guitar

If you are looking for the best bargain in the acoustic guitar world, I have found it for you. The Simon & Patrick Songsmith guitars are an incredible value.

Oh. You have not heard of these, have you? Simon & Patrick guitars are an offshoot of the Godin family of guitars. They are handmade in a 3rd world country (Canada) in LaPatrie Quebec. My understanding is that they are subsidized by the government. Sort of a make-work program for luthiers, I guess.

I found out about them when I asked my repair guy about bargain acoustics, and his shop just happened to carry them. I was impressed by the sound and the build quality, and even more by the price, which is less than half of a comparable Martin or Taylor guitar.

Today we are looking at a Songsmith model, which is also available as a Folk model. The only difference is the smaller body on the Folk, which gives a little thinner tone.

It is a pleasant-looking guitar, with a solid spruce top, and red wild cherry back and sides. The neck is made of maple with an Indian rosewood fretboard. The finish is sort of a semi-matte burst, and the body has a simple binding around the top.

The sealed tuners seem to be of acceptable quality, although time will only tell if they hold up. It has first-rate Tusq (synthetic bone) compensated nut and bridge saddles that are made by Graphtech.

The neck is made of a single piece of maple, with added sections for the headstock and heel. It has the same satin finish as the body. There is a dual-action trussrod in the neck. The nut is 1.72-inches wide, so it is a little narrow if you do a lot of finger picking. There are 21 medium frets, and they are finished well. This one had a great set-up right out of the box, and the frets are finished well, with nice edges.

As I said, the top is solid spruce, which has some compound curves in it above the soundhole to make it a bit louder, and to make it more structurally sound. Supposedly, it reduces the amount of fingerboard pressure on the top. It is flat on the bridge end, to allow the necessary vibrations to take place.

So, overall it is a nicely-made guitar, with solid materials. But, it sounds good and plays well too! It has a sweet, balanced tone. It has impressive volume when picked hard, and has a nice low-end tone. It is pleasant to play, and would be great to gig with.

If you need to plug in, S & P can hook you up with a model that has a B-Band A3T preamp and piezo transducer. The control panel is unobtrusive and has controls for volume, treble, middle, bass and presence. There is a battery compartment near the endpin jack socket. The B-Band system does an impressive job of amplifying the acoustic sound. I have not been a fan of the tone of piezos, but it works as well as other ones I have seen on much higher-priced acoustics.

The only downsides I can see are if you play left-handed (you’re out of luck), or if you are looking for something with a flashier appearance.

I have saved the best part for last: the price. MSRP on these is a mere $429 (without electronics), with a street price of about $320. You will not find a better guitar for the money.