Acoustic Guitar Review!Eastman E20D Solid-WoodDreadnought Acoustic Guitar

Everything Guitar Network

Brevis...

Price: $1,500

Likes: traditional build, open dread sound

Dislikes: sunburst finish a little blotchy

Wow Factor! classic tone at 1/4th the price

More info: Eastman E20D

by John Gatski

  Let's face it. The world economy is bringing products to the US that we once thought would be impossible to make elsewhere. Twenty years ago, a high-end, Asian acoustic guitar was somebody’s dream. But today, the guitar market has changed. Low-end guitars from China and Indonesia are as common as USA-made Silvertones were in the 1960s, but also there are more and more top-class guitars being made in China.

  The Eastman Instrument Company has been making premium jazz guitars, mandolins, cellos, violins, and woodwind and brass instruments for decades, and began producing quality jazz guitars in the early 2000s. In fact, I wrote a review on Eastman’s first hollow body single pickup jazz guitar back in in 2003. It was bit rough by today’s company standards ,but it played nice and was a full, carved solid wood archtop.

  Today, Eastman Guitars has a full line of upper-end guitars, including acoustics. These guitars are designed to rival Martin, Gibsons and other USA-brand, top hand-produced acoustics. Based on my review of the E20D dreadnaught, these guitars are pretty darn good, especially when you can can buy them at 1/4th the price of a USA-brand equivalent.

Features

  The E20D acoustic is a full-sized, solid-wood, dovetail neck, dreadnaught — similar to D28 Martin upper-end models. It features solid, Adirondack spruce top, solid East Indian rosewood back and sides, 1940s traditional style, 5/8th-inch, scalloped X-bracing, ebony fretboard with snowflake inlays and herringbone/plastic body binding. The glued-in, dovetail neck is solid mahogany with a 25.5-inch scale length. Body width is 16-inches and body thickness is 4 and 23/.32-inches thick The rosewood veneered headstock gets Gotoh vintage style open back tuners.

 Because of the extra emphasis on the midrange/low treble, the E20D is an excellent fingerpicker for a dreadnaught. Some dreads are not great fingerpickers because of the extra mid-bass. The E20D, however, has a rich, percussive character.

  The E20D also sports bone nut and saddle with a carved ebony bridge. The guitar comes standard with Diaddario EXP light gauge strings (.012-.053) and is shipped in a nice case. In the case, is a stick on pick guard you can attach yourself — if you want to lessen the chance of scratching the top with a pick. I left it off. since the pick guard does have some sonic mute effect on the treble. The E20D is offered in a natural finish and the E20D-SB sunburst model, which I received for the review. There are also other dreadnaught, jumbo and parlor-sized Eastman models.

The audition

  The E20D reminds me of recent Martin reissues that pay homage to by-gone eras of the classic acoustic guitars. The E20D is closest to the Martin D28 Marquis or HD-28V Adirondack Edition — with their forward-shifted, scalloped bracing — which dates back to the late 1930s and solid Adirondack spruce tops, which is harder and relays a crisper, midrange and low treble with a tight, authoritative bass. In fact, the E20D looks a lot like the D28 Marquis in sunburst.

  Upon closer inspection, the E20D bracing is not quite like the Marquis standard “golden era” X-bracing that crosses once inch from the soundhole. The E20D braces cross about 1.25-inches behind the soundhole.

  The E20D’s top has that customary Adirondack wide-spaced grain and its apperance was accentuated by the thin, nitrocellulose lacquer finish. However, the E20D-SB test sample finish had some irregular blotching in the sunburst, which is not as attractive as blemish-free top-graded tops, but the aesthetic does not affect the sound.

  Inside, the perfing and braces looked professionally glued in and uniform, with just a smidgen here and there of excess glue. The saddle was little taller than I normally see from a top-grade Martin or Gibson acoustic, but the action was setup to compensate for it, and the action felt nice with the light strings.

  The Eastman E20D really showed its power. It is very close to the tone of a D28 Marquis — with a slightly brash midrange and low treble but plenty of volume.

  The E20D was a fresh guitar, and as such, needed time to season before I did any serious playing. Its initial tone was fairly loud, but a bit constrained as the wood was still quite “wet” The inside was very dark and damp looking. Thus, I left it out of its case for several months, playing it only occasionally.

  After four months, of “drying,” the Eastman E20D really showed its power. It is very close to the tone of a D28 Marquis — with a slightly brash midrange and low treble, but plenty of volume. Now I have played some D28 Marquis’ that were not as open as others. The broken-in, seasoned E20D was quite open under full strum, with perhaps a little less bass volume than the best Marquis, but enough volume to play with a Bluegrass band, and a bit of top-end sparkle. It reminded more of late 1950s D28 in sonic texture. Though not as midbass pronounced as an Adirondack-top Martin, the E20D bass performance, nonetheless, was quite good, a tight mid bass that was in balance with the mids and treble.

My Tester Eastman E20D

  In my sound SPL level test, using an AudioControl RTA, I measured the E30D sound level at full strum with a large triangle fender medium pick. With the light EXP strings, I got 96 dB at 1 meter. Plenty loud to keep up with a banjo or other acoustic instruments. The loudest acoustic I have ever played was a Martin D28VS at 99 dB.

  The Eastman neck/fretboard has the Martin feel with easy to fret and pick. My fingers never felt cramped. The guitar’s high saddle was compensated by a medium action, Thus, the string tension was m manageable. When I switched to Martin SP light/medium strings, the pinch to the fingers was more noticeable. If I played these strings, or true mediums on a daily basis, I would plane down the saddle a bit.

  Because of the extra emphasis on the midrange/low treble, the E20D is an excellent fingerpicker for a dreadnaught. Some dreads are not great fingerpickers because of the extra mid-bass. The E20D, however, has a rich, percussive character that gets more pronounced if you have a bit of extra fingernail.

The verdict 

  In this increasingly global world of commerce , the Eastman Instrument Company has learned how to compete in the musical instrument realm. Its jazz guitars and acoustic guitar line, such as the E20D tested here, is faithful variation of a USA-made dreadnaught with just a bit of extra mid/treble sparkle to give it is own character. After a few months of seasoning, I was impressed with its playability, quality setup and feel. Best of all for the customer, this guitar is only $1,500. A dovetail, lacquer-sprayed Martin D28 Marquis will cost you about $5,700. There are of course, less expensive Martin with different fretboard and bridge materials, and the mortise/tenon-attached neck, such as the HD-16 Adirondack ($3,199), but feature wise, the D28 Marquis and the HD-28V Adirondack, ordered through the custom shop, are the intended competitors.

  Don’t get me wrong. Heck, I love Martins, and I have saved up the extra cash many times to buy various top-end models, including a John Gatski-custom OO-28V and my beloved J-40 standard, as I love USA-made instruments. But if you can’t afford the American brand, there is nothing wrong with looking at an Eastman. They are excellent acoustic guitars, and there electrics ain’t too shabby either.

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Acoustic Guitar Review!2014 Taylor 810E Acoustic Guitar:“Rebraced Dreadnaught SeriesNets More Bass, Overall Volume"

Brevis...

Price: $4,000

Likes: Bigger bass volume

Dislikes: prices keep going up

Wow Factor! A more balanced dread’

More info: Taylor 810E

by John Gatski
  Over the years Taylor guitars have developed a reputation as an acoustic guitar that has a great cutting presence, with a tight, focused bass. They have become quite popular as “live performance as well as recording guitars. But vintage acoustic buffs often lament about Taylor’s perceived lack of low-end power, versus the venerable Martin D-28 or a Gibson Advanced Jumbo dreadnaughts that have plenty of bass oomph.

  Well, this lack of low end is no longer the case with the Taylor’s new 800 series dreadnaught (810, 812, 814, 816 and onboard pickup and cutaway versions) . A redesigned, Taylor bracing pattern now adds much more authority to the low end — without sacrificing the punch, present midrange and high-end sound Taylor is known for.

  As part of an update of several models with reworked bracing and ultra-thin finish, the Indian rosewood/sitka spruce top 810 dreadnaught series is the best version of the popular dreadnaught that I have ever auditioned. And I have played numerous Taylor dreadnaughts — from the early ones to various recent standard and customs.

  Trust me the 810 can be played with a Bluegrass band, Rock, Country, etc. and not get lost. And you will notice a significant bass boost. The sample I auditioned had enormous power that got louder, when I switched to uncoated strings.

Features

  The 810 series includes the non pick-up, standard non-cutaway 810; the non-cutaway 810E, with Expression internal pickup/preamp system, tested here; and the 810CE (cutaway), which also is equipped with the Expression pickup.

  The 810 series features Taylor’s standard, bolt-on, tropical mahogany neck with a 25.5-inch scale length. The comfortable, satin-gloss neck’s width is 1-3/4 inches and features a varigated ebony fretboard. The 16-inch body is comprised of solid Indian rosewood and a two-piece, solid sitka spruce top with fantastic uniformity in the grain across the two pieces. The company’s ultra-thin, 3.5 mill UV cured polyurethane finish protects the body, but allows it to move to provide impressive volume.

"The new 810E is the best sounding Taylor dreadnaught guitar I have even played and worthy of our Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award!"

  Of course, the key to the new 810’s performance is the advanced performance bracing. This bracing optimizes top vibration in the lower and middle frequencies to greatly increase volume. The combination of the forward shifting of the X-bracing, that was done ten years ago, with the newly implemented “relief routing” in key braces, produces a much louder bottom end than the last 810 that I played in 2008.

  The new 810E test guitar produced a loud mid- and low-bass without being boomy, and the overall volume is significant. In my opinion, the bracing changes make it a better balanced dreadnaught. This guitar would have no trouble staying with a brash banjo players or an aggressive fiddle player in a Bluegrass band.

The 810CE: a cutaway version with electronics

  As found in the new 800 Series Taylor guitars, the 810 features rosewood pickguard, Tusq/micarta saddle and Ping nickel tuners. The setups on Taylor guitars are always excellent with perfect action and intonation up and down the neck. My tester was no exception. For $4,000, I expect these niceties from a made-in-USA acoustic guitar, and Taylor delivers.

  The Taylor 810 Series, as with most Taylor guitars, comes in a well-padded, heavy duty, case to protect your precious guitar. I have noticed in recent years that other guitar companies are starting to cheap out on the cases. Not Taylor. In fact, they still make their own cases.

The audition

  I first tried the Taylor 810E with its stock Elixir coated strings. Upon its first play, I could tell the bass authority was much enhanced over the older Taylors. I have played. Yet the midrange and treble were not lost. It seems that the increased bass, with a mild increase in midrange volume, makes the 810, a much more balanced dread — at least in my book. I have played some Martins that have had too much bass bloom — where the bass overpowers the top end, but other Martin models, such as the 1950s Brazilian rosewood/sitka top D28 produce a loud bass that is perfectly matched by the top end.

  The Taylor reminds me, in essence, of a late 1950s D28‘s projection and tonal balance with an authoritative bottom end. I won’t say that an 810 sounds exactly like a ‘59 D-28, but the new 810 does exhibit a desirable balance of tonal balance with significant volume on the bass without bass boom — a trait of the old D28.

The new  810s get increased power via enhanced bracing

  After several days of paying the 810E with the Elixir phosphor bronze strings, I changed to D'Addario phosphor bronze, medium strings and the sound was even better, That powerful bass and crisp highs now had a more pronounced midrange punch. Flat picked notes using a Fender triangle medium were loud and clear, as were aggressive strumming. Versus the old model, the 810 has a significant dynamic range bump, without compressing under hammer strums. Volume-wise, I measured 95 dB at full strum with the test mic at one meter. This guitar can be loud.

  But as powerful as it can be with aggressive strumming/picking, the 810E was a pussy cat for fingerstyle playing. Yes, the bass was a bit louder than the old models, but you still get clarity and definition with finger-picked notes, as Taylors have always excelled. For extensive finger picking, I would go down to light strings for easier playability, but even with mediums, I got a great tone, though a bit tougher on the finger tips.

The 810E's Expression pickup controls

  Plugged in, the 810E, offers Taylor’s Expression System acoustic electric tone, which I have always liked. It is not so etched or shrill on the treble strings and records smoothly. To my ears, the enhanced bracing does not make so much of a difference plugged in. Which is typical of onboard pickups; they kind of take away some of the wood’s natural acoustic character. A really good microphone, such as the Shure SM-81 or Audix SCX-25, really showcase the mic’s true tone.

The verdict

  Overall, I am quite impressed with the new package found in the Taylor 810. As a result, the Taylor 810 picks up volume in the low to mid bass without being boomy, and there is a bit more midrange punch as well. The result is a better balanced, Taylor dreadnaught guitar, louder playing volume, yet the top end is still pure Taylor. The bracing does not make it sound exactly like a Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz dreadnaught, but the enhanced design gives the Taylor tonality a desirable volume boost in the low end and midrange. The new 810 is the best sounding Taylor dreadnaught guitar I have even played and worthy of our Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award!

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Acoustic Guitar Review!Martin Grand J-28LSESolid Wood Baritone

“Amazing Volume From Martin Baritone"

Brevis...

Price: $3,999 Retail

Like: Real loud, intoxicating bass

Dislike: bigger strings, bigger callus'

More info: Martin J-28SLE

by Ty Ford

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE baritone acoustic guitar is a cross between a bass and a guitar. The body isn’t particularly bigger than typical jumbo-sized guitars, but the neck is slightly longer to accommodate the longer scale. It does not look that unusual. You might just think it is just another full size acoustic — until you play it and hear how much volume it projects.

Features

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE is termed a Grand J, 14-fret model which is slightly larger than a the normal J series (J40). The key to its distinctiveness is the 27.5 inch scale neck, as opposed to the typical 25.4-inch scale of modern dreadnought and typical jumbo acoustic guitars. Longer scale gives you a wider octave spectrum of notes from which to play, including lower-than-standard bass notes.

  To accommodate the longer scale and to drive the top, the Martin J28LSE is set up with bigger strings — .70-.014. In contrast, typical dreadnought strings run .56 to .013. Martin supplies the guitar with Martin Lifespan strings .014 to .070 strings for baritone tuning, which are made for Martin by Everly Music, under the Cleartone banner. The Cleartone strings are treated with an ultra-thin layer that resists contamination from finger grime and oxidation, yet has less of a dampening effect on the string tone. 

  The J28LSE body is made from solid East Indian rosewood and the top is a solid sitka spruce. Finished in Martin’s standard, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the natural sample sent to me was an excellent example of a finely made, made-in-USA guitar. The top is designed with Martin’s standard ''X'' bracing and progressively scalloped tone bars. The fingerboard is ebony. The modified, low-oval neck is made from “select hardwood” (usually mahogany or Spanish cedar) and finished in the satin. The neck is thinner than my 1969 D28S neck and feels comfortable. Fifteen frets to the body, twenty-one total, no cutaway. The fingerboard width at the nut is: 1-3/4-inch; the fingerboard width at the 12th fret and bridge is 2-1/4 inches.

  To capture the big sound of the J28SLE while plugging in, the guitar is equipped with a D-Tar Wave Length Multi Source pickup system comprised of an under saddle pickup and a small omni mic mounted at the lip of the sound hole. There are two controls. One varies the volume of the mic, the other is a master volume control for both. The AA-battery compartment is inside the sound hole, which requires moving the fifth and sixth stings to change the battery — a negative in my book. I think every acoustic guitar built today should have batteries accessible without dropping the strings. Martin does so on its Performing Artist Series.

Getting acquainted 

  When you first pick up the J28LSE and start to strum, the first thing you’ll notice is that the strings are bigger. When you start playing it, you are immediately intoxicated by the increased bass response of the guitar. The Martin SP LIfespan 92/8 phosphor bronze strings that come with it run from .014 to .070 are significantly heavier than the normal mediums I use. Martin’s Tim Teel also says you can run with standard mediums and tune to “E” to “e” to have the more familiar feel, but the baritone setup is where you get the power.

 When you first pick up the J28LSE and start to strum, the first thing you’ll notice is that the strings are bigger. When you start playing it, you are immediately intoxicated by the increased bass response of the guitar.

  With baritone tuning, the slightly longer scale means those first four frets are wider requiring more finger stretch. The fingerboard is 1 3/4” at the bone nut. A little wider than a D28; more like my 1969 D28S. The larger gauge of the strings and their tension has a lot to do with the massive sound, as does the construction of the instrument.

As a result, even if you capo up to the second or third fret, this guitar sounds a lot more massive than a regular six string tuned E to e. Using a capo on the fourth fret or above, however, takes away the real mojo of the open or low-fretted fifth and sixth strings.

  At first, I though that players who are used to lighter strings would be put off by the bigger stringed J28LSE, but my friend local actor/singer Pete Papageorge (petepapageorge.com) stopped by to take the baritone for a spin. Though he normally plays lights on his acoustic, he said he quickly got used to the string tension and longer scale.

The audition

  Normally, I am fingerstyle player and don’t use finger or thumb picks. The day after playing for several hours, the outside edge of my playing thumb was tender from working the bigger strings. New calluses formed as I continued to play.

  Because my finger nails seldom last and regular maintenance is too fiddly, I trim them and play with flesh. That results in a softer sound. After working with a flat pick and enjoying the attack, I tried a National medium on my thumb. After getting used to it, I was very pleased. Clean, clear and punchy. The J-28LSE sounds larger than life. The 4th, 5th and 6th have a lot of power. I found myself sort of waiting for my thumb to hit the sixth string to savor the big low note. Boom! What fun!

The old and the new: D28SL and J-28SLE

  As a vocalist, I’m a baritone and the best key for my singing voice, melody depending, is “A.” I’m used to singing the the same notes as the fifth and sixth string notes on my guitar. “A” baritone guitar goes even lower; to a “B” or “C“ below the “E” to which guitars are normally tuned. So, if you play a first position “E” chord on a baritone, what you get is a “B” or “C“ chord, depending whether you tune from “B” to “b” or “C” to “c.”

  This down tuning difference caused me to rethink songs on my list. If the baritone is tuned “C” to “c,” when I play a first-position “A“ fingering, I’m really playing an “F.” So I had to transpose some songs or learn to play them with differing fingerings; not very efficient. What it did do nicely is put some songs I like to sing in range, without having to use extreme capo positioning. So, some gain, some loss. Caution: After playing the J-28LSE for a few days, my D28S, which most folks tell me sounds great, felt small and sounded thin.

Comparisons

  Appalachian Bluegrass here in Baltimore had both the Taylor six-string and eight-string Baritone on the rack, but no Martin baritones. I made an appointment with Tim Kolberg and stopped by with the Martin baritone to check them out and see how they compared. After spending about half an hour with the J-28LSE, I switched to the Taylors. When I switch to my old Harmony 12-string, it normally takes a while before my right hand gets used to the double strings. I felt the same sort of awkwardness with the Taylor eight string, but it did have a very rich and complex sound.

  The six string Taylor felt good, but the action was slightly higher than the Martin and I think the strings were slightly lighter gauge. Both Taylor guitars were brighter than the Martin; Taylor bright, if you get my drift. After playing the six string Taylor for about twenty minutes, both with and without the Bose system that Appalachian Bluegrass has set up, I switched back to the Martin. There was the big Martin bottom, and it was also obvious that the Taylor, with its tone controls centered, sounded scooped in the mids and smaller.

  Tim and I thought maybe if the bottom on the Martin wasn’t quite so big, the sound would be more balanced. Maybe with a .065 instead of a .070 on the sixth, a .048 or .050 instead of the .054 on the fifth and maybe a .038 to .40 instead of a .042 on the fourth and the low end would tuck in some.

The J28LSE body is made from solid East Indian rosewood and the top is a solid sitka spruce. Finished in Martin’s standard, gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, the natural sample sent to me was an excellent example of a finely made, made-in-USA guitar.

  Martin only offers one set of big strings, so, at Tim’s suggestion, I contacted D’Addario to search for alternative sizes. If you like experimenting with string gauges, D’Addario makes a very complete line of single and three pack Phosphor Bronze strings from .020 to .070 that you can buy online. They were kind enough to forward me Phosphor Bronze .039, .047, .049 and .064 for this review. Swapping out to lighter fourth, fifth and sixth strings did make for a more balanced sound that was easier to record, but I have to admit, I sort of missed the big low end.

  I noticed that the .070 and .064 sixth strings were a little quieter than the other five; more so with skin than with a pick. I’m not sure if the strings’ frequencies were below the resonant frequency of the body or something else. I restrung with a set of Keyser PowerCore Phosphor Bronze (KA230) Mediums that run .013 to .056. I use those strings on my D28S Martin. I tuned “E” to “e,” as Tim Teel of Martin had suggested. The J-28LSE sounded noticeably brighter than these strings ever sound on my 1971 D28S, probably because of the scalloped tone bars. Not high-strung bright, but definitely brighter. All strings were equally loud.

Recording the beast

  I found that the J-28LSE’s huge low end was too big for my usual recording methods, swapping my Schoeps CMC641 microphone when placed eight inches from the body. Next I tried a Neumann U 89i, in omni mode, to reduce the proximity effect. The J-28LSE was still huge, but I could get the mic closer. That, however, still didn’t give me a sound I liked. Bottom line: I think this guitar needs a little more mic space than others. Pulling back the mics to about 16-inches to 18-inches worked best.

  As I continued to work with the J-28LSE, my performing style began to change. I capo’d on the second fret and used the fingerings that I knew to try to bring some of the songs back into my vocal range. I could hit the notes, but many were in the bottom of my register and below the power range of my vocals. That meant I was singing softer and with less force. After a while I realized that I liked that a lot more than my “regular” voice on some songs, which, to me, can be a little harsh, even as a baritone.

Taking more than one guitar to a gig is a chore, but you can eliminate the extra case by using the J-28LSE and a capo. Capo’ing on the 4th fret brings a C tuning back up to E with 12 frets to the body. 

  Flat pick strumming the J-28LSE required a new touch. I usually use medium picks for the folky, strummy stuff, but lights worked better because mediums overworked the 4th, 5th an 6th strings making the low end sound jumbled and muddy. If you’re flat picking is less folky and more bluegrass, picking out individual notes, you’ll do just fine with a medium pick with the Martin. If you’re used to banging the chords out for rock, you may have to pull back and/or use power chords rather than full chords because you may overplay the very responsive low end strings. Just switching to a Fender Light flat pick cleaned up the bottom and made the guitar sound a lot brighter.

  Taking more than one guitar to a gig is a chore, but you can eliminate the extra case by using the J-28LSE and a capo. Capo’ing on the 4th fret brings a C tuning back up to E with 12 frets to the body. Unless you are currently playing up the neck a lot with a cutaway, this is a very workable solution to the too many guitars conundrum; give your regular guitar (and the bass payer) the night off and just take the J-28LSE and a capo.

The verdict

  The Martin Grand J-28LSE baritone acoustic requires adjustments to your regular playing style to maximize its advantages over a regular jumbo or dreadnought, but it is a great sounding and nice playing guitar. It offers new playgrounds in tonality, string choice, pick choice and key choice. It’s definitely worth a trip to the store to have a Grand J-28LSE in your hands —  so you can find out for yourself, but watch out! That low end is very intoxicating.

  Ty Ford is an accomplished musician and professional;l audio recording engineer. be reached at www.tyford.com

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Wireless Guitar System Review!Sony DWZ-B30GB Transmitter/Receiver"Entry-Level Wireless Relays Clean Audio"

Brevis...

Price: $499 Retail

Like: •Exceptional Audio Quality,

•Robust Build-Quality, •Six Channels

Dislike: •No Functional Complaints

More info: DWZ-B30GB 

by John Gatski

  Wireless guitar systems have improved so much in the last few years that plugging-in now means attaching a little box on your belt with a small locking cable and a receiver box placed near your amplifier. No longer is it necessary to run a big, long cable into your amplifier or rack of pedals. Even in the studio, wireless boxes make it much more convenient.**A textbook example of how-to-do-it-right in a high quality wireless transmitter/receiver system is Sony's DWZ-B30GB, a low-cost setup that performs with DW’s that cost twice the price. 

Features

  Contained in a belt clip transmitter/standard-sized receiver set, the Sony DWZ-B30GB Wireless system allows guitar players to relay their precious signal via**a 24-bit/2.4 GHz wireless signal with six user selectable channels. At $499 retail, the package is perfect for onstage players for acoustic or electric guitar who want a more upper-echelon signal delivery at a not over-the-top price.

  The easy-to-attach, belt-clipped, compact ZTX-B01 transmitter (3-inches tall by 2.5 inches wide), connects to a guitar — via 1-meter 1/4-inch-to-1/8-inch locking connector cable. The front panel contains a small channel indicator, channel selector button and a power button. The screw-on belt clip is a sturdy metal design that gripped my belt pretty well.

Belt-attached transmitter

 The transmitter runs on two AA batteries. The transmitter contains a mic/instrument switch to allow use of a dynamic mic, as well as a guitar. An attenuator switch enables three gain schemes: (0 dB, -10 dB and -20 dB). A top-mounted lock/unlock switch enables the user to prevent accidental adjustments during a performance.

**The six frequencies range from 2.4022 GHz to 2.47825 GHz and a narrow/wide switch allows tuning to a slice of the frequencies that is less susceptible to interference from similar wireless signals.

The receiver

  The ZRX-C30 receiver unit features balanced XLR, 1/4-inch instrument level outputs, as well as a handy 1/4-inch tuner output. Onboard controls include cable selector (1a through 1b), which is a cable “tone” generator that simulates the “sound” of a real cable, from 1 meter to 25 meters; the onboard DSP progressively rolls off the high frequency as you select the larger number.

**A USB jack is contained on both the transmitter and receiver, but no explanation in the manual. I figured it is used for software updates, which was confirmed by Sony.

Full-featured receiver

**The ZRX-C30 includes LEDs for the power, transmitter/receiver RF connection and the receiver’s receipt of audio. The receiver is powered by a 9V battery or an included 12V adapter.

  The kit includes the transmitter cable, AC adapter, belt clip and CD and paper manuals. Overall, for an entry-level wireless system, the Sony DWZ-B30GB build is robust — with its metal enclosures and sturdy switches. You can buy cheaper, but not with this quality.

The audition

  I used the wireless in my home studio with my rig of guitar amps, as well as straight into my mixer and into an A/D converter, recording straight at 24-bit. Guitars included a Gibson Les Paul Studio equipped with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucker pickups, a standard Fender Telecaster American Series, a Mark Knopfler Custom Strat with Custom Shop 57/62 single-coil pickups and a Gibson L5CES with Classic ‘57 humbucker pickups. I also hooked up a mono channel output from my Nord Electro-3 (Hammond B3 mode) to wirelessly transmit a signal to a Fender Twin Reverb combo amp.

  To test the robustness around other wireless signals, I also turned on an older wireless mic system at the same frequency, thus, giving me the chance to use the DWB30GB’s narrow frequency mode.

The Sony DWZ-B30GB is a first-rate, digital wireless system for those who need just a single-channel input/output. Its robust digital, 24-bit signal was as clean as the proverbial digital audio whistle.

  As a basic, single-channel wireless system, the Sony DWZ-B30GB worked like a charm. The first thing I noticed was how clean and extended the signal was. My old vintage style 20 ft. cable often picks up room noise from other components, which gets magnified through the tube guitar amps. The Sony wireless was much cleaner, and with more dynamic punch to the audio. The humbucker pickup guitars had much more audible high-end attack, yet without losing their inherent warmness; this wireless sounds great. Driving the overdrive mode in a Line 6 amp with the Les Paul, also sounded more distinct with less mush than with my vintage cord. Only high-end music cords give me this kind of sound.

  Delay was negligible, and any interference from the other wireless was nil when I flipped the Sony DWZ-B30GB to the narrow mode. I never had a drop out in close or when moving into another room.

  My extreme distance test for Sony DWB30GB was playing the guitar from the top level of my five level Cape Cod house. I wanted to record a really loud, distortion track through a Line 6 amp — without blowing out my ears; playing five floors away was an effective way to “play it loud.” I hit record, went to the top floor, played the riff, then went back to the recorder to play it back. The recording was spot-on with no drops out or audible anomalies. Talk about a long distance track.

 As a basic, single-channel wireless system, the Sony DWZ-B30GB worked like a charm. The first thing I noticed was how clean and extended the signal was. My old vintage style 20 ft. cable often picks up room noise from other components, which gets magnified through the tube guitar amps. The Sony wireless was much cleaner.

  If you want to muddy up the sound like a cheap, long cable, the cable tone dial changes the sound, and successive clicks roll off the high frequency. However, because a digital wireless’ virtue is its clean, full bandwidth delivery, I was much more interested in that sound than the dirtied up sound of the cable simulator circuit.

  Using the Nord keyboard in the Wurlitzer electric piano mode and the Sony wireless, through a mono output, I was able to relay the signal across a 20 ft. room with any wires. Yay!. And again, the sound was super clean through the Fender Twin Reverb reissue — with a tighter, more distinct upper midrange and treble than the standard 25 ft. cable I usually use.

  With its mic mode, I did a bit of singing through an Audix I5 dynamic plugged into the ZTX-B01 transmitter. Again, the dynamics, and low noise of the digital system were readily apparent. The sound was extremely tight, versus the 25 ft. Whirlwind cable.

**The Sony DWZ-B30GB ergonomics are first rate, as well, with the included cords and easy access to the battery compartments. The locking, guitar-to-transmitter cord worked perfectly. Battery life was robust as well. In fact, I had no complaints with the Sony DWB30GB. Well, maybe just the yellow legend around the dials. But that has nothing to do with its performance.

The verdict

  The Sony DWZ-B30GB is a first-rate, digital wireless system for those who need just a single-channel input/output. Its robust digital, 24-bit signal was as clean as the proverbial digital audio whistle, even in the narrow mode, and it could transmit from considerable distance. For its mic or instrument transmission capabilities and fine performance, I also gave the Sony DWB30GB an Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award.

©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.

Acoustic Guitar Review!New Martin D18 Standard Dreadnaught:“Mahogany/Spruce Favorite Gets New Vibe”

Brevis...

Price: $2,899 Retail

Like: More bass, comfy neck

Dislike: this one had tight tuners

More info: Martin New D18 Standard

by John Gatski

  From the late 1930s, the standard bearer for mahogany dreadnaught acoustic guitars was the non-scalloped, braced Martin D18. From Bluegrass, Folk, and Country to Progressive rock, the D18’s cutting, crisp tone and rhythmic could do it all.

  For 2012, the D18 finally receives key performance upgrades that improves playability and gives it enhanced bass response and loudness — right out of the case. For the first time in 70+ years, there is no longer a standard, non-scalloped braced D-18; the new D-18 Standard, retail priced at $2,899, gets the forward-shifted bracing of the old D-18V. Couple that new bracing pattern with the new Modified Low-Oval/High Performance neck dimensions from the Performing Artist Series, and you got yourself one great USA-made acoustic guitar.

Features

  The new D18 Standard’s main ingredients are the premium sitka spruce top and genuine mahogany back and sides. A mahogany (or Spanish cedar) neck and ebony fretboard and bridge complete the wood trimmings. Other changes include the Modified Low-Oval/High Performance neck, brown tortoise shell pick guard and open tuners. Dimensions are typical of C.F. Martin dreadnoughts including the versatile 25.4-inch scale neck length.

  The key difference between the new D18 and the old standard is the bracing. Whereas the old D18 used the long-running, non-scalloped X-bracing pattern that crossed about 1.5 inches from the sound hole. The new D18 gets the bracing from vintage D18V (no longer made). The vintage 18-style bracing crosses 1-inch from the sound hole and is scalloped to allow for more vibration of the top. The bracing is based on the late 1930s Martin dreadnaught X-brace pattern. The new D18 also gets a vintage-spec bridge plate, which also enhances the volume of the top.
  The body is sprayed with a slightly tinted vintage toner and finished with the classic Martin nitrocellulose over coat. The neck is finished with a satin toner. The black pick guard from the old Standard also has been changed on the new D18 Standard. It is now the tortoise-shell style, stick-on pick guard — seen on various models in various vintage models. I think the tortoise shell color pick guard looks more classic than the old black version, which is still used on the D28 Standard.

With the new version's sonic improvements, enhanced midrange projection and fuller bass, thanks to the vintage-style braces, the D18 is now even better.

  Neck-wise, the D18 Standard is now equipped with the new neck dimensions that first showed up in Martin’s Performing Artists Series guitars. Based on my sample, the new D18’s Modified Low-Oval/High Performance neck is much easier to play with a medium action saddle than the older standard neck D18s. In fact, it was a joy to play. Much less of the medium-string tensioned, finger fatigue of the old standard neck when using a higher action saddle. The new neck feels perfect for strumming or flat picking. 
  Spec-wise, the 25.4-inch scale length neck measures 1-3/4 inches wide at the nut and 2-1/8 inches wide at the 12th fret. String spacing at the bridge is 2-3/16 inches. The neck‘s outer dimensions result in a slimmer taper at the 12th fret, making the new D18 much more comfortable than the old standard neck, which is still used on many of the standard Martin rosewood models, including my beloved J40. With the new neck, however, my hand did not feel as cramped, especially in the first five frets, and it allowed for faster chord changes and fretted notes. The neck on my new D18 Standard review sample was as comfortable as any Taylor I have played with medium strings.

No more black pick guard

  As previously mentioned, the bracing is vintage, forward-shifted, scalloped sitka spruce x-style that crosses one inch from the sound hole. This bracing pattern is well known to those who have played the D18V, HD28V and many other modern vintage-spec Martin models. This ‘30s style bracing allows more of the top to vibrate, and to my ears, the new D18 Standard has more bass right out of the box, compared to the previous standard D18.

  The D28 Standard still has the old non-scalloped, non-forward shifted style, and I have spoken to some Bluegrass players that still prefer the tighter bass of the non-shifted non-scalloped braced Martins. Having played numerous Martin dreadnaughts — with and without the forward-shifted bracing — I hear more bottom end in the forward-shifted brace guitars. Thus, this bracing change really helps the new D18.

   The new ’18 still utilizes the 1930’s style ebony belly bridge as the Vintage series, but the bone saddle is the modern, drop-in version, as opposed to the glued-in version of the Vintage line.

  As with the old versions of the D18, the new standard D18 has no neck binding, but is adorned with the simple, dot neck fret markers. One notable departure from the old D18 is the tuners. The old enclosed tuners have been replaced with the vintage style open tuners, made for Martin by Gotoh. 
  The tuners look retro and they tuned to pitch, but on this early sample, several of them were very hard to turn with the standard medium strings. I have played numerous Martins with the open tuners and never have experienced such tight turning knobs. I figured that, maybe, this early sample had some offset in the peg head holes — causing the strings to pull harder.

With the new neck, however, my hand did not feel as cramped, especially in the first five frets, and it allowed for faster chord changes and fretted notes. The neck on my new D18 Standard review sample was as comfortable as any Taylor I have played with medium strings.

  The overall fit and finish and construction of the new D18 Standard sample I auditioned was first rate. No excess glue inside the body, purfing was straight and the neck set was absolutely perfect. (The only cosmetic blemish in the wood was a small “pitch pocket” in the spruce top.); Martin sure knows how to build ‘em in that Nazareth, PA factory. 
  The D18 comes in a quality, vinyl TKL-made case to protect this fine guitar. The guitar comes with its end piece removed to reduce the chance of a drop-induced body crack during shipping, a calamity that I have witnessed in the past. 

The audition 
  In a word, the new D18 Standard is the best modern D18 I have ever played! I have played numerous good-sounding 1950s and early 1960s D18s, but I have never been a big fan of the early 70s and later standard D18s. They never seemed to have quite as much bottom as the older ones. The vintage style D18V had more bass, and the new D18s uses the same bracing, giving it more power. Plus the extremely player-friendly Modified Low-Oval/High Performance neck makes the new D18 play so damn easy. 
  Rhythm bluegrass strummers and pickers will love the full-bass and loud, articulate midrange of the new D18 Standard. At full strum, it could easily hit 93 dB on my decibel meter at three feet. Versus a 2000s era D18 Standard I borrowed, the new D18‘s sound was much more mature with the scalloped, forward-shifted bracing. The old Standard version, in my opinion, often took years to get decent bass projection. that the new one has brand new. 
  It is not as loud and crisp as the red spruce topped Golden Era Martin D18, but I think the tone is better controlled. The new standard D18 is warmer, but still has great midrange and top end. Right out of the case, this guitar can perform 100 percent with a Bluegrass band or folksinger. The loud midrange can compete with the banjo and the bass offers up the rhythmic bottom end you expect from a fine acoustic.
  Those rockers who like the Martin sound will also love the easy playability of the neck. Fretting and note picking is really comfortable, and despite medium saddle height, the medium Martin SP Lifespan strings did not tire my fingers.

  In recording the D18 with various microphone at 24-bit, I heard the classic Martin mahogany/spruce sound, that is plenty loud and oozes that cutting tone when aggressively picked. The best D18 I have ever played was a 1953; The new one I tested was very close — with that ripe bass and healthy top-end projection. 

  As good as it is as a flat picker and strummer, the new D18 Standard dreadnaught still is a mighty fine finger picker, producing warm tones that are easily coaxed from the fast, low-profile neck. But those sounds are never too dark; it’s a good choice if you want a big body, finger picker. Less dark than the rosewood-bodied 28 Series Martins. 

The verdict 
  With the new D18 Standard, Martin has breathed fresh air in to the world’s best known mahogany/spruce top dreadnaught. The mighty D18 has been popular with country, bluegrass, folk and rock musicians for more than 70 years. With the new version's sonic improvements, enhanced midrange projection and fuller bass, thanks to the vintage-style braces, the D18 is now even better. You don’t have to wait for the guitar to season for five years. It is loud and full right now. Throw in the Modified Low-Oval/High Performance neck that is so easy to play and you’ve got yourself the perfect Martin dreadnaught. Highly recommended and worthy of the Everything Guitar Network Grade A Award.

 ©All original articles on this site are the intellectual property of the Everything Guitar Network. Any unauthorized use, via print or Internet, without written permission is prohibited.