mb66 140

Product description



　　I will record some playing audio when I can but with a 7 month old baby I haven't found the time to drag out my mics now that my preferred strings have settled in. I also took several years off from playing and was never great to begin with so when I do post it will purely be for tonal comparison purposes. No Molly Tuttle playing White Freightliner for sure.

　　What is it?

　　Basically the Alvarez MPA66 but with a Indian Rosewood fretboard and bridge (vs Indian Laurel) and a gloss unpainted body.

　　Either version is already a spec sheet killer if you want what I was looking for which was:

　　Parlor or 00

　　solid top, back, and sides

　　12 fret

　　short scale

　　slotted headstock

　　slope shoulder

　　lower bridge placement

　　and maybe all mahogany

　　All for $799 before your Sweetwater guy sweetens the deal a bit.

　　If you want the LA Guitars Martin Custom Size 00-15S but don't have $2200 or plan to mistreat* the guitar like I do this could be a good fit. A Blueridge br341m seems to check all the boxes but is rare and starts well north of $1k. If you are ok with laminated sides there are some options for even less.

　　Fit and finish?

　　Near perfect, action was low, no aesthetic issues other than the slightest little tooling mark from a cnc machine on the Alvarez bridge. This thing would be even more of a killer if the whole body was in satin like the neck. I am also going to take a harder look at the frets and see if they could be polished a little smoother. Jury is out on the g string nut slot but no pinging or binding. I also need practice restringing a slotted headstock.

　　In pictures the figuring of the rear looks a little "Georgia O'Keeffe" but in person it isn't as noticeable so I still should be able to play in front of kids without being put on a registry.

　　Why did you buy this?

　　I wanted to try a real all mahogany small body guitar. I've been listening to too much Colter Wall lately and though I wasn't even sure I wanted that sound I needed to get it out of my system. I didn't want to spend a ton as this guitar will likely see some s##t over the years (cue war flashback meme).

　　How does it sound?

　　To be frank, out of the box, kinda bad/weird but with a hint of promise. Alvarez puts D'Addario XTAPB1253 on this guitar which seem to have lower tension than other 12-53s and so maybe the lack of tension and the short scale caused some tonal issues beyond the strings not having settled in. The low E lacked any body but the worst part was there was no shine or sting in the treble...in an all hog parlor. That said I wishI could have kept that easy playability because once I threw on a set of John Pearse 12-53 (and gave it a day or so) I had everything I had hoped for tonally but the tension was not nearly as relax.

　　Tonally this thing thumps and has no shortage of bass but all of it is very clear. Just enough body and overtones to be full and interesting but in a sweet and reserved way. You can pluck the low E like Colter and get that Western thwap but played gently with just your finger and you are treated to a lovely experience as long as you are in quiet space. The treble strings sing and shine and have a character too them that makes them really enjoyable even if they can sting you at times given the clarity.

　　All that said it is still really early and we are getting to know each other. I knew what to expect from my 2020 D-18 and it delivered in spades. This was more of a educated guess that seems to really have panned out despite the initial moment of pause.

　　*I jokingly said I plan to mistreat this guitar and in some ways its true. My baby boy likes being played to and if I get close enough he grabs a handful of strings and wacks the guitar trying to understand where this amateur western version of Baby beluga is coming from. I don't want him to have to stop explorer this mystery device. Some day soon he will likely toss a toy at the guitar and that's ok. I also plan to bring it in my vintage van when I take him down to the beach for a chill session/nap. None of these things felt like a great ideal with a minty D-18 that has a $2800 MSRP (god I hope everyone can still get them at a reasonable price now that Maury is closing up shop).

　　The glossy (poly?) finish will help protect the guitar from baby attack and mishandling as well as my half-hearted attempt to keep it properly humidified. It can accompany me out on the deck when the solo stove is going or travel with me into less than ideal climates and situations. Should someone bypass the locks on my 60's van it won't be the end of the world or something I would have to forego replacing due to family responsibilities. In addition, since this Alvarez with the funny (but possibly thoughtful) bridge isn't my dream small body I can show it respect without worrying I am risk damaging or losing a partner.

　　Maybe after enough years that will change but the plan is for this to be my son's first real guitar when he is ready so we shall see. Maybe by then I'll want the experience of starting fresh with something of his own. I'd hate for him to be hesitant or be nervous about really enjoying the guitar because it was Dad's for all those years and now has to much sentimental value to get banged around in transit to whatever he is doing.

　　If the guitar meant that much to him then I guess he must have had a happy and memorable childhood and I did ok.

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