Staff "POTW"...

By now, you might think that all we like to talk about here at Portland Music Co. is expensive, high-end acoustic guitars. Well, truth be told, we really do like to talk about them. We're also acutely aware, however, that there are a myriad of other fine acoustic instruments out there which deserve the spotlight, as well.

It's in that regard that we bring you the "Pick Of The Week" (hereafter referred to as "POTW"). The POTW isn't always going to be a wildly expensive acoustic guitar (but it may be on occasion). it could be a ukulele, or a mandolin. It could be an accessory that we've decided falls into that "bang for the buck" category. Whatever it is, we're going to tell you all about it.

The POTW is intended to bring you what our staff here at PMC @ Broadway deems to be a good quality product which represents a good, solid value. Sometimes it might be pricey, and sometimes it might be inexpensive, but it'll always be a value-rich selection. 

For our inaugural POTW selection, we've chosen the T100D from Lâg Guitars.

Lâg Guitars is a French company, founded in the Occitania region of France, by master luthier Michel Lâg-Chavarria. Lâg has produced guitars since 1980, starting with the Beast "superstrat" models and, most recently, to the Tramontane line of acoustic guitars.

Lâg Guitars are made in China, in Lâg's own factory. The models we currently have in stock here at the PMC Broadway store are from the Tramontane 100 and 200 series.  They feature solid Red Cedar tops, and laminated Mahogany backs and sides. Headstocks and fingerboards are Indonesian Rosewood. They feature graphite nuts and resin, compensated saddles. Like the fingerboards and headstock overlays, bridges are Indonesian Rosewood, and bindings are Mahogany. All models feature high gloss finishes.

The T100D has a 20 fret neck which meet the body at the 14th fret, and it has a 43mm (1.693") nut width.

My first impression upon unboxing my first Lâg, which was the T100D, was that it was very lightweight; much more so than I'd expected. I grabbed my tuner, got the guitar ready to go, and gave it a strum on a G chord.

The Lâg Tramontane T100D...

 

The Lâg Tramontane T100D...

Nice.

Because the guitar is laminated Mahogany, I expected it to be rather balanced, tonally speaking, and it certainly was, with nothing too overbearing on either end of the tonal spectrum. There was enough high-end clarity to balance out the surprising amount of low-end gusto. The action was set very nicely; not too high and not too low. It was, in my estimation, the right height for a guitar coming out of the box when the end user is yet to be identified.

Examining the fit and finish of the guitar, it's clear that these guitars are a cut above what we've come to expect (unfortunately) with instruments in this price range. The gloss finish is clear and bright, with no lapses or dull areas. The gloss neck was smooth and comfortable.  The binding has beautifully rounded edges, a feature typically found on much more expensive instruments, making it a very comfortable guitar to play.

The graphite nut is something new to me on an acoustic guitar, but it certainly seems to be an attribute. Tuning is effortless, accurate and smooth. The tuners; Lâg's own, are a closed case design which work very well, and turn cleanly with no binding. The T100D is equipped with D'Addario 80/20 light gauge strings.

Lâg headstock and tuners and graphite nut...

So, with all of this said, how does it sound?

Well, it sounds pretty darn good, to be completely honest with you. Don't get me wrong, it's probably not going to give a Brazilian Rosewood Dreadnought a run for its money but, for a guitar in this price range, I'm having a difficult time thinking of the last time I was this impressed. The action was nicely set, and the intonation was pretty spot on all the way up the fingerboard. It has a bright, almost airy quality to it that I really liked.

A solid Cedar top, gloss finish, comfortable playability and a comfortable price? It would take me the better part of a day to even begin to find anything negative to say about this guitar.

Hmmmmm.

It doesn't come with free lessons. There; there's something negative although not really something about the guitar.

I have people asking me all the time what the best "entry level" guitar is. Well, to be frank, there aren't many differences, quality-wise, between Brand X and Brand Y when you're discussing entry level instruments. For $399.95, though, Lâg allows you to add a few more dollars into the equation and, in return, get a guitar that is anything but "entry level".

Simply stated, the Lâg Tramontane T100D is one of the stonger values you're likely to find out there in this price range...

"The One"...

NAMM is fun.  Really, really fun.  It's where the manufacturers pull out the stops, lift the governors off their engines, spin their fancy tires and try to woo your socks off.  Well, this year, there came that special moment when we'd played her, fell instantly in love and knew we just had to have her...

So, without further adieu...

May we please introduce to you...

Our new love...

Our Brazilian beauty...

Our lovely, big bottomed girl...

Taylor PS18.  

(can you hear the angels singing yet?)

Taylor PS18...

It's hard not to gush about this guitar. It really is that special.  So special, in fact, that we did everything we could to make sure that we got this one.  Not one yet to be made.....but the one we fell in love with.  

Gushing aside, we're sure you'd like some details:

 

Brazilian Rosewood has a long and storied history and is, by almost every measure, the "holy grail" of tonewoods. When it's used on a guitar of this stature, it takes on an almost mythical quality. It's difficult to acquire and it's not inexpensive. But it's Brazilian Rosewood, and that matters.

This year, Taylor Guitars introduced their new body style, the Grand Orchestra (designated X18). The idea behind it was to reinvent the Jumbo. In doing so, they actually introduced a guitar which is closer to the Taylor Grand Symphony size than the old Jumbo. Pairing this new body style with this old growth Brazilian Rosewood and a European Spruce top has resulted in an amazing sounding guitar.

Let's just say that the PS18 is an extraordinary guitar in every respect, and definitely falls into the "investment instrument" category. The craftsmanship is exactly what you would expect from Taylor. It's simply impeccable.

For the uninitiated, "PS" stands for "Presentation Series", and represents the pinnacle of the luthier's craft. It's not only an incredible sounding guitar, but the workmanship which goes into the elaborate inlay work is unparalleled:

The exquisite detail of the Paua shell inlay...

The top, back and sides of the PS18 are trimmed in Paua shell...

The ebony armrest on the PS18, trimmed in Paua shell...

The ornate peghead of the PS18, complete with Gotoh 510 tuners...

The inlaid bridge of the PS18...

Let's talk about aesthetics. We think the one word which best describes the PS18 is "spectacular".

Paua shell adorns practically every surface of the guitar; the top, back and sides are all trimmed, as are the neck, bridge and peghead. The Nouveau Paua inlay, standard on the Presentation Series, is along the fretboard. This is one beautiful instrument.

The PS18 also features the Laskin armrest, developed by Canadian luthier Grit Laskin. The Paua trimmed Ebony armrest is perfectly executed and offers the player a level of comfort that allows you to play for hours on end without feeling the typical arm fatigue.The guitar also features a Brazilian Rosewood backstrap and antique gold Gotoh 510 tuners.

Of course, how a guitar looks is only one part of the equation and, it could be argued, not the most important part. Above everything else, the sound of a guitar needs to reach out and smack you around a little bit. Well, the PS18 just isn't that subtle. The PS18 lulls you into submission and mesmerizes you with its beauty right before it reaches out with a gut-punch that knocks the wind out of you.

Brazilian Rosewood enjoys the reputation it does for good reason. In the case of this guitar, it produces a low frequency response that's warm and round, and which seems to take days to decay. There's a quality to the overtones which can only be described as piano-like. The high-end, while subdued when compared to woods like Maple or Koa, has a glass-like quality which almost shimmers when strummed.

The stunning, milk chocolate brown of Brazilian Rosewood makes for a visually striking instrument...

As if the beautiful inlays and remarkable woods weren't enough, there's a level of scarcity with this instrument that's rarely found from a large builder like Taylor Guitars. Only 13 of these guitars are being made for the entire North American market. This example is the first of the Brazilian Rosewood PS18's, and one of only two which have been built thus far.

If you'd like more information about this exquisite guitar, call or visit Carrie. Our phone number is 503-228-8437, and our address is 2502 NE Broadway in Portland.

5 Star "Off Menu" Delicacy.....

Working in a guitar shop can be a lot of fun. I mean, let's face it, there are certainly worse ways to make a living and, as with any other job, I suppose, every once in a while you happen upon a day which makes your job seem just a bit more cool than it normally is.

This past Monday was one of those days.

Some background:

Last October, Carrie (our fearless leader and store Manager) and I had the privilege of visiting Taylor's huge campus in El Cajon, California. During that visit, we were able to select woods to be used on "Build To Order" (BTO) guitars. The cool part about that is that the woods offered up when we visit Taylor are quite often woods which might be wildly figured, rare, or otherwise just normally hard to come by. The pinnacle of such wood is known as being "off menu", meaning that it's not listed on Taylor's BTO options sheet.

We enjoy a ridiculously close relationship with the folks at Taylor Guitars, and that sometimes reaps rewards. We work hard to represent their line and, in return, they'll help us out when and where they can.  We knew we wanted something special and we knew we wanted something spectacular. With the help of Joe Bina and Andy Powers from Taylor Guitars, that's exactly what we got.

Laid out before us in the "wood room" were stacks of amazing Koa, Walnut, Madagascar Rosewood, various flavors of Spruce; you name it. As gorgeous as all of it was, though, there was nothing that really reached out and grabbed us by the throat.

"C'mon, Joe", I recall us saying, "we want something special".

He looked down at the stacks of wood before him with a quizzical look on his face. He thought. He pondered. And then he had it.

"Okay, hold on".

As he returned with a set of wood under his arm, he uttered those magic words that we always long to hear: "Okay, I don't have too much of this stuff. It's off-menu".

Those magical words.

"Off menu".

He set the wood down in front of us, almost reverently. He laid it down as if he were afraid it might shatter. He stepped back and looked at the wood as though he had just discovered fire. Well, it wasn't fire.

It was Amazon Rosewood.

Joe Bina checks a Grand Auditorium template against the Amazon Rosewood we selected...

Carrie with our sets of Amazon Rosewood and Alpine Swiss Moon Spruce...

It didn't take us long to decide that we wanted to offer a guitar built from this to our customers and, with the help of Andy Powers, we paired the Amazon Rosewood with some Alpine Swiss Moon Spruce (which was also off-menu).

We left Taylor Guitars that day very happy with what we managed to do. As a direct result of our close ties with Taylor, we were able to get a very special wood set to offer to our customers in the form of a Taylor "BTO".

Well, that guitar showed up a mere 49 days after we put it on order:

Taylor Guitars "Build To Order" in Amazon Rosewood and Alpine Swiss Moon Spruce...

Incredible grain patterns abound...

Cosmetically, we took some liberties. We opted for a bound soundhole, which is actually not unusual, as it's one of the classier options offered in BTO. In our case, we opted for Ivoroid binding on the body, soundhole and along the blank fretboard. Since we'd already gotten an off-menu wood set, we decided to find out how far we could take it. We started with an Amazon Rosewood peghead veneer and matching truss rod cover (both gloss). Then we brought the Amazon Rosewood flair down to the top of the guitar, which has a slight bit of bearclaw in it, by including an elegant Amazon rosewood rosette.

Look at your BTO sheet and let me know when you find those options.

I'll wait.

Detail of the Ivoroid bound soundhole and Amazon Rosewood rosette...

A full shot of a very classy rosette...

Amazon Rosewood peghead veneer and matching truss rod cover...

The back of the guitar, which shows off the Ivoroid binding...

Visually, this guitar is stunning. It's almost over-the-top in its simplicity. But a good looking guitar is only that: good looking. "How does it look?" is only one third of the "big question trifecta", which also includes "How does it sound?" and "How does it play?".

Sonically, the guitar is an absolute joy. The Adirondack bracing we opted for pairs ridiculously well with the Alpine Spruce top, and allows the top to resonate freely and brightly. The Amazon Rosewood permits all of the attributes you'd come to expect from Rosewood, but with a slightly increased bass response and rich overtones. The highs are almost crystalline, and there's a distinct separation among the notes which you don't necessarily expect.

This guitar is a strong strummer, and those who lean towards using a pick will not be disappointed. The description "lap cannon" fits here, and it fits well. Likewise, the guitar is extremely responsive and warm when played fingerstyle and the top has a sweet resonance which is difficult to describe with words. Think of the feeling you get when you're working out at the gym, and you're all hot and sweaty and then you walk outside and that first blast of cool brisk air hits your face.

That's how sweet it is.

So, yes, the "How does it sound?" question has been answered.

That leaves us with that third aspect; the missing piece to the fire triangle of our impending guitar bliss:

"How does it play?"

The guitar is short scale and at 24-7/8" it plays almost effortlessly. The slightly reduced string tension makes for easier bends while, at the same time, helps with those mega-fret finger-stretching chords you've tried (probably unsuccessfully until now) to play. The nut is Taylor's standard 1-3/4" and, like the saddle, is Tusq. Taylor's renowned ES pickup is installed, making the guitar stage ready, whether that stage is in front of a 1,000 seat auditorium or in front of the couches and easy chairs at the local coffee house.

It's been a while since I've had this much fun playing a guitar...

Yep, it's a Custom!

And here it is with all the case candy, including a clear pickguard, should you want to install it...

Carrie tested... Carrie approved...

It would be real easy for me and Carrie to sit back and take all the credit for having designed this profoundly wonderful instrument but, truth be told, the wood selection and "design" of it are only two facets which are joined together in this guitar. We would be remiss if we neglected to acknowledge the talents of the Taylor Guitars team down in El Cajon, California. See, we had the easy part. We just had to tell them what we wanted. They had to pull it off, and that was made only more difficult due to the fact that a lot of what we wanted was "off menu".

They did pull it off, though, and they did so with flying colors. As a result, we're now able to offer you this incredible instrument, one which you're simply not going to find anywhere else. Give us a call or, better yet, stop in and Carrie or I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have about this wonderful guitar.