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...
