This is one of two guitars that has arrived today courtesy of those nice people at Tanglewood.
I was particularly interested in this model because it has a maple fretboard. Not something you see very often on acoustic guitars. In fact I cannot think of any other current acoustic guitar that has a maple fretboard. If anyone knows of one, let me know.
Of course, there are reasons why we don't very often see maple fretboards. Some would say it is the tonal properties of maple that are the reason acoustic guitar builders shy away from it. Maple is a harder woood than rosewood or ebony, which are more commonly used for acoustic guitars. That hardness results in a much brighter sound. However, personally I think this is complete nonsense. The fretboard of a guitar adds alsmot nothing, if anything at all to the overall tone. All the main action is with the soundboard.
The other reason, which I find far more plausible is that Maple is hard to keep clean. It shows marks and dirt far more than dark rosewood and ebony so it requires more maintenance. Maple also needs a finish/coating which some may say affects how it feels under the fingers.
Whatever the reason I applaude Tanglewood for its choice. These guitars really stand out and from the little I have played this one so far, it sounds just fine
The body shape is what Tanglewood refers to as a Super Folk size.
Top is solid mahogany. The back and sides of the TW4CEBLA are laminate with a mahogany veneer.
As mentioned, the fingerboard is maple which I think adds a touch of elegance to its appearance.
Electronics are courtesy of the Tanglewood Premium Plus EQ system which I have found in the past to sound pretty good.
SPECIFICATIONS
SHAPE - Super Folk
TOP - Solid Mahogany
BACK - Mahogany
SIDES - Mahogany
FINGERBOARD - Maple
BRIDGE - Techwood
NUT WIDTH - 43mm
SCALE LENGTH - 650mm
STRINGS - Elixir Nanoweb 12-53
ELECTRONICS - TW Premium Plus
FINISH - Blue Gloss
DIMENSIONS:
Upper Bout Width - 276mm
Lower Bout Width - 78mm
Waist Width - 232mm
Body Depth (Neck) - 95mm
Body Depth (Bottom) - 110mm
Body Length - 480mm
Total Length - 1010mm
There will be a full review and video to come.