Tanglewood Winterleaf TW5 E Koa

It has always been the case that some guitar makers can produce high-quality, great-sounding guitars but, they lack aesthetics. That attractive quality draws you in and makes you want to pick up the guitar. Other makers produce guitars that look amazing but very often fall flat in the sound department.

Tanglewood, whose guitars are designed in the UK and manufactured in China has managed to hit on that magic balance of being able to produce guitars that not only possess eye-catching good looks with great sound, and wonderful playability but also do this at a price that those on a budget can afford.

Today we are looking at another example of that Tanglewood magic in the TW5 Koa from their Winterleaf Exotic range.

The Spec:

Top: Solid MahoganyTop With Koa Veneer.
Back: Layered Koa
Sides: Layered Koa
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Eboncore
Bridge: Techwood
Finish: Autumn Burst Gloss
Electronics: Fishman Presys
Strings: Elixir Nanoweb 12-53

Build Quality:

The particular Tanglewood TW5 Koa that I had was obviously crafted with care. There was nothing out of place. The frets were smooth all the way up the fingerboard. The Grover tuners were smooth in operation and the Autumn Burst finish was blemish-free. The Guitar is bound in mahogany which offsets the gloss finish perfectly and the guitar feels like it costs a lot more than it does. All in all, I could not fault it.

The Sound

With a solid mahogany top (koa veneer), there is a certain magic about the sound. There is plenty of warmth here but with a great resonance that brings out the detail in every note that you play. There is also no lack of projection and I would say this guitar is suitable for detailed fingerpicking and bold strumming. Even when played hard, none of the detail is lost.

Going through the onboard Fishman Presys electronics, the guitar sounds pleasing enough although the occasional “piezo quack” is still present. This however is pretty much unavoidable with such an under-saddle pickup. Personally, I would probably go for a soundhole pickup or room mics if I were gigging but I should emphasise that this is not a fault of the guitar, just my own preference.

Conclusions:

Many companies are using exotic woods such as Koa, but few combine them in such a great value package. Tanglewood seems able to put out these wonderful quality guitars, that look great and sound great but at prices that make it difficult for the budget-conscious player to pass up.

I really enjoyed my time with the Tanglewood TW5 Koa. It is the sort of guitar you want to pick up and play and more importantly when you do it brings a smile to your face. I can’t think of a better reason to buy one than that.