Baden A-Style Ovangkol Reviews & Prices

Baden A-Style Ovangkol

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A glorious little hand-finished acoustic

There are not many of these to be found in the wild. The only one on Equipboard has ovangkol back & sides, and I'm fairly certain mine has rosewood of one sort or another. Nevertheless, they're very close in tone and the asymmetrical body shape is one of the most elegant and original answers to the cutaway design I've ever seen—and heard.

As I hear it, Baden was a master luthier for Taylor Guitars who moved to East Asia to build guitars at affordable rates outside of a large-factory context. I won this little gem at a charity auction for less than its list price, the only way I could've afforded a guitar in this league, and I'm sure it's the nicest guitar I've ever owned. Small enough to be near a parlour-size, this thing outpunches my Yamaha dreadnought with beefy bottom end that never muddies the crisp highs that make this a lovely guitar for both fingerstyle and bright acoustic leads.

Craftmsanship is in the purity of the sound achieved and simple elegance rather than ornamentation. You won't see a lot of shell or fancy stuff cluttering up the look of this guitar, and maybe that's for the best. Advancements in veneer technology have resulted in a lot of sparkly adornments to mid-line production guitars, so they're no longer the mark of quality they once were. This is a very simply appointed guitar finished lovingly by hand, and anyone who really knows acoustic instruments will see, hear, and feel the difference.

The Baden name is not well known yet, and it's certainly not in the league of the $15,000+ luthiered masterpieces you see major artists playing. But it's just about the most elegant little instrument in its price range, and I'd take one of these over the comparably priced GIbson models they're turning out now. It holds its own with the beautiful vintage instruments that are getting harder to find, and is of a quality that the sound will (like those old woods) only increase in quality over time.

3 months ago

Baden A-Style Ovangkol

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