In guitars, it's hard to carve out a place among the brands that get all the buzz, even though those sometimes decline as time goes by. Earning the user's recognition is slow work over the course of history. When you come across an instrument name that isn't among the four you've heard most, you tend to think it's second-rate.
Ignorance leads to such blunders, since in some cases playing other brands yields truly rewarding results. Our guests today have spent 45 years consolidating their quality in the acoustic field. Parkwood is a clear example that some 400 € guitars can compete without blinking against flashier and more expensive ones.
The Parkwood Philosophy
“With 45 years of experience building guitars, this company has specialized in the design and construction of handcrafted acoustics. Its dedication has combined woods, materials, and finishes of good quality, offering a range of instruments that pursue natural sound and fullness of harmonics. The 3 Series, in particular, is built with solid tonewoods. Solid Sitka tops and solid mahogany back and sides. The body and neck are joined with a dovetail system, and the top has hand-carved, polished X-bracing that picks up the strings' vibrations and opens up and lifts the tone of the sound.”
Parkwood on the Test Bench
We've taken a look at the brand in models ranging from about 400 € to about 1,100 €. Pleasant surprises. In this article I'll explain why.
First Impressions
When I received the instruments, I had good vibes from the start. They came in comfortable gig bags (Original Parkwood Deluxe), included in the price, by the way. Well-finished, quality bags. If the bag is that well made, it's to take good care of what's inside, right?
I knew the brand from before. I had seen it on display in stores and alongside other companies in the past. Though, truth be told, I had never stopped to try them until now. I took both guitars out of their bags to see exactly what they'd sent me: which models they were, what finishes they had, and what impressions they gave me on first visual inspection. They were a Grand Auditorium acoustic from Parkwood®'s 3 Series, and a Grand Concert from the same series, with a cutaway and a Fishman® preamp.
Finishes
With a rather light finish, they had an especially smooth feel. The maker talks about its “extra-fine pore” finishes, which matches our impressions of the final finish on the woods.
Materials and Construction
It seems the builder's intention is to achieve real stability in the sound, rich harmonics, and good sustain. To do so, he has opted for solid woods on the top as well as the back and sides: Sitka in the first case and mahogany in the other two. Several more details show an interest in delivering a good instrument. For example, the body/neck joint using the dovetail system, the X-bracing inside the top to improve how the vibrations behave, or the particular design of the bridges (Scooped Bridge), which aim for (and achieve) better sustain and tone.
You can find more information about the design studies Parkwood has carried out at http://www.parkwoodguitars.com/about_features.htm. It's in English, but it describes in more detail some of the particulars of their instruments (action, truss rod, studies on nut width, the comfortable Oval C neck profile, etc.)
The Tests
I took both instruments out of their bags. I was more eager to try the PW-370-M since it's more complete (cutaway and preamp). So I started with the PW-320-M to save the other one for dessert. Its feel pleasantly surprised me. I don't know why I expected it to be worse. My interest grew. I was trying it standing up, but after that first contact I felt it was worth sitting down for a while to tinker. I picked up the delivery note with the price: 459 €. Hey, this is getting interesting. I ran the usual tests: strumming open chords to check how they blend, strumming barre chords, open arpeggios to check resonance, density, and brightness, arpeggios in the higher reaches of the fretboard to check intonation, and so on.
The result: very interesting. The guitar responded with clarity, tuning stability, and sustain that were frankly acceptable; I'd even say surprising, considering its price.
Feel and Sound
At this point I decided to try the second model too (769 €). My impressions of feel, finish, sustain, tuning, and sound are common to both.
There was something in the tone of these guitars that especially caught my attention, though I didn't yet know exactly what it was. I spent a bit more time fiddling and reached a conclusion. I found a string tension and overall setup that were very appealing, close to those of professional guitars (more expensive ones, that is). That's a compliment, because finding this comfort and balance in an acoustic guitar costing 400 or 700 € is not easy at all. Starting from this soft but firm feel, I focused on the sound: dense, balanced, thick (without overdoing it), and well blended. But with an added quality, a sparkle uncommon in other guitars (at these prices and higher).
I took the electrified guitar to the studio to check whether the sound captured through the line would be just as bright. Indeed it was. I really liked the result on typical background strumming, those strummed acoustic guitars that give songs body and depth, but in the background. Well EQ'd, they had that high-end sparkle, not at all shrill, that is so rich in a mix.
To test their effectiveness for solos and accompaniment, I recorded a couple of tracks improvising over a blues with chords that sounded James Taylor-ish. You can listen to the MP3 and watch the video at www.ispmusica.com
Conclusions
First, balance and the reason for the price step between one model and the other. Basically the cutaway and electronics of the PW-360-M, along with the Fishman® preamp (tuner included), justify the difference. Second, a comfortable, well-balanced feel. Third, a sound with body to which an attractive, clear sparkle is added. It doesn't have the “thick,” emphatic sound of other brands I know, but it surpasses them in bright nuance. In any case, all of this comes down to taste and application. Fourth, and emphatically, the value for the money is highly recommendable. They strike me as guitars usable in professional applications and very affordable, although given their modest price they have small limitations. I imagine that with the 5 Series (priced from about 600 to 1,100 €) we'd take another step up, especially in the Dreadnought Cutaway model. I'm left wanting to try it in the future. Also its cousins, the “Hybrid Series” semi-hollow acoustics with two good, rowdy pickups.
I recommend trying Parkwood guitars if you're shopping at prices around 400 € and up. I think they're worth it and clearly beat some of the competition's products in the same price ranges.
Until next time; I hope it's with the Hybrids.