2021-10-01
Star Rating:
Stewart from Colorado Springs writes:
As a new guitar player you will, as you might expect, find a plethora of guitars to choose. From smaller bodies, dreadnauts, jumbos, 12 strings, sitka spruce, Adirondack spruce, koa, mahogany, rosewood, pure acoustic, acoustic/electric, the list goes on and on. But if you have been playing and collecting for over 50 years you pretty much know what's out there, what you like and the best value for your spendable budget.
I knew I wanted a new guitar to celebrate my 70th birthday as I did for my 50th. I've had all of the big names, Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Guild and many others including a couple of custom guitars sporting all the most popular woods available. So, what did I want, what didn't I have and which company could provide what I was after? Originally I was looking at a different guitar maker whose ads would appear from time to time on FB when I saw my first ad for MacKenzie & Marr guitars. Damn, these looked too good to be true. I started to look for any information I could find about these guitars, I watched the segment on "Dragon's Den" and being a fan of the U.S. "Shark Tank" series I figured if Mr. Wonderful wanted a piece of the action then perhaps this guitar company was worth considering. I had my own checklist in my head;
Solid top wood - Check
Solid Back & Sides - Check
Quality Tuners (Grovers) - Check
Attractive and functional guitar shapes - Check
Acoustic/Electric as an option - Check
Beautiful Appointments (Trim/Inlay) - Check
Outstanding Warranty - Check
Quality Hardshell Case Included - Check
Price - Wow... I mean Check
Now, which one to choose? I had recently bought my first cutaway and loved it and the only wood combination I hadn't tried was cedar top with mahogany back & sides. The Dionisio fit the bill. They offered the Dionisio X 10th Anniversary model at a special summer price so I jumped on the offer.
Upon arrival I gave the guitar a very close inspection to see if there were any flaws in the workmanship. Flawless.
The choice of wood is beautiful, the abalone trim is gorgeous... this is one stunning guitar. The sound as I would expect from cedar was velvet smooth and mellow but not dark yet this guitar still has bite! I like this guitar (and company) so much I've created a Facebook page called Friends of MacKenzie & Marr Guitars.
So, my advice to you? If you're seriously considering buying one of these guitars, I'd jump on the chance before management decides they want to make more money by raising prices.