MacKenzie & Marr Owner review of the Ian Tyson Inspiration

I already own a few acoustic guitars (Guild, Martin, Alvarez, Fender, Cordoba), but I was thinking about maybe getting a Taylor, after playing a couple at a songwriting workshop last year. So I started looking around. Then I somehow heard about Mackenzie and Marr and decided to try one of their Ian Tyson models based on good reviews, watching a few videos, and very attractive pricing. I received the guitar four days ago, and I really love it. First of all, the woods, the finish, the design, and the construction are all beautiful (even the case is quite nice). The sound is full and rich, with a good balance of highs and lows, not “boomy,” and great for both fingerpicking and full strumming. It was ready to play out of the box with no adjustments needed. The neck has a great feel and I like that the back of it has a smooth semi-matte finish, not shiny lacquer. I got the pickup option thanks to a special promo but I haven’t tried it yet (I will soon). I don’t play out much these days but I like to have a pickup available and it might be useful for recording (I like that it didn’t require cutting any holes in the body). All in all, one of the best Christmas presents I ever gave myself. A really wonderful instrument.