Verified Owner Reviews

I have to admit, this Riverboat Dred is an excellent Guitar, from the Solid Woods, the Glossy Finish, the Golden Tuners and especially the LR Baggs Pick-up system. I have a Taylor 510e that cost me APP: $3.000.00 and I would put the Mackenzie/Marr ahead if I had to rate them side by side, and the cost was at least $1,000.00 cheaper. Thanks!

Beautiful instrument! Gorgeous sound and quality. Playability out of the box was poor and not what I expected—string action was high at the nut and saddle with a low second fret. But I fixed all that and now the it plays like a charm.

I first came across McKenzie in Marr well looking into an acoustic guitar. As my attention began to wander I heard somebody strum a guitar and instantly knew that that was the sound I had been looking for. After some time looking and the humming & hawing I decided. Coming home late I picked up the phone and made a call ( I'm sure Mr. Marr was about to head home). A week after I got notice that the guitar was on its way. I showed great restraint and waited till after dinner to open the case. Oh does it ever look good; it's drop dead gorgeous. A quick check on tuning in the first strum what a wonderful beautiful full sound everything I had hoped, or could wish for. I could not be happier.

The Opeongo is exactly what I expected when I ordered it. A beautifully built, 00 guitar made with quality tonewood. It is especially good for finger style playing.

I've never had a 12 frets to the body guitar before, but it only took me about half an hour of playing to become comfortable.

I've had it out to open mics, and with the Anthem system installed, it performs beautifully.

I guess the thing which surprised me was how full and balanced the sound is for a small body guitar.

I honestly don't believe that there is a better 00 guitar available at this price point.

Buying a guitar online was nerve-wracking. I couldn't touch it, feel it, or hear it before it showed up at my door. But the moment I opened the case, that worry disappeared.

I bought the Ian Tyson Inspiration guitar and wanted to share my experience. It was hard to wait, but I let the instrument acclimate for a full day before opening the case — well worth it. When I finally lifted the guitar out, I was stunned. This is a genuinely beautiful instrument.

I tuned it up and after 15–20 minutes of playing, I already knew it was a keeper. The neck felt great — more like a Taylor, not the baseball bat neck on my old Washburn dreadnought — and the action was smooth right out of the case. I'm not a great guitarist, and honestly this guitar is better than my skill level. A couple of skilled musicians happened to stop by shortly after, and I had them try it out — both were impressed.

I also opted for the LR Baggs pickup, which added a bit to the wait, but I felt it was worth it for the flexibility. I've only plugged in and played around with it briefly so far, but what I heard sounded great. I'll update this review once I've had more time to put it through its paces plugged in.

The tone is fantastic — bright on top, with the rich, full lows you'd expect from rosewood. It shines fingerpicking, picking up every nuance, but it holds up just as well under heavy strumming without losing clarity. The Alberta Jumbo shape isn't as punchy as a dreadnought, but its softer, more subtle sounds are stunning.

Great instrument. It punches far above its price point — love at first sight, and it's only gotten better since.

So far so good with this guitar. I consider myself an expanding beginner, and this was a great step up from the entry level guitar I had been learning on. I think it's important to learn on a quality instrument especially as you progress past the beginner stages. This guitar sounds great, looks amazing, but also holds me accountable to playing cleanly. The tone sounds so great when played properly, but it lets you know when you are sloppy, which I think is a good thing. I love the looks, the case included is top notch quality, the setup was perfect when it arrived.

Love supporting Canadian companies (especially these days) and I respect the business model Mackenzie and Marr have established. Provide the benefit to the consumer not an overly crowded supply chain. This may not be made in Canada, but nothing is made in a single country anymore, so don't let this deter you.

Thanks to Mackenzie and Marr, keep up the amazing work.

The build quality (beautifully crafted), sound depth and resonance is top tier. A friend told me my Riverboat Dread sounded and looked better than his $5,000 guitar. I did however change the strings to D'Addario XS phos/brz coated 11-52 as I found the original strings (12-53, I believe) more difficult to fret and very squeaky when sliding. To my ear, the lighter strings also produced a richer sound. Regardless of some less than favorable reviews I read about the provided case, I found mine to be high quality and professional in appearance. Do not be afraid to blind order this guitar as it is everything it is acclaimed to be.

Cette Tofino 10e anniversaire est ma seconde MacKenzie & Marr, j’avais déjà une Algonquin 12. Quel instrument! La finition, la touche, l’intonation, impeccables. La qualité des matériaux, imbattable.

Et le son. Alors là, il faut l’entendre. Ça fait 50 ans que je gratte la guitare. J’ai joué d’autres acoustiques beaucoup plus chères et elles n’ont rien de plus à offrir (à part le trou dans le portefeuille) que cette MacKenzie & Marr. Un son plein, équilibré, avec des harmoniques bien présentes. Un confort de jeu et une touche parfaite.

Le résultat, tu ne voudras plus la déposer. Garanti!

This jewel is a keeper for sure. My only complaint...my guitar case did not ship with a locking key. I asked for one, but have not yet received a key yet. Hope it comes in the mail soon.

Extremely well built. Looks and sounds beautiful. Five stars, highly recommend.