For those familiar with cedar-topped acoustics, you’ll find many of the same acoustic
properties in this particular model. The cedar
provides an enveloping warmth to the guitar’s
inherent sweetness and clarity, making it an
appropriate choice for solo fingerstyle work or
easy strumming. In fact, searching for the right
word to describe the guitar’s personality continually brought me back to the word balance;
there’s just enough of everything across the
entire sonic spectrum. No one string or timbre
jumps out of place here, and when played
with a delicate enough touch the notes all
ring and chime like gorgeously orchestrated
bells. The a-style would be a great choice for
players seeking nuance in their instruments,
as well as for the newer breed of fingerstyl-ists who rapidly shift between strumming and
picking and need a guitar that can keep up.
That said, at times the cedar top could be a
double-edged sword. Using a heavier hand
caused the top to “break up,” and that previous combination of warmth and clarity transformed into something a little harsher and
undefined. There was some punch missing
from the guitar at louder volumes, although
that can be attributed both to its body size
and the cedar—a spruce top would likely
give this guitar a little more voice, although
you’d be trading the subtle warmth found
at lower volumes for more brightness and
clarity. You definitely need to be cognizant
of your playing style with this guitar, and if
you’re looking to pound out basslines and
rhythms, you should probably be looking at a
dreadnought anyway. It should also be noted
that cedar is a physically softer wood than
spruce; the absence of a pickguard either
solidifies the fact that this is really a finger-stylist’s guitar or just means you need to be
extra careful with a pick.
Perhaps the most inspired decision made on
the a-style is the inclusion of Fishman’s Ellipse
Aura electronics. The semi-circle control surface sits directly inside the upper half of the
soundhole and combines Fishman’s onboard
preamp with their highly-lauded Aura technology, which essentially models “images” of
microphones and allows you to blend those
images into your pickup signal. While space
does not permit me to go into depth about
the details, I can say that it is a perfect match
for the a-style, in both responsiveness and
fidelity. It doesn’t mess with the tone of the
guitar, and it provides numerous tone shaping
options that you just can’t find anywhere else.
With a variety of feedback busting tools at its
disposal, this guitar would also work well for
those depending on acoustics in live or high-volume settings.
The only complaint I can raise with the Ellipse
system is the placement of the controls on the
upper half of the soundhole. I understand the
reasoning, and part of me agrees—it keeps
things clean and appealing on the outside—
but I initially resorted to flipping the guitar
over and looking inside the soundhole while I
set my levels. I don’t really have a solution to
this, but it should be pointed out that this is
likely something you’ll either truly appreciate
or deeply hate; my fingers eventually learned
to identify the switches and sliders sight
unseen, but you’ll need to decide for yourself
if you want the learning curve.
The Final Mojo
The a-style from Baden is a definite departure from tradition, from its modernist design
roots to its advanced electronics. There’s no
question that this guitar will turn off, if not
infuriate, traditionalists who grew up with D-
41 appointments, but odds are if you’re still
reading this you’re ready to test out a new
aesthetic. If you’re looking for an all-around
performer, a nimble guitar with lots of heart,
you’d be wise to put this on your shortlist.
Buy If...
you’re a modern musician looking
for a modern instrument
Skip If...
martinownersclub.com is
your homepage
Rating...
4.0
Baden Guitars
MSRP (w/ Ellipse) $2374
MSRP (no Ellipse) $1960
badenguitars.com
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