Tanglewood TW1000 CEB Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI like a varied style of guitar based music, from rock to blues to flamenco to reggae.....although mainly rock; ranging from Pearl Jam to Pink Floyd, and Supergrass to Neil Young!I've played guitar for around 8 years, but with a very DIY and casual approach to learning. Over the years, I've gone through periods where I've gotten really into playing, then stopped for a few months, etc. I also own a Fender Stratocaster which I have had for around 5 years, barely touch it now that I have the TW1000 (but in fairness, the amp I have is RUBBISH!!)
I had been looking for an acoustic gutiar for a while. Like most people, I was looking for as much quality for as little as possible! Was not too bothered about it being electro acoustic, but it had to be cutaway. Initially, I budgeted for £250 including hard-case (with room for paying a bit more for something I really liked) So not a huge budget and not huge expectations, but I reckoned that for that money I could get something decent!
I tried LOADS of guitars in many shops, some cheaper than £250 and some alot more. I soon realised that those more expensive guitars were usually much nicer sounding, and feeling etc than the cheaper ones. I guess you do get what you pay for, but there ARE lots of great guitars for £250. Some with nice sound but action "a bit too high," some that sounded great but looked "yuck," and lots that were certainly agreeable. Without wanting to sound crass, I could could quite happily afford £500 - £900 on a guitar if I wanted too, but, I didn't want to.
Then the salesman handed me the Tanglewood TW1000 CEB, cutaway and electro acoustic. WOW! Just played two chords on it and I knew it was the right one. Even my suffering girlfriend who knows NOTHING about guitars and had heard me play around 30 guitars that day, said "WOW!" "How much?" I asked. He said "RRP £499, we normally sell for around £450.This particular model has a couple of cosmetic defects from being around the shop, so we are offering it for £370" One word - BARGAIN! And I convinced him to chuck in a hard case as well, for free!
Everything. The guitar is beautiful to look at and has a stunning finish (the scratches which came on MY PARTICULAR guitar are very minor and don't bother me at all). I won't descibe it, just look at it on Tanglwood's webpage or something.
The sound is stunning. I'm not a huge expert on acoustic guitars, but I can quite confidently say that the TW1000 CEB is the best acoustic guitar I have played. A comment echoed by everyone else who has had a go on my guitar. Those who had heard of Tanglewood know they make great guitars for great value, but those who hadn't heard of Tanglewood before playing my guitar, reckoned it must have been worth near £1000.
It has a wonderful tone which just "sings." Wonderful bass and shimmering trebles, with no buzz anywhere. Being a dreadnought, it absolutely shines when being heavily strummed. The volume and clarity is amazing, and being a guy who had only ever played cheaper guitars, the difference between this and most other guitars I had played was astounding. In my opinion it is also a lot better than even Tanglewood's own guitars at a similar price point.
I've never played it though and amplifier, so I cannot comment on this aspect of the guitar. But the B-Band amp system the TW1000 CEB carries is supposedly well regarded.
The one thing I would have added on to this guitar is another bolt for a strap, either on the neck, or the top of the body. However, this is a minor thing (just tie it up to the head stock Bob Dylan style!) Besides, I found VERY FEW guitars with two bolts for straps.
As I said before, the TW1000 is a very smart looking guitar. Taste is ultimately a personal thing, but this is a very well designed and built guitar which oozes quality and nice design touches.
I never would have dreamed I would own as lovely a guitar as the TW1000 CEB, certainly not for £370 (inc. hard case!) I am aware that most people will not find it at such a low price, but I can assure you that even at its RRP of £499 it is good value. I am sure that there are other great guitars at this price, buit I have not played any that sounds and feels as wonderful as this.
If you have £400 + to spend on an acoustic guitar, put this at the top of your list for guitars to try. If like me, you are starting out with a budget of less than that, consider spending a bit more on a more expensive guitar. The difference between £250 and £350, on a guitar you might play for years to come is not that much if you think you'll be playing it as much as you hope. And trust me, with a nice guitar, you'll be much more inspired to play often.
Like I said before, I have a rubbish amp for my Stratocaster, and as such, I derive little pleasure from hearing myself play it. On the other hand,the TW1000 CEB makes me smile everytime I play it..........yes I know thats really corny but its true!
padsno rated this unit
on
2006-12-02.
