Artist JMH200CEQ Solid Mahogany Top Acoustic-Elect
I recently purchased a 'damaged' acoustic electric guitar that had been bought by a customer, returned then advertised on TradeMe as “damaged” by Artist Guitars NZ. The bridge had been incorrectly glued on (insufficient glue), and had lifted so much that it was unplayable - the strings could not even be brought up to tension. The customer had returned the guitar to Artist Guitars under their 3-year warranty, and I presume the guitar was replaced with another same model. The guitar in question is an Artist JMH200CEQ Solid Mahogany Top Acoustic-Electric Guitar - designed in NZ and manufactured in China. It arrived safely in a cardboard box with all strings slackened, but when I first set my eyes on it, I was truly amazed by its workmanship, choice of materials, and beauty. I wrote back to the company thanking them "it is truly a very well designed, beautifully presented & crafted (as yet unplayed) instrument". Once I had removed the bridge and cleaned the old glue off the underside of it; scraped back the 'poly' finish on the top of the guitar (inside the bridge area); dry-checked the 'fit'; then reglued the bridge back on the guitar with Titebond (original); clamped it; removed excess glue; allowed the glue to dry; re-installed the Fishman under-saddle pickup ... then restrung the guitar up to pitch and played , and played. and played, and played it … this truly is a remarkable looking & sounding guitar. This guitar IMHO rivals any similarly made all mahogany guitar that I have ever played, including a very well used 60's Gibson LG-0, a 20 year old Martin 15-M, plus a few laminate & solid-top mahogany offerings with mahogany laminate back & sides ... this guitar retails in New Zealand for $399, and at that price it surely has to be the most affordable, well-crafted and BEST sounding mahogany acoustic guitar I have ever set my eyes upon, let alone play - its “roundness” of sound, especially in the low & low-mid frequency range is astounding, especially when finger-picked, but when played flat-picked, it projects with a clarity, punch & volume to rival any spruce or cedar topped guitar in its class & design. PS: The sound of the guitar when amplified using its Fishman under-saddle pickup & on-board Fisherman Presys electronics (including tuner) is pristine, hum free & what you would expect from any Fishman electronics - excellent! dave maybee Raglan NZ March 2022
Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for the detailed review. We truly appreciate it.
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Product Description
Artist JMH200CEQ Solid Mahogany Top Acoustic-Electric with Preamp
The JMH200CEQ has a Solid Mahogany Top with laminated Mahogany back and sides. This is a full-sized, 41” guitar with a high neck access cut-away, for easy, comfortable playing.
Mahogany provides a very resonant tone that sustains beautifully, with a very balanced tone. The JMH200CEQ produces full, warm tones from the mahogany body, with a harmonious mid-range and clear upper mids. The bevelled edges of the body make this a very comfortable guitar to play seated or standing, and give it a very eye-catching look too. The rounded edge also accents the fabulous grain of the top wood against the white body binding, which really makes this guitar very elegant and attractive.
As with all of our solid-top instruments the JMH200CEQ includes real bone nut for optimum tonal transfer. The hardness of the bone gives the string a solid basis to vibrate against and ensures the best possible transfer of vibration, as does the solid Laurel bridge housing the saddle. The Okumen neck is comfortable with a gloss finish, and the rounded machine heads, solid Laurel fingerboard and high-quality frets make this a player's instrument.
The JMH200CEQ features a Presys II pre-amp by Fishman, who are renowned for their acoustic amplification expertise. This also features a built-in chromatic tuner, phase switch, and EQ, making this guitar the perfect companion for any stage or studio.
The Tech Features
Brand: Artist
Model: JMH200CEQ
Body Size: Full size
Overall Length: 41"
Finish: Natural Gloss
Woods:
- Top - Solid Mahogany
- Back and Sides - Laminated Mahogany with White Binding
- Fingerboard & Bridge - Laurel
Neck: 3 pieces Okoumen, 2-way Truss Rod, 20 Frets, 42mm Bone Nut
Neck Thickness: 20mm--21mm
Scale Length: 25.5”
Fretboard Radius: 400mm / 153⁄4”
Fretboard Markers: 3mm White Shell “Dot” markers
Strings: D'Addario EXP16
Preamp: Fishman Presys II
Optional Hardcase: FC350
Optional Gig Bags: Bag42, HGBag42
(16927)