Another NOGD: Walden G2070 Supranatura

[Glenn F]

Hi all,

 

So it arrived this afternoon. My first impressions are quite positive.

 

The G2070:

Grand Auditorium;

Solid Red Cedar Top;

Solid African Mahogany back/sides;

Rosewood fretboard/wood binding and rosette;

1.75" at the nut.

Scalloped 'pre-war' bracing.

Satin nitro-cellulose finish.

 

It came with a nice HSC. The neck angle is bang on perfect. There are a few small dings on the binding, and one on the top, but all in all, in very good shape.

 

The frets aren't bad, although they will get leveled and the action lowered a bit. Intonation is very good up the neck. Right now, it has Elixir PB Light-Mediums on it, and it copes with them quite well. The tone tend toward the mids, though there is some ooomph to the bass. The highs are pronounced when using a flatpick, not so much when fingerpicking.

 

Contrary to Idunno's experience with his Walden, this guitar can get quite LOUD. It projects very well, even when picked gently. It is very light and comfortable to play. The body is slightly smaller than my Taylor 316, probably closer to a 314. The neck profile is also similar to my Taylors.

 

For €330 it is a definite steal. I look forward to when it is set up to my liking.

 

Cheers, beers,

 

Glenn

 

PS: AND IT DOESN'T STINK OF ¢¢¶|¶26537!!!!!! TOBACCO!!!!!!!!!

 

EDIT: After playing it for a couple of hours, I can add that it has very nice overtones and excellent sustain. My luthier friend will be picking it up Tuesday, and when I get it back, I am sure it will be amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n31814297[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]temp_119966_1473876450278_341[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]temp_119965_1473876646339_451[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31814678[/ATTACH]

[DeepEnd]

Happy New (Non Smelly) Guitar Day. Best of luck with it. I love the color of the cedar top. For whatever reason, Walden made their dreadnoughts with spruce tops and the majority of their GA's with cedar. They also used to ship with two saddles for different seasons, so it will probably be sensitive to variations in humidity.

[Glenn F]

Thanks. A decent cedar-top git is something I've wanted for a while. I was looking at a Furch/Stonebridge model that would've cost me around €800+ new. The last cedar-topped guitars I had (notwithstanding the Takamine) were Seagulls, and I don't think the laminated cherry b/s did them justice.

 

Anyways, I changed the strings down to Elixir Custom lites, .011-.052. Loses bass response a bit, but is much easier to play. I definitely think that filing the nut will be part of the setup.

 

I sold a Recording King to pay for this, and it was almost an equal trade. The Walden is in a different league than the RK, so it won't just sit in the basement waiting for my occasional playing out. This guitar is gonna get played.

[strayGoat]

Happy NOGD! Cedar/African hog seems like a great combo. My exposure to Walden guitars is pretty near nonexistent, but those specs sound seriously tasty. Happy playing!

[Glenn F]

Thanks. I'd never tried one before either. Cork-sniffery, I guess. This guitar is really amazing, especially for the price I got it at. The more I play it, the more impressed I am. It isn't just a 'good guitar for the money' instrument, it is a good guitar. This isn't just 'honeymoon speak.' This is a really good guitar.

 

I played it against my Taylor 316, and while there are obvious differences in terms of materials, and the string gauge (meds on the T, CusLites on the W), their sound and playability were definitely in the same ballpark. The Walden is lighter, though. I like it so much, I want another one that I can get for about €300. I need an intervention, lol.

[Idunno]

Hmmm, loud? Must be the HSC it was trapped in. Came out screaming like the genie in Aladdin. Good looking guitar. You mention the trebles prefer to be flatpicked to get volume. Get the work done and strings changed and see what happens with that. Congrats. BTW, Walden's QC was up there with the best (Charles Fox was one of the primary investors, IIRC). I can't imagine why they went under. Maybe they were too cheap?

[Glenn F]

Hmmm' date=' loud? Must be the HSC it was trapped in. Came out screaming like the genie in Aladdin. Good looking guitar. You mention the trebles prefer to be flatpicked to get volume. Get the work done and strings changed and see what happens with that. Congrats. BTW, Walden's QC was up there with the best (Charles Fox was one of the primary investors, IIRC). I can't imagine why they went under. Maybe they were too cheap?

 

It is brighter when strummed, as opposed to fingertip picking, which is to be expected. The brightness doesn't get to the shrill point, and this is a pretty well balanced guitar. Just need to know how to get it to give up its tones. Gauge of pick plays a difference, as well.

 

I read pretty much what I could on Walden and this model in particular. Lots of AGF threads. Someone mentioned 'red tape' as the reason for the closure, which could mean anything from not bribing the right person or the possibility that their labour and environmental standards were a threat to someone who didn't want those kind of policies to spread. That is just speculation, but when I hear 'red tape' in a place like China, the obvious conclusion, at least for me, is corruption. It's too bad.

 

In my modest experience, the only other Chinese-made acoustic guitars that are similar in quality to this are the Eastmans. I had an E10D for a year or so, and it was a big ol' dread that didn't agree with my right shoulder, so I sold it. That guitar was an absolute cannon. This guitar is very comfortable to play. Goes for a setup tomorrow.

[Glenn F]

Ok, got it back from my luthier friend this afternoon. Fret-dress, nut filed, saddle lowered slightly. He was really impressed with the guitar, and he usually rolls his eyes at Chinese-made acoustics.

 

If I'd had this guitar in March, I wouldn't have bought my Taylor 316. It really is that good, and a lot lighter than the Taylor. If you come across the Supranatura models, I would check them out. This is probably the best €/quality guitar that I've bought.

 

And he managed to fix the pre-amp in the Takamine.

[DeepEnd]

Ok, got it back from my luthier friend this afternoon. Fret-dress, nut filed, saddle lowered slightly. He was really impressed with the guitar, and he usually rolls his eyes at Chinese-made acoustics. . . .

 

. . . And he managed to fix the pre-amp in the Takamine.

Great news. I found a LAG with a cedar top on the local (St. Louis) CraigsList the other day and thought of you. Now you need to find a home for the Takamine.

[Glenn F]

The Tak is up for sale. I should ask the powers that be to delete my thread about it, due to my cussing about the tobacco smell.....

 

(which isn't that bad, it's just I'm a fussy sod)

 

I played the Walden straight through from about 1: 00 AM to about 3:15 AM (having a dose of insomnia). Just sitting on the sofa in the dark, picking away. I adjusted the saddle myself a bit more, and now it a guitar that can be played hours on end with little effort. Played it a couple of hours more this afternoon, as well.

 

It is a very lively guitar. I wonder if it is underbraced as Freeman described in another thread. When I say 'lively,' I mean the notes just fly out with really digging in. Digging in on chords makes conversation impossible in a room.

[Idunno]

I tend to be fussy about making the noise I want to make with as little effort as possible. To me, that's a good starting point. From there the usual suspects of tone and string-to-string volume (balance) get sorted out. I find the trebles, especially the hi-e, to be meek on steel string guitars so a serious review requires a hi-e of 0.013" before proceeding. That keeps my pinky from having to dig too deep - small finger, small nail, small sound.

 

Sounds like you got that in the Walden. Congrats.