I have the all-solid mahogany Fender Paramount parlor guitar, and it's insanely fantastic. Excellent quality, fun to play, sounds great. Parlor guitars are a lot of fun. Too many guitarists think that dreads are the only acoustic guitars and obsess about "bass response". I find that silly.
You got that right ‼‼‼ I’m a total jerk and should be kicked in the butt ‼‼ I was a complete beginner and let a “salesman talk me into buying a Fender Dread- I’m not that big of a guy and needed a more narrow bodied guitar - but he never offered anything else that would FIT me better. I blame me as much as I do him . “Live and learn”!!!! It use to be a reputable store but man it’s going downhill fast !!!!!
My beautiful wife bought me the PRS for Christmas. It's my first real guitar. Prior to it, I spent a very long time playing a Hondo H-18 and the difference in playability, feel, sound, you name it is startling. Honestly, I love this guitar.
I have the Alvarez (without electrics). It came horrendously set up. But I've since had it professionally set up and it's quite the instrument. It has amazing depth and warm tone. It's the clear winner here
I actually think the Fender is on a par with the Alvarez here but it depends what you want to go for, because a spruce and mahogany top obviously are two different tone-shaping tops. The Fender pickup surprises in how good it is
Good review . Better than most of the others on this channel. Two reasons. 1. One player so it’s easy to focus on sound. 2. You also played same material on each one . Much easier to make sensible comparisons . Well done . Ps I do usually enjoy the banter and people playing together on this channel but it’s more like entertainment . Your video is much better suited to making comparisons for purchase .. well done !
Love hearing how good small guitars (affordable one's no less) can sound in the hands of a real player. Great acoustic content these days from yourselves. 👍🏻
I have the PRS... It shocked me how well my (male) voice cuts right through the guitar's tones and the high and lows nestle perfectly around my vocals. Amazing singer songwriter performance guitar.
Good Parlour guitars will always be my favorite acoustic guitars, some have that midrange sound you can't get with other acoustics. Although many liked the Alvarez the most, my favorite one was the PRS and I have a PRS Parlour guitar now. I love the headstock on it and also the sound.
Wow, the Alvarez was the clear winner. So much richer sounding than the others. Even the pickup system sounded better. Much more natural. The others might have some advantages in a mix with some other instruments, but just playing around on the sofa? The Alvarez all day long. Also, thanks for the added demo at the end. Beautiful! Someday I’ll have to get wild and try some Drop-D stuff.😜
That outro sounds mighty sweet. I have the Alvarez on order. They're all good guitars but nothing here makes me regret that choice. Update: the MPA66ESHP is a terrific guitar. The acoustic tone is developing nicely and the plugged-in sound is far sweeter than in this video. All-mahogany works. The fretboard will be a little narrow for some folks; it's made me pay attention to my sloppy fretting technique.
I have two Fender Paramounts. One is an orchestra model, all spruce top and all-solid rosewood back and sides. It's a great guitar plugged in, and it's a bit overbuilt, so it's only OK unplugged. Not awful, but I don't really play it unplugged - I only use it for gigs because it plays great and the pickup sounds good. I also have an all-solid mahogany Paramount parlor guitar. It's simply amazing. They really knocked that one out of the park.
A nice parlour shootout, thanks Ben! I actually bought a Sheeran Lowden W02 (from Andertons, last year) and couldn't really get on with it as the sound seemed a bit "tinny", lacking in both low end and volume. So I it traded it in for a PRS SE P20 (via Andertons, of course). The PRS, as a much cheaper offering, seems to suit my needs better.
unfortunately when you buy that lowden, youre just paying ed sheeran royalties. the guitar doesnt stand up to others at the pricepoint, skimped on woods and finishing to be fair, the guitar looks cheap, (i love real lowden guitars btw). good choice with the prs though , much better value and i find it better sounding too. and youre not funding a sellout which is also excellent. does ed really need any more money? no. and can guitarists find a better guitar for the same cash anyway? yes. much better. so who is he doing a favour? lowden and himself, e doesnt care if you play or what you play, ignore marketing bs. i would never pay for a name unless they were my idol. and to me ed sheeran is the opposite. (sorry if you like him or his music but he is the epitome of a musical cash cow sellout) nuff said, enjoy the prs!
Cdnt agree more Terry...Real Lowdens are terrific instruments..while l like smaller gtars to sit on the couch pickn away, even if theyve got that boxy, bluesy tone...the Sheeran ones don't do justice to Lowdens other models...esp the models with maths symbols on em!
I played the Sheeran Lowden at a guitar show and was shocked at how awful it is. Then I found out that Ed plays a custom built Wee Lowden on stage. Frankly, I wasn't impressed by the standard version of that either!!
Not much is said about scale length on these guitars but it does make a difference. The Lowden and the Alvarez have a 24” scale, the PRS is 24.72” and the Fender is 25.3”, so if you want a parlour that feels similar to a larger guitar for strumming on the sofa then you’ll probably want the longer scale. I’ve had an Alvarez AP66ESHB for a while and it has a nice tone but I find it cramped when playing chords and I don’t have large fingers, so will now be looking for a long scale parlour.
For what it’s worth,that lowden was designed that way,as Ed uses it for looping. I’ve seen him say several times that he prefers parlors with a lack of low end for looping,as it helps keep everything well defined in his loops
For the money, you can't beat the Alvarez. All solid Mahogany top, back and sides, beautiful bindings and gloss finish, 12 frets to the body, bone nut and saddle, slot head tuners, L R Baggs electronics, excellent full tone for a small guitar, and gig bag included all for about $850 US...that is a good deal!
I thought the Lowden sounded the best--or at least I thought it was the one that sounded most like a parlour guitar! Especially on the bluesy stuff. I was underwhelmed by all the pickup systems, though.
I agree. Don't mind the sound at all, it's exactly where it should be and Ben did in my opinion a better playing job on this guitar than the others. ;) The direct output sounded not quite as great on all guitars, very tinny and very little low-end; were the settings tuned for best sound or was that more of a middle-of-the-road situation?
There is just something about the Alvarez's that gets me, not only are they a good guitar and sound beautiful but I feel like they are one of the more honest companies out there, the best guitar for the money imo!!!
Really good review and great playing as always. Great to see a review where there is an opinion presented. Some reviews of different guitars are difficult to get a view on the differences - not this one. Great work!
4 years ago I bought a $200 Fender Parlour from Guitar Centre in New Orleans to throw in the back of the car and travel with me as I drove the full length of the Blues Trail. If you are thinking of doing this trail don't hesitate. It's a mind blowing experience. Anyway, I can't tell you how great this little guitar is - so loud and full sounding. Great for finger picking blues. Needless to say it came home with me to Blighty.
Ben, outstanding playing: great players can make any instrument sound good. Excellent demo structure, blues and folk, thru mic and pickup. I spent about 45 minutes listening back forth from two guitars, different styles, choosing between one and doing it again with two more, until I settled on the Alvarez. Funny thing is, I had the PRS SE P50 in a checkout cart and did one last search on the internet and your video came up on my feed. Changed my order to the Alvarez... that abalone looks too cool.
ALMOST couldn't get it done with the Lowden ....hahahaha.....j/k he made that cardboard sounding thing speak up better than any of those models has ever spoke up!!!
To my ear the PRS and the Alvarez sounds the most bluesy with more mid and low end and the Fender and Lowden seems more suited for the folkey stuff with clearer high end.
For me the Lowden and the Alvarez had the most interesting sound even though they were completely different to one another. With the Lowden sounding if anything like a slightly bigger guitar, which is strange because you said it sounded the quietest in the room, but I think it had the biggest sound on the vid
It is hard to find a normal nut width among these smaller guitars. Im generalizing, but my opinion is 6ft plus people can more easily handle the dreadnought. The Om is a better fit for the 5ft 9" to 5ft 11" range. The 000 suits the 5ft 5" to 5ft8" range. The 00 suits people 5ft to 5ft 4" and so on. Not that there aren't many exceptions, but continuously playing a bad fit is detrimental to our health. Shoulder related guitar injuries are a thing. A lot of older men looking to escape the pain, switch to the smaller guitars. They want that 1 and 3/4 nut width. Some of them are a little shorter in general, but their hands aren't necessarily small, if you know what i mean 😅 We arent elves. Give us some neck man!
A near toss up between the Alvarez and the Fender, with the Alvarez taking the podium with its depth and presence. The Alvarez is just gorgeous looking, even though I would normally avoid the smudge magnet gloss finish.
Great video! A shootout among these 4 focused exclusively on the pickup systems could be worthwhile. I have one of these 4, and I'm blown away by what I can do amplified with a parlour acoustic...!
The Fender Paramount guitars are awesome. Our band has 2.....one spruce top with rosewood back & sides the other spruce top , mahogany back & sides. 🎸🎸🎸
I owned a PRS SE Tonare. It went back to Guitar Center after 4 days because the tone was rather stale air. I also owned an Alvarez (several letters and numbers) Parlor and it was by far a wonderful sounding guitar that cost me about US$450. I love the one played here, especially the slot head. None of the others ring any familiar bells.
Superb playing from Ben. He could make the worst guitar sound great! For me though it was, Alvarez first, Fender second, PRS third and I wouldn't bother with the Lowden. Which feels like an odd thing to be saying as they generally make superb guitars but, personally, and it is just my opinion, I feel that the whole Sheeran thing was a mistake.
I am a very loyal PRS player, I think I have around 15 of them, so cost is not my first criteria. But I thought the Alvarez sounded the best, and looked the nicest of all of them. But it should come with a gig bag, come on!
Looking great and sounding even better, Ben! I click your videos not because I care about acoustics but because I really love good finger-picked acoustic tones. If you happen to find yourself state-side you should team up with Justin Johnson for a couple of out-of-this-world acoustic duos.
Miracles. I purchased my Fender last week after spending 3 weeks thinking about guitars. I started from zero knowledge watched RU-vid videos but this one and visited music stores. I purchased the Fender as it has a mahogany back and sides and a spruce top. I feel the Fender has more base than the others. I did not know this when I purchased it. Hence the miracle. I paid £399 brand new. They were on discount.
I love my palour guitar. Mine is a Fender. I like to keep in handy and pick it up when I have a minute and play. It’s great. Love the slight vibration of the spruce top.
I personally liked the sound of the Fender the most (was not expecting that)... but I disliked every one of them when on electronics. But I tend to favor visually a nice burst. I would wager that the Fender is offered in a burst as well though. Cheers!
I think Alvarez was the best, too, on all counts. I wonder how the PRS SE P50E would compare, as it is tge top level parlor acoustic that is in their line.
The Lowden has that little guitar, boxy sound that I think is undesirable. I own the Fender, great guitar. The Alvarez will probably be my next acoustic guitar.
Great show, I know not strictly a parlour guitar but I would love to see Ben’s opinion of Taylor GS mini against these as it is a real contender in this price bracket.
@@jeramym9506 Hi, I was fortunate and my GS Mini was a 10 year old used purchase, and a well loved instrument, it sounds phenomenal. As good as my Martin 00028ec. Mind blowing value. Our son’s 16 year old Baby Taylor is a peach too. Quick tip, get the Elixirs off a Taylor as soon as you can and explore the true sound possibilities. Taylor ship with Elixirs to ensure uniform string health after long shipping and storage not necessarily the best sound from the guitar.
Alvarez always seem to have great low end. My first guitar (2009) was an Alvarez acoustic that was a 1972 model MIJ. Paid $100 and loved it dearly, wish I still had it.
Fender > Alvarez, > PRS, > Lowden. In all fairness, comparing the Alvarez to the Fender is not truly valid because of 2 different tops. Would have loved to hear the mahogany Fender in this line up. The Alvarez will open up after some years, we've got one in the family built in the late 70's that I purchased new, it sounds incredible.
I got the PRS in black top for Xmas. I love it for the price it is, but I wish I had heard the Fender before this 😕 I definitely would have asked Santa for the Fender over the PRS.
Hi Ben. Could you explain why you don't like the pickup system being at the top on the Alvarez? Surely it's in a good position for tweaking the sound. Or is it because it messes with the internal acoustics? Great playing, and thanks for all the interesting videos.
@@bensmithguitar I agree. It takes away from the authentic tone wood aesthetic. I’d rather have fewer controls and no tuner, with the controls accessed on the lip of the sound hole, like Gibson.
for the price point The Alvarez has that nice low end sound, & round and warm sound. Everybody else just sounds to shrill to my ear, including the expensive Ed Sheran signature Lowden. I’d take the Alvarez any day for sure!
No Takamine? It’s always bemuses me that the GY New Yorker parlour Takamine guitar … and ‘full cream’ parlour version, are so often ignored. They both have gorgeous split saddles. Sublime intonation and great Tak piezo pickup system, yet are never seen. Takamine play incredibly well, sound balanced and as I said are intonated perfectly. Why ignore? Why does Anderton’s not bother to stock or are other issues at play?
it's hard not to feel a bit anorak - ish, 'Where's my Duffle coat" as I'm considering the purchase of a Parlor, Found this video very informative, what was interesting, is the difference between plugged and Unplugged with all of these Guitars, , Fender sounded good but plugged in, poor and metallic The Alcatraz one sounded the best overall, you also highlighted a slightly wider nut on PRS ( suits me coming from Classicals and Nylons) but didn't sound great plugged in too, The A'vz better tone coupled with the electrics Tuner, EQ, I was disappointed with the Lowden (although great sound, possibly clearer individual notes) but with it's too Quiet acousticly, I had been considering Lowden !, Thanks to this Video Ben, I may be off to Alcatraz 😊
For playing solo, I’d take the Alvarez. But the Sheeran model would cut through a mix I think. None of the pickups were satisfactory IMHO. I’d take the Alvarez without a pickup and install a Lyric or a K&K.
Excellent video. Well done, well played. I’ve played that Alvarez. Looking to purchase one. The PRS sounded too thin. The Loudan was disappointing. Thank you again
Love this Episode. Great playing as always. Alvarez Sound suited me best too. But the lowden Had Something totally different to it that resonated with me as well. Anyway no Lefties available therefore my parlour search continues.
Go to the Alvarez RU-vid channel and leave a comment on their videos pleading that they return to making the AP70 parlour and/or offer the AP66 in lefthand. I had an AP70 that got damaged and it was great.
