Review: Atkin Forty Three. (Gibson J45)
Nov 18, 2018 8:26:45 GMT
Martin, brianr2, and 8 more like this
Post by dawkins on Nov 18, 2018 8:26:45 GMT
Recently I became fascinated with Atkin guitars and in particular the dreadnought range. I personally like the aged aesthetic and from reading reviews it seemed clear that Alistir Atkin was the king in this department.
I popped along to Forsyths in Manchester because they had a good selection, and in my head I was seeing myself walking out with his aged D37 model which I believe is near to a Martin D28.
It was a stunning guitar and played/sounded fantastic but then I tried the gorgeous Essential D with it’s mahogany back and sides and it was truly astonishing in every department. I then continued to swap between the Atkin Esential D and a Martin D but to be honest the Atkin was superior in every aspect.
I was about to pull the trigger on the Essential D but something told me to try the Atkin 43, which is a homage to the 1940s Gibson J45. Mentally I had already ruled out this guitar because I was not keen on sunburst guitars but as soon as James handed me this guitar I was already changing my mind. It has a beautiful feel and aesthetically it’s stunning. Still I hadn’t strummed it yet and was prepared for disappointment. But I was wrong, massively! The sound from this thing was incredible. Big powerful bass with sustain to die for and not muddy. The trebles were sweet and darkish and the mids were beautiful. I’ve grown fond of plectrum playing recently and this thing just begs to be given a song. I found the guitar likes a lighter touch but can be driven hard if needs be, but what impressed me most was it’s response to dynamic playing — nothing short of outstanding! The balance across the strings is spot on.
Thr neck is a C shape but very comfortable. I was dubious about the 11/16th nut but found it to be a non issue, in fact it’s arguably the most comfortable guitar I have owned and perhaps the shorter scale length contributes to the ease of playing. This is the first guitar that I have ever felt through my body - it literally kicks me in the gut - especially the mids at F sharp on the 4th string. Overall it’s a beast.
I had no option but to buy it with the Essential D being a close second.
I played the guitar all night and a bonus was that I was nailing chords (of the jazz variety) that were insecure on my other guitars.
A big thanks to James at Forsyths who patiently let me take time to evaluate.
I popped along to Forsyths in Manchester because they had a good selection, and in my head I was seeing myself walking out with his aged D37 model which I believe is near to a Martin D28.
It was a stunning guitar and played/sounded fantastic but then I tried the gorgeous Essential D with it’s mahogany back and sides and it was truly astonishing in every department. I then continued to swap between the Atkin Esential D and a Martin D but to be honest the Atkin was superior in every aspect.
I was about to pull the trigger on the Essential D but something told me to try the Atkin 43, which is a homage to the 1940s Gibson J45. Mentally I had already ruled out this guitar because I was not keen on sunburst guitars but as soon as James handed me this guitar I was already changing my mind. It has a beautiful feel and aesthetically it’s stunning. Still I hadn’t strummed it yet and was prepared for disappointment. But I was wrong, massively! The sound from this thing was incredible. Big powerful bass with sustain to die for and not muddy. The trebles were sweet and darkish and the mids were beautiful. I’ve grown fond of plectrum playing recently and this thing just begs to be given a song. I found the guitar likes a lighter touch but can be driven hard if needs be, but what impressed me most was it’s response to dynamic playing — nothing short of outstanding! The balance across the strings is spot on.
Thr neck is a C shape but very comfortable. I was dubious about the 11/16th nut but found it to be a non issue, in fact it’s arguably the most comfortable guitar I have owned and perhaps the shorter scale length contributes to the ease of playing. This is the first guitar that I have ever felt through my body - it literally kicks me in the gut - especially the mids at F sharp on the 4th string. Overall it’s a beast.
I had no option but to buy it with the Essential D being a close second.
I played the guitar all night and a bonus was that I was nailing chords (of the jazz variety) that were insecure on my other guitars.
A big thanks to James at Forsyths who patiently let me take time to evaluate.
