I first heard about The Brunner Outdoor Guitar late in 2004 on the 13th
Fret by a fellow fretter, Kevin Thompson. I was immediately intrigued,
because I have been in search of a good sounding, reasonably priced,
travel guitar for years. We have seen a number of brilliant
alternatives from luthiers in this group, at guitar conferences, etc.,
but they usually carry a very steep pricetag, which I simply don't
travel enough to justify. Even if I did, after so hefty an
investment, I'd feel obligated to baby it like I do my other
"boutique" guitars. So, when I checked out the
Brunner
Guitar website to
find out more, I was immediately impressed when I saw the setup below
packed in the case above.
Well, I made contact with Lukas Brunner about pricing, availability,
etc. He had a batch he was starting in Feb. '05, but also had this one
available. Being the patient man that I am, I told him I'll take
the current model, and that I would get a check off to him right
away! This one has a German spruce top with Indian
Rosewood b&s--all solid woods. If I had been even more patient, I may well have
ordered a koa model, but I am very pleased with the tone of this one
thus far.
I received the guitar the day after
Thanksgiving '04, and couldn't wait to check it out. Well, the guitar
turned out to be a bit smaller than I expected, BUT it is an engineering
achievement that some might say only the Swiss are capable
of! Of course I don't really believe that statement as we have many
brilliant builders as well, but I do find every aspect of this travel
guitar extremely well thought out.
First of all, the "box" is very well
constructed and finished in matte, which I believe is intentional as it
is less difficult (ie., less time consuming, read "less
expensive") than glossy, and will show less nicks and dings as it gets used as intended (ie., around
campfires, on mountaineering expeditions, out on the streets, in and out
of the car when traveling, on bike trips, etc.) Actually, Lukas
told me he designed the guitar to be used on his honeymoon/bike
trip...cool!
Secondly, the neck and string setup easily attaches to the guitar and
gets packed away when finished. The mahogany neck is beautifully
finished, and measures 1 7/8" at the nut--just what I need,
especially on a short scale guitar like this. The strings are each
"locked in" to the tuners and the partial bridge piece, so once tuned up it kind of stays
tuned up--even after taking it down and putting it back together (about
a half minute exersise). Once the neck support bolt is tightened,
the guitar is amazingly ready to play...maybe just a couple of small
tweaks to tune to perfect pitch. I am still impressed by this
each day I put it together and play it. The partial bridge
securing the strings just
slips right in to place in the back of the main bridge, then set the
neck on the body, squeeze together, tighten the bolt, and whoalla--ready
to play!
There's handy holes in the foam to safely store
the bolt and Alan wrench when not in use. The strings and neck
knows right where they fit in the the carved foam insulation. There's a spare
stringset pouch and a couple small compartments built in to the
foam in other areas. A tuner is enclosed in one of the foam
pouches. The small foam pieces which cover the 2 pockets in the
foam base also serve to protect the guitar on the top and bottom of the neck
when the guitar is stored in the case (nearly closed) without being taken
down. The goodie list could go on.
AESTHETICS--the craftsmanship, woods, finish,
fit are all top grade and all look excellent. The light colored
German
Spruce top looks real purdy on this small guitar. The neck width and thickness, and string
spacing are 'made for me' (a 1 7/8 nut making the fretboard comfortable and
fairly easy to move around on, ).
PLAYABILITY--very good, though if I were
ordering one I'd go with even a bit wider nut and bridge width due to
the shorter scale length. This one is working quite alright for me
though, and plays well all the way up the neck.
TONE--sounds simply incredible for such a small body guitar. Of
course there is a bit of a deficit in the low end with such a small body
guitar, but the mids and highs come across very punchy and thick
(partially due to the med-light strings I assume. The notes
resonate nicely, and there is lots of volume if desired. When I
strum hard on this guitar it really cuts through in a mix with midrange
clarity and fullness that makes this a very unique guitar sound. I
haven't had a chance yet, but I think it will record very nicely in
harmony with a larger body acoustic.
Now, several months later and almost daily use, I can
say that this guitar will nicely serve the purpose for which it was
intended. That is, traveling with me anywhere in the car, or on a
plane (unless it's a gig related trip in which case I would risk one of
the bigger brothers). It's sooo nice not having to worry
about this guitar sitting out in the car for extended periods of heat or
cold (don't tell Lukas I said that though!). I'm just not worried
about a small guitar like this with no string tension on the woods,
etc., and so
far it has been doing great. Oh, when the temp got down to the
teens and lower last week I brought it in to work with me, but the
thirties or higher...shoot, not to worry, right up to 90 or 95 (though
not in direct sunlight of course)--though I haven't yet tested that.
I'm sure it will do fine.
Lucas Brunner has an engineering marvel here, and has priced it such
that it's within range for many who would otherwise not be able to
consider such a purchase. Hats off to Lukas Brunner of
Brunner Guitars--my expectations
were fully met and exceeded!
Ken T.
Graceworks Music
