26 3pickup
FRESHMAN FA1A BKREVIEWED:
FRESHMAN
FA1A BK
SRP �239.95
All prices incl VAT
ContaCt:
Access All Areas
T: 01355 264848
W: freshmanguitars.co.uk
WhAT iS iT?
A very smart looking electro-
acoustic guitar with a solid
Canadian Sitka Spruce top and
laminated mahogany back & sides.
Why Should
i WAnT one?
Freshman guitars have always
impressed by their great set up,
finish and construction. Freshman
is one of the rare acoustic
manufacturers whose affordable
models feel and sound as good as
its high-end instruments.
Freshman guitars throw down
the gauntlet with this striking
electro-acoustic six string...
Words: Tim Slater
Freshman guitars have
always impressed thanks to a pleasing
blend of good build-quality and very
wallet-friendly prices and the electro
acoustic folk-sized FA1A BK comes
with an appealing showbiz glamour.
If you are yet to become
acquainted with Freshman, its
Far-Eastern manufactured guitars
are designed in the UK and the
company's electro-acoustic models
encompass a huge range of
specifications and prices ranging from
just under �200 to around �1500.
The FA1A BK (sometimes don't you
wish that acoustic manufacturers
would designate their models by
giving them simple names instead
of complex catalogue numbers?) is
a full-sized folk guitar with a solid
Canadian Sitka Spruce top and
laminated mahogany back and sides
topped-off by an active pre-amp
powered by a single nine-volt battery.
From an aesthetic point of view
this is a very handsome guitar whose
gloss black finish makes a marked
changed from the more usual natural
or sunburst look and the overall
standard of finishing is flawless. The
back, sides and edges of the neck
are trimmed with ice white binding
whilst faux tortoiseshell and black/
white pinstripe binding compliment
the all-black gloss top and faux
tortoiseshell scratch plate. All in, the
whole guitar looks as clean and sharp
as a new tuxedo and would definitely
look terrific on stage. On that
subject, this guitar features a separate
jack socket instead of the combined
endpin/socket that seems to be more
common the majority of electro-
acoustic guitars but there is logic
behind Freshman opting to move
the jack socket slightly downwind of
the endpin: it makes the guitar cable
easier to tuck away behind the strap.
Bear in mind, however, that the FA1A
BK doesn't come with a second strap
button, so you'll either have to fit
one yourself or tie one end of your
guitar strap around the headstock �
traditional folkie style.
Internally the finishing on this
guitar is still fairly tidy, while maybe
not as scrupulously clean as we've
seen on some of the competition,
and accessing the pre-amp battery
requires some forward planning as
battery changes require loosening the
strings to gain access to the battery
housing, which is located way up
inside the top bout. A traditional
rosewood bridge locks the strings
in place with plastic pins before the
strings pass along the rosewood
fingerboard and across a well cut
plastic nut before wrapping around
six separate closed back tuning
machines mounted on Freshman's
distinctive elongated headstock.
The neck's chunky but nonetheless
comfortable `D' shape is hardly
what you'd describe as `speedy'
but then again over the course of
a long evening's playing this neck
should prove to offer a great deal of
comfort and reduce playing fatigue
compared to many a smaller neck
profile. Freshman makes a lot of store
out of the fact that its guitars are set
up properly before shipping and in
this instance they cannot be faulted.
In fact, every Freshman guitar I have
played has always arrived with a
great playing action and a decent
fret job and this model has been
fettled to perfection. Sound-wise,
the acoustic tone is a good example
of the excellent symbiosis between
the timbers; the Sitka Spruce top
provides a strident but not overly
shrill top-end shimmer whilst the
mahogany back and sides add
warmth and a nice thumpy lower
mid that helps to project the guitar's
voice without degenerating into the
harsh over-compressed sound that
can sometimes mar the performance
of lower-priced acoustic guitars.
Amplified, the guitar is easy
to control thanks to the
simple yet effective four-
band active EQ and single
rotary volume on the control
panel and the Freshman's
amplified tone is brisk
and lively; a pretty faithful
reproduction of the guitar's big
acoustic tone, in fact. We've
already mentioned that this
guitar should be ideal
for stage-work and its
compact folk size
design confirms
this. Being fairly
small in stature,
this Freshman
feels light and
comfortable
to play both
sitting down
and standing
and its classy
feel and big
tone makes
you forget the
modest price tag.
Even if you have
a reasonable budget
we'd suggest that you
don't overlook the
Freshman FA1A BK;
for the money you
get a great sounding
and very playable
guitar that should
delight novices
whilst also sending
more experienced
players home with
a smug smile
on their face
and a few extra
quid left in the
wallet. PM

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