aNueNue Bird Guitar LB200 Acoustic/Electric Natural Gloss 2017
aNueNue LB200 Bird Guitar, natural gloss, made in China 2017. Launching in 2008, aNueNue are one of the biggest makers of mid-high end ukuleles in the world. The name is the Hawaiian word for rainbow; they're based out of Taiwan with a sister division in Honolulu. The brand diversified from ukes into guitars in 2015, launching their Bird Guitar model, with the shape inspired by the plump form of a red robin. It's got a clever offset soundhole for increased resonance and player-directed volume, as well as their proprietary parabolic bracing pattern. This is a high end example, so it's blessed with some pretty special tonewoods: ebony and African mahogany for the neck, all solid Indian rosewood and Swiss moon spruce for the body. The shape is somewhere between a Taylor-style grand auditorium and a Martin-style 000, but with the cute 'straight cutaway. It's very comfy in the hands, with a slightly wider than usual neck balances beautifully with the super resonant body. Moon spruce grows in alpine Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and is apparently harvested as certain moments in the lunar cycle for best results. It's lighter but stronger than sitka, producing a more complex, warmer and breathier tone without being as soft as cedar. This is a terrific sounding guitar: bright and open on the top end, fast and clear on the bass, with a gorgeous wide richness through the midrange. It's got more sustain and balance than most Martins and more body and oomph than many Taylors... seriously impressive. The pickup is good too; it's got a piezo and mic with a balancer control and sounds very natural. We picked this one up as an ex-demo model, so it's made a few videos and had a little play, but it presents very close to brand new. They sold for around A$3k when this model was current; it's been replaced by a similar model without the fancy inlays these days. It's quirky, but it kinda rules.
Model: aNueNue Bird Guitar LB200
Made: China, 2017
Serial: none
Finish: natural, thin gloss poly
Body: solid Swiss moon spruce top. solid Indian rosewood back and sides, 'Bird' body shape, parabolic brace structure, ebony bridge with buffalo bone saddle, flame maple binding, 402mm across, 118mm deep
Neck: African mahogany, ebony fretboard, 25.5" scale, 16" radius, 44mm nut, medium C shape carve
Weight: 2.085kg
Mods: none
Pickup: aNueNue Air Air under saddle + omni direction mic, with preamp
Accessories: aNueNue hard case
Demos via Youtube: Seiji Igusa here, Alan Gogoll here
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has very minor dimples on the end. The is clean and smooth in the hands, very minor rub wear on the back only. The back has minor rub wear in the elbow area and top shoulder. The sides have minor dimples in the elbow area. The front has minor play wear on the guard and shoulders.
Overall: excellent condition (9/10)
Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Setup with 12/54 Moonshiners strings.
Fret Life: 9.5/10, minor wear only