Pratley Classic Mini, natural satin, made in Australia 2024. There's a bunch of 'mini guitars' out there on the market, and some of them are pretty good, while others are... less so. This one, friends, is right up there with the best I've come across. First up, it really is pretty small: similar in dimensions to the Mini Maton or the Taylor GS Mini. One key difference straight away is the scale length: this has a full 25.5" neck, like a dreadnought would have. That translates to a more familiar playing feel with a normal amount of tension on the strings, as well as adding a whole bunch of clarity and zing to the tone. The signature 'horizontal dovetail' neck join moves the meat of the heel inside the body, which means you can easily reach the top frets, even with no cutaway. It's very comfy in the hands: great on the couch to strum away and noodle your new tunes out on, or super comfy for those long gigs sweating it out at your local. The quintessentially-Straya wood combo of a solid bunya pine top and solid Queensland maple back and sides makes for a balanced, warm and open tone with a generous, wide midrange. The pickup is excellent too: natural and warm with plenty of clarity and balance. This is a very convincing guitar and will surely make a great addition to your household.

Pratley Guitars kicked off in 2004, under the guidance of Martin Pratley, a keen woodworker with a background in pro industrial design. There's a few interesting things about the design of all Pratley's offerings. First, the neck: the idea was to get as close as possible to the feel of an electric guitar neck on an acoustic. It's a slim, round C shape, and the join is a set-neck style, so there's a block inside the body that's glued to the neck with a wedge style join not dissimilar from a horizontal dovetail. The upshot is that the clunky heel is gone, and you get easy access all the way up to the top frets. The top has a clever A/X bracing pattern too, so there's two long braces extending along the whole top coming together to a point near the rear strap pin. This allows for plenty of resonance and a nice open tone, but was also specifically designed to eliminate any swelling tendencies in the top and make sure that bridge stays nice and flat and firmly attached. They also use a bunch of environmentally friendly and attractive Australian tonewoods like Queensland maple, bunya pine, Tasmanian blackwood and Johnstone river teak. They're very sustainable timbers to use, as the trees grow to a large size much faster than spruce, rosewood and mahogany, which are old growth species that have to be shipped long distances to get here.

* photos show actual guitar you will receive *

Model: Pratley Classic Concert Blackwood  (PRC-SE-BWBW)
Made: Gold Coast Australia, 2024
Serial: 032410752
Finish: natural, satin nitro
Body: solid bunya top, solid Queensland maple back and sides, mini OM shape, 350mm across, 444mm long, 100mm deep, A/X bracing
Neck: Queensland maple, Johnstone River teak fretboard, 25.5" scale, 12" radius, set neck/wedge join construction
Weight: 1.950kg
Mods: none
Pickup:  L.R. Baggs StagePro Element System
Accessories: Pratley lightweight semi-hard case

Cosmetic condition notes:  brand new with manufacturer's warranty. No major marks.
Overall: brand new condition (10/10)

Playing condition notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good. Setup with 12/54 Elixir strings.
Fret Life: 10/10, brand new