Review: 2013 Luna Trinity Acoustic/Electric Parlor Cutaway Natural
The last few years has seen the revival of the “Parlor” size guitar, though more commonly known now as “travel guitars.” Pretty much every company now has an entry in this category, which wasn't the case several years ago.
The Parlor guitar was originally a small size guitar that was mainly played by women in the 1800s for entertainment in small rooms, either for parties or pleasure. It's sound was distinctive, on the quiet side, but its shallower tone made it ideal for fingerpicking, which is how it is played in modern times.
It had pretty much died out as a serious guitar, except for 3/4 size models for kids, until Martin and Taylor began putting out small size guitars for travel. Those were a big hit, and now that whole category of guitar is crowded with entries at every price range.
Those two guitars were pretty expensive compared to the standard Yamaha 3/4 size, but vintage parlor guitars were even more expensive. There had been parlor guitars, of course, but none had the cache that Martin and Taylor had.
At first it was a horse race between the two, but years later, a look around found them surrounded by competitors. The reason is simple. All of the guitar companies are no longer satisfied with dominating a niche or price range; every price level is now fiercely contested.
Luna, a company that first earned distinction as one run by a woman, first began with rather standard guitars notable for very colorful graphics and styling. As that company progressed, they've added a new dimension, which is an aesthetic design philosophy that harks back to the older times when instruments were often also works of art.
This may seem rather obvious, but the acoustic guitar aesthetic, like with electric guitars is very conservative, and the plain looking Martin became the standard for design (with some exceptions like Gibson, etc). It was often difficult to tell the brands apart in fact.
Not so with this Luna Trinity, which has a Celtic shaped sound hole, and a single cutaway that's not often seen on Parlor guitars. The basic materials are traditional; rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, and solid spruce top, but its design makes it unmistakably not a Martin.
The size and the cutaway should affect the sound and it does, it's louder than vintage parlors in some respects, but the acoustic qualities are made somewhat irrelevant by the Orion electronics. The amplification and 4 band preamp make having a resonant acoustic sound less necessary. In fact, to shape the sound, you tend to want a clean sound that can be adjusted to the tone you want.
The acoustic sound is important because not everyone wants to plug into an amp all the time. The tone is quite good, but quieter, which may be attractive to those practicing in small apartments or in the presence of unsympathetic family or friends. The Celtic style sound hole doesn't affect the sound. As long as the sound can come out, sound hole shape isn't that important.
Like any Parlor guitar, it's extremely comfortable and easy to play with small or normal hands, and most of this type perform very well as lap slide guitars. Which lots of modern blues players are doing with vintage parlor guitars.
The price tag of around 400.00 (street price) doesn't make it an automatic purchase. At this price range, you can get a Martin, Taylor, Yamaha, or whatever that would be as good or better. Given that the sound is pretty good, and amplified anyway, it's as good a choice as any if aesthetics is a consideration.
Old school guitar thought tends to be stodgy and often like the grumblings of an old dude who prefers the old ways, which in this case is plain guitars that show the fine grain of the wood and so on. In the case of someone who finds that sensibility boring, this guitar could possibly be a revelation. Certainly, musicians who play live might find this an attractive alternative for stage work (since more than a few club players don't like to risk their vintage or expensive stuff on stage).
The one thing that might come up, of course, is that this could be seen as a “chick” guitar. That's something the market will decide and if it ends up mainly appealing to women, then Luna will have to go with that niche or promote some of their other guitars which are just as distinctive.
I personally wouldn't buy one, for the simple reason that I rarely play a six-string acoustic cutaway type, and don't need a set of stage guitars. If I had to decide between using my beloved vintage Ovation Glen Campbell and this one in front of a club audience (and risking its theft or damage) then this one would win hands down.
So, who should buy this guitar?
It's a good acoustic/electric type, and through an amp and PA system, will sound pretty much as good as any, even ones more expensive. It will give the performer a little extra on stage as the Luna Trinity's looks are distinctive and beautiful. If you play Celtic music, it seems that this guitar would be a great addition.
One thing that influences enjoyment is aesthetics. No matter what an expert might say, if you like the guitar's looks, it will sound and play better. Since the Trinity is well made and sounds more than good enough, it's worth trying out when considering others in this price range (which as I've said before, has plenty of choices).
I can't say it's an automatic buy, but one thing for sure; when looking along a wall of acoustics that all look like Martins, this one will jump out at you and maybe get you to play it first. I'm sure the design gurus at Luna can more than live with that.
- Al Handa
2013
Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2013. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.
The Quitturz by Al Handa
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