Koa Wood Electric Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

Just an excellent, well crafted multiscale ESP/LTD. Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient combo pups get it done! Clean or metal very versatile pickup set.johnarcher123

Plays like a dream. Fishmans off the chain. Neck feels awesome, stable tuning, ultimate shred machine. Highly recommended if you can find one.Nexus Six

Just bought this guitar and could not be more satisfied. To put my review in context: been playing 30 years, have had over 50 guitars and currently hold onto about 20- most are the high end USA models with "bells and whistles." I just read the book "Eruption" written by guitar magazine journalists and loved it- described Ed's constant tinkering with his guitars and search for best tones. Half way through I knew I wanted to go get an EVH model to add to my guitars (played a few over the years and they were all great, but very expensive Music Man Axis / Peavey), and wanted to wait until I finished the book to narrow down my search and go try out a new one to buy. Glad I did- toward the end of the book he explained how this model guitar is exactly what he wants to play right off the shelf as an entry level model a great gift to guitarists wanting an affordable guitar that isnt junk. I bought it and after about an hour playing with it as my guitar tuned down to Eb half a step- it is now my #1 guitar for that tuning (also for context my #1 for standard tuning is a Shur super strat which costs like 6x this Wolfgang). In response to some other lower reviews- yes, this is not equipped with a Floyd Rose floating bridge, just as Ed played- he sites the reason as Pros= better tone and you can rest your hand a little on the bridge without playing out of tune. Yes, the cons include not being able to pull up a note to really high pitch with the bar. right off the shelf it was set up with IMHO the best gauge string for his type of playing and a guitar tuned down half a step- 09-46 gauge. The 6 page manual with the guitar was really cool- a note from Ed was in it about how he wants folks to play the guitar and make it their own with literally their playing, grit and grease from hand oil actually being the wood finishing on the unfinished wood. The neck and fretboard are very sturdy, with jumbo frets and the latest technology in manufacturing to ensure each note can be fretted and in remain in tune / bend smoothly. All electronics are top notch- great humbucker pickups picked by Ed after a trial of about 100 different different pickups during the design phase. Tuners and Floyd Rose Special bridge were standard- I may upgrade them in a few months after breaking in the guitar. This is the only guitar review I have ever done- just trying to get some good karma I guess from this treasure I found and pass on the scoop on this guitar to others. Hope this helps- buy this! The perfect guitar to make yours just as it is, or customize/tinker around with it since it is affordable and there is much less stress of messing something up. IMHO if this guitar gets its due in the upcoming years it is our generation's Les Paul.Kevin

So I have been playing schecter and fender and was considering a Gibson. The gibs are just too fat in the neck. Me and my average hands have been working with thin c shape ok but I have had the feeling there must be something better. Don't get me wrong, those work fine. Actually went in to get a Jackson, but saw this one and had to test it out. It's a short scale thin, light and easy to play guitar. Have had it for a couple of weeks and I can honestly say it's my favorite ever. Super expressive, like crazy. It drives and overdrives with little effort. I can reach and move around the fret board easily making me sound better than I am. Saying that I'm impressed is an understatement. I don't know how anyone can do better, and the price is very reasonable. I can't imagine how the "upgraded" models play…. Guess I might have to try one.Boyd

Nice overall guitar no issues- came out of the box well setup although I still have all my guitars checked. Good neck feel and PUPs sound very good. PUPs not as high output as I like but can be used just as they are depending. They are hot enough for most of the players I know. My only complaint is I feel the body should be clear coated not stained. A stained body guitar should cost less in my opinion. I didn't return it over this because I like the guitar- which should tell you something.Doc Holiday

The on-paper specs are perfect for anyone that wants a "more modern" Gibson. You get the 24.75 scale, HH, Tune-o-matic bridge, and vintage look of a Gibson/Ibanez Destoyer but upgraded with more modern features – the shredding neck, graphite nut, and the straight in-line headstock (for better tuning stability than more cattywampus tuning key configurations… Gibson/Epi…); and all for what amounts to about half of a similarly-spec'd lower-end Gibson. Made in South Korea, which is a big plus in my book: I've had nothing but great experiences with SK guitars, and this is no exception. I bought with the intention of swapping the pickups and tuners out, but the pickups were quite nice out of the box: much clearer than I expect for guitars in this price range. I threw in a Gibson PAF bridge and a really hot Seymour Duncan SH-6 neck, and I can't put the guitar down. So many great tones to explore through, and lots of dynamics with the on-board split— that's right!— I forgot to mention— the guitar also comes with a coil split. The one piece of hardware you may want to replace is the toggle switch (a bit wobbly), which is pretty easy and cheap to replace- definitely not a dealbreaker imo. If your looking for a cool-looking, inspirational guitar that pulls you through a portal to the 70's, but won't cost you an arm and a leg, then absolutely check this one out.Hoverround

This is my 6th Schecter so I am very familiar with the brand. I wanted to add an explorer style guitar to the collection, I saw Schecter offered the E-1 an it was a done deal. The tiger stripes in the maple top are very defined and deep, almost 3D. Mine has the same burst on the back and neck revealing a beautiful piece of mahogany. The rosewood on the fingerboard is a very dark deep color, frets are finished very smooth with no fret buzz even with low action. The Schecter Alnico pick ups sound spectacular from a full bodied clean tone to a ballsy chomp and squawk in drive mode. The inlays look super, nice finishing touch. Grover tuners…Tone pros bridge, perfect. Schecter, right out of the box, as always.Gator

I’ve been playing a Taylor 310 for 25 years and was looking for something smaller and lighter to transport. Having read a lot of reviews and listened to the videos I thought I would try the GS Mini Koa and see what all the fuzz was about. This guitar sounds amazing! The Koa gives it a depth AND sparkle that you don’t expect from a small guitar. I keep asking myself does it lack depth compared to my dreadnought, technically it does but actually I don’t miss it because the sound is so full. The volume too is quite exceptional, I tend to strum a lot with a pick and don’t mind digging in hard….. this guitar just sings under those circumstances. It get’s louder and louder without noticeably going out of tune. At the other end there is such clarity and sustain that quiet finger picking also sounds great. You can easily hear a single note melody within a chord. Are there any downsides? Well if you have big hands then the reduced neck length may feel too cramped…. For me this is actually more comfortable than a full size neck but you wouldn’t want it any smaller. In summary I’m blown away, just amazing.David

Wow… what a stunner! Opening the case for the first time was quite an experience. This is a seriously beautiful guitar with beautiful craftsmanship. As a beginner with small hands (even for a lady) I have found acoustic guitars in the past to be very uncomfortable to play, the size of the body, the width of the neck, the high action, and after struggling with a Lorenzo Flame Series for the past year I decided enough was enough, electrics aren't almost impossible to play so why should I have to struggle with acoustic? I did some research and everything was pointing me towards the Taylor GS Mini-E series. Holding this guitar in my hands for the first time felt like a revelation. It felt like Taylor had made a guitar specifically for me – wearing a strap the body fits easily under my arm and my fingers just know exactly where they're meant to go. The sound of the guitar is rich and vibrant with a bright top tone – quite a feat in a parlour size guitar. After watching reviews it seems that this is due to the Koa body. The guitar also comes with soft, well-padded case that feels like it'll protect well from bumps and bruises whilst travelling. It has some nice shoulder straps so it feels like you're wearing a large (but light!) backpack. The best thing about this guitar though is that it's such a joy to hold and play that I can't put it down; my playing ability has increased so much in the past few weeks since buying it. As a beginner I absolutely recommend this guitar as an introduction to acoustic guitars. If you're a beginner and you've been playing an electric for while but want to get into playing acoustic, try out a Taylor GS Mini-e – it might be the one for you.Laura K.

The guitar performs and works as advertised. It's not a bad guitar by any means but it's a guitar that lives way past it's price range either. If you want a really nice D'ANGELICO acoustic then get something from the Excel line. But this is bottom of the premier line. This does the job for a early guitar, the neck is easy to play with low action to match. Put some warm strings on it. I recommend an 85/15 string and let it warm up and break in. It's a basic acoustic electric. It does what it says it will do. Nothing more or nothing less. I got it on an overstock sale but I'd buy it again at full price but maybe not the buttercream. The black or natural wood finish look the best. The buttercream is like they wanted the color of spruce with no grain. It's different for sure. If you're wanting something really nice save your money. If you want a decent backup not starter guitar this should fit the bill. My four star rating is with the full asking price in mind. If you get it on sale it's five star for the price.Nick

i wrote a review early on with my first impressions. 3 months on it it still sounds great – it's been my sofa guitar and I've played it a great deal. The tone has mellowed a bit with use. Neck is still exactly where I set it and the whole guitar feels nicely solid. The big surprise is that this thing sounds FANTASTIC through a PA. It's balanced, it's dynamic, it has none of the harsh quackiness you usually get with low end piezo systems. You can hit it HARD without overdriving the pre. It can get nice and loud without feeding back and the onboard tuner is super handy. The first time I played it in public I was basically mobbed by other guitarists wanting to know where I got it. And this isn't even their high end pickup system. Remarkable.Stu

Ordered this on a SDOTD and will say right up front that it's a really NICE guitar, especially for the $$$. I was needing a smaller guitar w/ electronics for small venues, not needing to invest a bunch of money and after reading decent reviews I said "why not?". After opening the box things got off to a rocky start – – 1st string was broken, and also noticed the neck was really bowed from a loose truss rod, but since I do my own setups on new guitars these was fairly easy to remedy. So was the excessively dry fingerboard and bridge, which I rubbed with 0000 steel wool and lemon oil. But, two of the faux mother-of-pearl position markers were sticking up on one end (loose) and that got me to thinking maybe this was a bad idea. I almost boxed it up and sent it back, but since it was so nice otherwise I decided to super glue them back and overlook it. Otherwise, a beauty of a guitar, and after it was all set up this thing really sang. Unplugged, it's fairly unimpressive, but with a decent tone and plenty of harmonics. The fingerboard turned out to play wonderfully, low nice action with smooth frets and I love the thin profile and fairly narrow width of the neck, the shining point of this guitar. Tuners were OK, and the BONE saddle and nut were fine after I lowered the action a bit. The sound of this guitar is amazing plugged in, and the D'Angelico branded electronics are outstanding. Plugged in it sounds equal to anything I've ever heard, and I heard and played a few in my 60 years of performing. Mine does not have a phase switch as is listed, so take note of that one point. The really great thing that I love about the electronics – – the input jack & battery are on the rear bottom side instead of through the normal end pin jack, a major convenience that is not listed, so this makes up for any other minor cons of the guitar. I do a lot of finger-picking and it capos well, too. A keeper!Fiddle & Guitar Man

Great price, great service, follow the email trail and they keep you informed as to how your guitar is proceeding through the set up etc, you then get advice of delivery with a tracking option. The delivery comes in a one hour window. Great set up, played great right out of the box. Pity I have to change all that as I use a higher gauge string but for me that’s not a problem. The XTSA itself? Who would play one of these, why did I buy it? Is it a good quality guitar, what does it sound like? I suppose all in all I was inspired by the sound of Lindsey Buckingham’s Model One, which I would love but it’s £5,000 plus so…. The first Godin I bought on the path to that type of sound was their A6 and they say that the XTSA has a better acoustic voice which is due to better electronics, individual piezos etc. Well that would be true if the A6 didn’t have it’s own resonant acoustic voice that is louder unplugged that some thin bodied acoustics. This can be heard over your vocal mic if you sing and if you don’t you can still mic it and that’s a GOOD copy of an acoustic, that can also be beefed up with the humbucker. (Closer to the Lindsey sound in a way, but the electric is weaker.) But then the pluses on the A6 become the minus’s in that sense as the acoustic voice is always on your vocal mic if you sing, unless you are a great tech and can stop that. (Harder for me as I sit down, as I'm older and I use a lot of expression pedal, so the guitar is closer to the vocal mic than when you stand.) But then this contributes, along with the chambering of the A6, to the muddy sound of the electric aspect of the A6 when driven. The XTSA has a great tone. It’s hard to hear it maybe, but apart from the voicing via the pups, chambering etc. the two guitars both have that ‘Godin’ tone, which I love. I wasn’t happy with my A6 with regards to where I was heading tonally because I also use a lot of subtle whammy and pinch harmonics and the A6 doesn’t ring that easily. What I wanted was indeed an A6 with better pups and a whammy, and the XTSA indeed does that. You see I didn’t really know what I was looking for in a guitar, I knew what I liked when I heard it and what I don’t like. I don’t like Strats as they are too nasal in my mind, very stylised, and LP’s are too much for my ears, like a cartoon caricature of a guitar. Even via buying the A6, it made me consider putting piezo saddles on my Strat, with a preamp to get more acoustic byte, like Pete Townsend did, but then you don’t get an EQ. And then before I started ordering stuff, I slowed down and thought about it. I then played the A6 clean on the humbucker and realised that the tone on the guitar is still the same without the piezo, as I said the piezo only really gives bite. So it seems it’s the Godin sound I like? And then to me the Godin A6 simply sounded better than the Strat in general, but then it’s muddy when driven and no trem so….. The XTSA! So…. Strats sound like Strats, I’ve got emg 57 66’s in mine and it still sounds like it always did and yet now it’s clearer when driven is all, and it drives harder of course, but then other than that not much really changed the cleans are still much the same. LP’s sound like LP’s…give or take. In my mind, Godin’s, well the two I’ve now played, that do also have Godin pups, they have a ‘sound’. And personally I LOVE it, I’m finally happy with that tone… I got the God-in me! I’ve only had it a short while but I love ALL the electric tones, along with a nice bite from the piezo that when taken out gives great contrast. You can indeed bluff via playing the same licks with peizo in and then out, and it sounds diverse. Subtle but it holds the ear. Funny how the human brain works, it seems to enjoy processing sound, and delights when you subtly change voicings. Hearing the same voicing over and over simply get’s monotone-ous. The synth? Well I thought I may as well get the GR-55 seeing as the guitar is synth ready, not that I was bothered. And yeah the synth is nuts, I don’t even know where to start. On a quick pan through, some of the sounds are like a cheap synth organ, horrible! But then there are a few obvious gems there, some great guitar effects, I guess I won’t talk too much about the synth as I never was a big fan. If you play in a covers band you will LOVE it. And you can see all the videos of what it does on Youtube. Quick note on the synth, you can run it all through one amp to get used to it before you start spending money on more amps, as you can with the XTSA, run it through three, which helps the acoustic sound via an acoustic amp. You need the 13 pin cable, but then they sell the GR-55 with or without the external cable that comes actually with the external pick up for standard guitars. If you buy the one with the external pick up, it’s only £70 more so you kinda get the pick up for £20 as the 13 pin lead on it's own is £50, (But yes you can get the cables cheaper on e bay, not real Roland ones but they look muchSteve

I bought a scratch and dent and it took me all of 5 minutes to rub them out…they r gone. It plays like butter, it sounds like an Orchestra. It instantly became my Go To Favorite. I have other higher end guitars but this one hit me hard in my sweet spot . Plus it's totally Unique in that on the internet no other came close to this unique pattern, its one of a kind and the pick of the litter. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are in the wood grain pattern… I kid thee not. Needless to say I'm very Happy with this guitar. It's all I read about and even more. Way to go MF. Another great sell. I've been happy with every purchase from MF.James

The axe felt great, used the guitar and acoustic inputs and was humming along until I tried the synth 13 pin GK input. I was using the Boss SY-1000 when I plugged into my PA and immediately noticed that the top string was dead. The piezo built into the bridge had a bad transducer which left me with only 5 strings for synth. After purchasing another 13 pin cable and troubleshooting, it was clear that I received a Godin lemon. Reading reviews across different vendors it's obviously a reoccurring problem, so I returned the Godin. Roland makes a GK-3 divided pickup that can be installed on any guitar and deliver IMO better tracking than this Godin all-in-one. I'm feeling better about my Boss SY-1000 purchase getting away from this Godin Guitar. Bottom line is I think the synth piezo wired inside this guitar is much too susceptible to signal loss. I would recommend the Roland GK-3 divided pickup attachment over this guitar for synth exploration all day.Chelton

Was the next best thing that I have ever got myself other than my truck. Ty love the way it sound and the way it plays……rosad-rober

This is a very nice guitar. More than what I expected. Great sound, very forgiving and beautiful. This is one of the guitars you should have in your collection.batmanforever

Overall: I have to be completly honest and say this guitar is probably the best sounding acoustic and electric I've ever played! I have spent years and money trying to find this one guitar. I absolutely love this guitar! For money and quality I would suggest it to all!Harlan

I bought this guitar after searching for one with a D shaped neck, like my Casino. I like D necks because they are slim front to back. I have a billion guitars and am finding that the larger round necks hurt my thumb (I'm old). I also liked that the body is slim. I was very surprised that the guitar has an ebony fingerboard-my fav. It sounds good both unplugged and plugged into an acoustic amp. I liked it so much after buying the black one that I bought the blue one, too.SMorris

La chitarra è arrivata nei tempi promessi. Strumento dal rapporto qualità rezzo molto interesante.Ottima manifattura e grande versatilità!Giacomo P.

I have been playing for 50 years and have a room full of guitars. If I had to go to one, this may be it. The Duncan pups chime and growl plus it has cool splitting. The fit and finish is top quality, the frets are slick and rounded perfectly. I lowered the action to my preference and locked the TOM in and she's ready to perform. Great axe!bdramjam

Overall: I got a blemished T5z and I still haven't found the blemish. The guitar is well above what I expected in diversity of sound. From full on Acoustic to Metal this guitar has it all. I did get a touch of feedback but I had everything turned all the way up and after I adjusted the amp it sounded great. The five settings pretty much cover everything I play. This was my first Taylor but it probably won't be my last.Dave

Very clean , plays like I had hoped . Super pretty ! Pleased with electronics . Big Bang Guitar for the price . The Blue Maple top is a conversation in it self . If you want a Ovation Celerty Eilite , get the Case . It needs to be protected . I had a USA made Ovation that was In a Sunburst years back . I can't tell much has changed in it quality from China Made . This new Ovation has a awesome mother of Perl inlay and it is very nice . I have other nice Guitars and feel proud to have this Great playing guitar in My life . My sweet wife give to me for a special Christmas gift and it will be use to bless her ears everyday .Doug

This is my 4th MK and all of them are beautifully appointed instruments. The Birdseye maple really pops, and she plays like a strat. Does a good kid sounding like a strat as when you split the humbucker. Buy one and you’ll want another…Will in FL

What a beautiful guitar and the options are limitless playability right out of the box my only gripe is you have to go to website to get the pickup selection directions could of put it on paper in the boxLes

Completely satisfied with this purchase. Great features for the price. Visually beautiful. Had to take a star off the review for the string action out of the factory though. I had to pay a tech to sand down the bridge saddle. Cost me $45. Now it plays fantastic. I'll enjoy this for years.SKARRDGUITAR

Overall: This is one fine acoustic guitar. Beautiful woods and finish. Electronics and tuner are good. Tone and action excellent. Been playing 50 years and would not hesitate playing out or taking to a jam session plugged or unplugged. Have owned dean entry level acoustic bass for years, solid build and reliable. This brand new guitar feels and sounds solid. Have never dealt with dean but zZounds has been 5 star buying high level martin and fender past few years.Rich

Excellent acoustic bass! Plays amazing and the finish is flawless! I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the full 34 scale neck, turned out to be great! I am finding it way easier to transition back and forth to my electric bass vs my old 30ish scale ABG. Tuner works very well but I'm not a huge fan of how it sounds plugged in kinda tinny. That's alright tho cause I bought it to practice unplugged and will rarely play it plugged in anyway. I swapped the strings out to tapewounds and made an already amazing guitar even better. I think those strings are a must for any acoustic bass, rounds are just too noisy at that low volume. But all around a great looking and great playing instrument!Josh

Nice overall guitar no issues- came out of the box well setup although I still have all my guitars checked. Good neck feel and PUPs sound very good. PUPs not as high output as I like but can be used just as they are depending. They are hot enough for most of the players I know. My only complaint is I feel the body should be clear coated not stained. A stained body guitar should cost less in my opinion. I didn't return it over this because I like the guitar- which should tell you something.Doc Holiday

The on-paper specs are perfect for anyone that wants a "more modern" Gibson. You get the 24.75 scale, HH, Tune-o-matic bridge, and vintage look of a Gibson/Ibanez Destoyer but upgraded with more modern features – the shredding neck, graphite nut, and the straight in-line headstock (for better tuning stability than more cattywampus tuning key configurations… Gibson/Epi…); and all for what amounts to about half of a similarly-spec'd lower-end Gibson. Made in South Korea, which is a big plus in my book: I've had nothing but great experiences with SK guitars, and this is no exception. I bought with the intention of swapping the pickups and tuners out, but the pickups were quite nice out of the box: much clearer than I expect for guitars in this price range. I threw in a Gibson PAF bridge and a really hot Seymour Duncan SH-6 neck, and I can't put the guitar down. So many great tones to explore through, and lots of dynamics with the on-board split— that's right!— I forgot to mention— the guitar also comes with a coil split. The one piece of hardware you may want to replace is the toggle switch (a bit wobbly), which is pretty easy and cheap to replace- definitely not a dealbreaker imo. If your looking for a cool-looking, inspirational guitar that pulls you through a portal to the 70's, but won't cost you an arm and a leg, then absolutely check this one out.Hoverround

This is my 6th Schecter so I am very familiar with the brand. I wanted to add an explorer style guitar to the collection, I saw Schecter offered the E-1 an it was a done deal. The tiger stripes in the maple top are very defined and deep, almost 3D. Mine has the same burst on the back and neck revealing a beautiful piece of mahogany. The rosewood on the fingerboard is a very dark deep color, frets are finished very smooth with no fret buzz even with low action. The Schecter Alnico pick ups sound spectacular from a full bodied clean tone to a ballsy chomp and squawk in drive mode. The inlays look super, nice finishing touch. Grover tuners…Tone pros bridge, perfect. Schecter, right out of the box, as always.Gator

The pluses are that this is a beautiful instrument. The new concerto body really gives a nice bass response from compared to the Concert series which have always seemed a little dead in the bass department to me. The other thing is that this guitar smells amazing! I know that doesn't matter but when you spend this much it's nice to smell the beautiful tonewoods as your playing. On the minus side. This guitar's tone is nice but it's not amazing. I have a couple of 000 series guitars that i played side by side with this and the hog 000 kept pace with this no problem for a fraction of the price. I ended up returning the guitar because of this. Had i not had a triple 000 to compare this too I would have kept it but as it was redundant to what i already owned i wanted to search for a different sound.BBC

Awesome color and shape, plays great, feels great and I'm not an emg fan but sounds great also. The main plus for this guitar is the evertune. evertune is the best invention for guitar players THAT DONT CONSTANTLY BEND STRINGS WHILE DOING SOLOS. That isn't meant as a "dig" im just saying that because that's the number one complaint from people when they talk about evertune. Can the guitar stay in tune while bending? Yes. Can it stay in tune forever while constantly bending the strings? I don't think so, not without checking in on it here and there. I play a lot of power chords so I leave it set up for no string bending. My other evertune bridges haven't gone out of tune in 8 months. It's the real deal. Def recommend this guitar to anyone.The lightning hammer

My first LTD purchase and I’m in love with it. Fantastic tone with the split coil emgs, and the evertune is fantastic. My new favorite guitar and brand!Bryan

This guitar is solid and provides the comfortable playing of guitars costing hundreds more. I was not really surprised, as previous Dean guitars I owned were a good pick also. No onboard tuner? Are ya kidding? No five stars for you! But this guitar is still a keeper. Rock on.Dennisio

This guitar is gorgeous and plays like butter. I am so happy with this purchase. Would strongly recommend to anyone wanting to try a 12 string.Rusty

The Koa is beautiful. The fretboard has easy action and the guitar has great tone. I use a cordless system with no delay or cut-out from the electronics. For someone looking for bang for the buck, this qualifies.jtcreely

Taylor or Martin? I have owned Martin's since 1976. This is my first Taylor and what a great choice I made. Martins are great and this Taylor gives them a run for the money. It is aesthetically beautiful and the tone and sustain are awesome Certainly not a cheap purchase, but I believe you get what you pay for. The craftsmanship is excellent and play ability superb! Can you tell I love my purchase..JJ