Parlour Acoustic Guitar Shootout! - As Voted By YOU!

You asked for it, so here it is! Ben is comparing parlour acoustic guitars all around the £500-£800 price point. You chose gorgeous guitars from great brands like PRS, Fender, Sheeran by Lowden & Alvarez! | tinyurl.com/2b7or9rl
» Alvarez MPA66ESHB Masterworks in Shadowburst | tinyurl.com/2awrlq82
» PRS SE P20E Parlour in Satin Tobacco Sunburst | tinyurl.com/2xkoqfjm
» Fender PS-220E Parlour in Vintage Sunburst | tinyurl.com/237kkhyq
» Sheeran by Lowden W02 | tinyurl.com/284k6fy8
» Full Range of Parlour Guitars | tinyurl.com/2b7or9rl
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» • OUTDATED - How to Orde...
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» • Ed Sheeran's Favourite...
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⏰ Timestamps ⏰
» 0:00 A parlour Shootout As Voted By YOU!
» 0:40 Let's Start with the PRS
» 2:02 Blues Tones
» 2:55 Thoughts on the PRS
» 3:30 Folk Tones
» 4:35 Up Next, the Alvarez!
» 5:42 Blues Tones
» 6:33 Thoughts on the Alvarez
» 7:32 Folk Tones
» 8:53 Let's Try the Fender!
» 9:28 Blues Tones
» 10:59 Folk Tones
» 11:38 Thoughts on the Fender
» 12:06 Finally, the Sheeran by Lowden
» 12:49 Blues Tones
» 14:00 Thoughts
» 14:28 Folk Tones & Ben's Opinion
» 15:33 Cases & Gig bags
» 15:55 Which Guitar Would Ben Buy?
» 16:54 Outro Jam on the Alvarez
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#Andertons #acousticguitar #guitar

[@ikestoddard2458]

This is the right kind of demo! There is enough single-string playing to show each items’ tone. Great!

[@alfgwahigain5544]

I have the all-solid mahogany Fender Paramount parlor guitar, and it's insanely fantastic. Excellent quality, fun to play, sounds great. Parlor guitars are a lot of fun. Too many guitarists think that dreads are the only acoustic guitars and obsess about "bass response". I find that silly.

[@500sureshot]

You got that right ‼‼‼ I’m a total jerk and should be kicked in the butt ‼‼ I was a complete beginner and let a “salesman talk me into buying a Fender Dread- I’m not that big of a guy and needed a more narrow bodied guitar - but he never offered anything else that would FIT me better. I blame me as much as I do him . “Live and learn”!!!! It use to be a reputable store but man it’s going downhill fast !!!!!

[@OTOss8]

My beautiful wife bought me the PRS for Christmas. It's my first real guitar. Prior to it, I spent a very long time playing a Hondo H-18 and the difference in playability, feel, sound, you name it is startling. Honestly, I love this guitar.

[@SteveTong22]

Really good review and great playing as always. Great to see a review where there is an opinion presented. Some reviews of different guitars are difficult to get a view on the differences - not this one. Great work!

[@glenproctor1999]

Woud love to see you and Pete shooyout travel guitars. From small acoustic type to the electric trick ones!

[@west4coast77]

Excellent comparisons along with some great playing! Thanks for posting. ...Wasn't familiar with the Alvarez but will check it out.

[@jeffsimslmt]

Nicely done. Comparing and contrasting with your valuable subjective insight combine with your inspired playing. Bravo 👏

[@patflat456]

I have the PRS... It shocked me how well my (male) voice cuts right through the guitar's tones and the high and lows nestle perfectly around my vocals. Amazing singer songwriter performance guitar.

[@georgefenning4844]

Good review . Better than most of the others on this channel. Two reasons. 1. One player so it’s easy to focus on sound. 2. You also played same material on each one . Much easier to make sensible comparisons . Well done . Ps I do usually enjoy the banter and people playing together on this channel but it’s more like entertainment . Your video is much better suited to making comparisons for purchase .. well done !

[@nikos4828]

Wonderful playing as always 👍

[@Fronz05]

Ben, you are a truly unique and skilled guitar player! So glad to have your insight into this type of guitar that I am looking for!

[@teodelnorte]

I actually think the Fender is on a par with the Alvarez here but it depends what you want to go for, because a spruce and mahogany top obviously are two different tone-shaping tops. The Fender pickup surprises in how good it is

[@williamdatz6364]

Ben, outstanding playing: great players can make any instrument sound good. Excellent demo structure, blues and folk, thru mic and pickup. I spent about 45 minutes listening back forth from two guitars, different styles, choosing between one and doing it again with two more, until I settled on the Alvarez. Funny thing is, I had the PRS SE P50 in a checkout cart and did one last search on the internet and your video came up on my feed. Changed my order to the Alvarez... that abalone looks too cool.

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

Good Parlour guitars will always be my favorite acoustic guitars, some have that midrange sound you can't get with other acoustics. Although many liked the Alvarez the most, my favorite one was the PRS and I have a PRS Parlour guitar now. I love the headstock on it and also the sound.

[@sbootstrap4588]

Great video! A shootout among these 4 focused exclusively on the pickup systems could be worthwhile. I have one of these 4, and I'm blown away by what I can do amplified with a parlour acoustic...!

[@mauricesoudre5102]

Great review , thank you !

[@JonnyBoss83]

Love hearing how good small guitars (affordable one's no less) can sound in the hands of a real player. Great acoustic content these days from yourselves. 👍🏻

[@DeltaJazzUK]

Yep, good to have a serious acoustic player on instead of someone who just sees it as an opportunity to tell a series of bad jokes.

[@markharwood7573]

That outro sounds mighty sweet. I have the Alvarez on order. They're all good guitars but nothing here makes me regret that choice. Update: the MPA66ESHP is a terrific guitar. The acoustic tone is developing nicely and the plugged-in sound is far sweeter than in this video. All-mahogany works. The fretboard will be a little narrow for some folks; it's made me pay attention to my sloppy fretting technique.

[@13michiel]

Thanks for the effort, great informative video

[@rsavage42]

I love my palour guitar. Mine is a Fender. I like to keep in handy and pick it up when I have a minute and play. It’s great. Love the slight vibration of the spruce top.

[@renodavid]

Wow, the Alvarez was the clear winner. So much richer sounding than the others. Even the pickup system sounded better. Much more natural. The others might have some advantages in a mix with some other instruments, but just playing around on the sofa? The Alvarez all day long. Also, thanks for the added demo at the end. Beautiful! Someday I’ll have to get wild and try some Drop-D stuff.😜

[@niguel4438]

4 years ago I bought a $200 Fender Parlour from Guitar Centre in New Orleans to throw in the back of the car and travel with me as I drove the full length of the Blues Trail. If you are thinking of doing this trail don't hesitate. It's a mind blowing experience. Anyway, I can't tell you how great this little guitar is - so loud and full sounding. Great for finger picking blues. Needless to say it came home with me to Blighty.

[@mh2120]

I'm normally not crazy about the looks of spruce top guitars, but that Fender is gorgeous. 😳 Love the tiger-striped pickguard!

[@InAtlasAtLast]

Spruce top sounds the best though

[@petethompson3510]

I would like to see a return of the hawaiian shirts

[@Fog640]

🤠🎸same here

[@petethompson3510]

@@Fog640 It's not paradiso without the shirts

[@Fog640]

Savages

[@fl3xo]

One certainly doesn’t wear a denim shirt in paradise

[@fritsvanzanten3573]

I understood they were too sweaty. Someone should send in some cotton ones. And of course in paradise there should be two to play.

[@teamnoble9715]

I have the Alvarez (without electrics). It came horrendously set up. But I've since had it professionally set up and it's quite the instrument. It has amazing depth and warm tone. It's the clear winner here

[@sigogglin]

in the US Sweetwater dropped that to $599, mine came in good shape luckily.

[@tontrenner]

Hey, nice comparison. I'd like to check the different nut widths from the guitars on your website, but the dimensions are missing there.

[@TonyT-Guitar]

Not much is said about scale length on these guitars but it does make a difference. The Lowden and the Alvarez have a 24” scale, the PRS is 24.72” and the Fender is 25.3”, so if you want a parlour that feels similar to a larger guitar for strumming on the sofa then you’ll probably want the longer scale. I’ve had an Alvarez AP66ESHB for a while and it has a nice tone but I find it cramped when playing chords and I don’t have large fingers, so will now be looking for a long scale parlour.

[@EyecareBacklog1]

Great playing, Ben! I love the look of the Fender (shallow I know), but worried about a thinner nut.

[@anthonyb2334]

Excellent video. Well done, well played. I’ve played that Alvarez. Looking to purchase one. The PRS sounded too thin. The Loudan was disappointing. Thank you again

[@notme3272]

I love my Alvarez parlor guitar! Great guitar for the price.

[@deborahmcalister3936]

Congrats on the new baby!...The Ben before WW was Super HOT!!

[@seanmbender]

Looking great and sounding even better, Ben! I click your videos not because I care about acoustics but because I really love good finger-picked acoustic tones. If you happen to find yourself state-side you should team up with Justin Johnson for a couple of out-of-this-world acoustic duos.

[@brucerichard2904]

Very nice playing!

[@racyagentmac]

Another great option is the Jim Dandy Gretsch guitar its a great affordable parlor guitar for sure👌

[@DoU12Rock]

I played a really good parlor guitar recently, It was an Eastman E10P, also an E20P great little parlor guitars.

[@buddyrye9190]

A nice thing to listen to in the background while working from home today. The Alvarez really surprised me. I like the low end tones.

[@buddyrye9190]

The clarity on the Sheeren is ridiculous. Best overall sound if you want to hear everything. The alvarez is more earthy, which has its place as well.

[@mikewebb2638]

Do you think the slotted head stock helps make the difference?

[@maxw-h5982]

That first playing (on the PRS) is brilliant! Long live Bluesey jam. Blueberry Jam. Good stuff.

[@beondup9915]

Nice. OM shootout next 😉

[@joguipo]

Yes! And maybe adding a Sigma...?

[@Lalairu]

@@joguipo that would be very nice

[@phishfan]

The Baggs pickup in the Alvarez sounds fantastic.

[@Mr.Nabil.Belhaj]

Beautiful outro ♥️

[@wsavage3696]

The Fender and the PRS sounded great! Fender I think would be my first choice then the PRS. Alvarez is decent, that Lowden no go.

[@sebastiankwintal2828]

The PRS is underrated. In fact it is an amazing guitar. In real life surprises a lot.

[@jmscnny]

A near toss up between the Alvarez and the Fender, with the Alvarez taking the podium with its depth and presence. The Alvarez is just gorgeous looking, even though I would normally avoid the smudge magnet gloss finish.

[@smallnuts2]

Do parlour guitar have a thinner neck and smaller fret spacing? Curious if I wanted a specific brand but want those features.

[@user-nh3rv1qu6r]

Excellent sound for a small guitar!

[@franksalter5004]

A nice parlour shootout, thanks Ben! I actually bought a Sheeran Lowden W02 (from Andertons, last year) and couldn't really get on with it as the sound seemed a bit "tinny", lacking in both low end and volume. So I it traded it in for a PRS SE P20 (via Andertons, of course). The PRS, as a much cheaper offering, seems to suit my needs better.

[@terrybanks5063]

unfortunately when you buy that lowden, youre just paying ed sheeran royalties. the guitar doesnt stand up to others at the pricepoint, skimped on woods and finishing to be fair, the guitar looks cheap, (i love real lowden guitars btw). good choice with the prs though , much better value and i find it better sounding too. and youre not funding a sellout which is also excellent. does ed really need any more money? no. and can guitarists find a better guitar for the same cash anyway? yes. much better. so who is he doing a favour? lowden and himself, e doesnt care if you play or what you play, ignore marketing bs. i would never pay for a name unless they were my idol. and to me ed sheeran is the opposite. (sorry if you like him or his music but he is the epitome of a musical cash cow sellout) nuff said, enjoy the prs!

[@baabaabaa2293]

Cdnt agree more Terry...Real Lowdens are terrific instruments..while l like smaller gtars to sit on the couch pickn away, even if theyve got that boxy, bluesy tone...the Sheeran ones don't do justice to Lowdens other models...esp the models with maths symbols on em!

[@tbeau6663]

I played the Sheeran Lowden at a guitar show and was shocked at how awful it is. Then I found out that Ed plays a custom built Wee Lowden on stage. Frankly, I wasn't impressed by the standard version of that either!!

[@edmurphy671]

​@@terrybanks5063 exactly. And Im sure Ed ain't playing no off the shelf model either.....

[@BaktaBak3]

@@terrybanks5063 Agree. IMO, the Little Martin LX1E is a better sounding guitar than the Lowden & a lot less expensive.

[@BaktaBak3]

The Fender Paramount guitars are awesome. Our band has 2.....one spruce top with rosewood back & sides the other spruce top , mahogany back & sides. 🎸🎸🎸

[@jakereesemusic]

For what it’s worth,that lowden was designed that way,as Ed uses it for looping. I’ve seen him say several times that he prefers parlors with a lack of low end for looping,as it helps keep everything well defined in his loops

[@livekaos]

Do you stock Artimusica guitars? Solid wood guitars made in Portugal?

[@quintinlindsey7967]

There is just something about the Alvarez's that gets me, not only are they a good guitar and sound beautiful but I feel like they are one of the more honest companies out there, the best guitar for the money imo!!!

[@brutald0rk]

Alvarez all the way! I own an older version of that guitar. I added a pickup and a case. It sings like a bird and every song soars on it!

[@BaktaBak3]

Fender & Alvarez are my favorites here.🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@gibby6904]

Very impressed with the Fender! Who knew?

[@francois978]

Ben :what a fantastic guitar player!

[@paulmiller9023]

Great Comparison. Nice playing!

[@jamesmoffatt6435]

I enjoyed the sound of the PRS parlor the most.

[@daciuk8]

An Art & Lutherie parlour beats them all!

[@JonNewquist]

Fun camparo! I had the PRS Tonaré for a year. Good guitar, but I recently moved it on, in favor of a slightly smaller Yamaha CSF3M. This Alvarez sounds pretty good to me. I just can't get past their modern bridge design which I think is going on 20 years old now. I understand why Lowden is making more accessible guitars, but these little Ed guitars don't seem to convey how great their original guitars sound over the youtubes compression. I can't find any here in California to testdrive - I'm sure they play nicely.

[@stevep1941]

All nice in their way.. Just on listening, I thought the Fender was a good all-rounder, but would need to play one in person.

[@frankswildyears2217]

Love this Episode. Great playing as always. Alvarez Sound suited me best too. But the lowden Had Something totally different to it that resonated with me as well. Anyway no Lefties available therefore my parlour search continues.

[@keestoft250]

Go to the Alvarez KZbin channel and leave a comment on their videos pleading that they return to making the AP70 parlour and/or offer the AP66 in lefthand. I had an AP70 that got damaged and it was great.

[@762mark2]

Which has lowest action and would be easier for an older person to play?

[@Secondbreakfastplease]

Will this sound just as good unplugged?

[@1951kbz]

Oddly enough I liked the Fender the best. Their history with acoustics has been less than stellar.

[@alfgwahigain5544]

I have two Fender Paramounts. One is an orchestra model, all spruce top and all-solid rosewood back and sides. It's a great guitar plugged in, and it's a bit overbuilt, so it's only OK unplugged. Not awful, but I don't really play it unplugged - I only use it for gigs because it plays great and the pickup sounds good. I also have an all-solid mahogany Paramount parlor guitar. It's simply amazing. They really knocked that one out of the park.

[@y5jml]

Best thing for Fender acoustics was them buying Guild

[@apropro1198]

Could you make a comparison between Gibson J45 and Epiphone Texan (USA)?

[@desarthur]

I definitely agree with you, the Alvarez has the most sophisticated sound of the test instruments.

[@byroneism]

Wate a year or 2 mine gets btter every day

[@vicenteochoa6498]

All of the players at Andertons seem to love Alvarez for the price. Gonna have to play one and see for myself

[@ap9games]

Bring back the drum series back on the drum channel it would be amazing

[@OneForTheNorth]

The natural spruce top Fender all day. Lovely tone

[@rich_in_paradise]

No joke Ben, I did think "did they get a new accoustic guitars demonstrator?" But I was sure the old one was also called Ben :)

[@stevenjones8184]

Hi Ben. Could you explain why you don't like the pickup system being at the top on the Alvarez? Surely it's in a good position for tweaking the sound. Or is it because it messes with the internal acoustics? Great playing, and thanks for all the interesting videos.

[@bensmithguitar]

I just think that all of those kind of top mount systems look kind of ugly, really, although they are very practical...

[@jeffsimslmt]

@@bensmithguitar I agree. It takes away from the authentic tone wood aesthetic. I’d rather have fewer controls and no tuner, with the controls accessed on the lip of the sound hole, like Gibson.

[@limpindug]

Hey Ben, top picking and demo. Depends your taste in music, Lowden for blues and Alvarez for middle of the road stuff . . 👍🥃Respect to you mate. I though ladies /parlour necks joined at the 12th.

[@bosse641]

Art & Lutherie Roadhouse Parlor is one I would like to get my hands on.

[@robinspat]

No Takamine? It’s always bemuses me that the GY New Yorker parlour Takamine guitar … and ‘full cream’ parlour version, are so often ignored. They both have gorgeous split saddles. Sublime intonation and great Tak piezo pickup system, yet are never seen. Takamine play incredibly well, sound balanced and as I said are intonated perfectly. Why ignore? Why does Anderton’s not bother to stock or are other issues at play?

[@JonnyBoss83]

I think the Fender sounded best overall if I'm honest. But obviously everyone's tastes are unique.

[@hoangnguyennguyen1032]

Yamaha CSF line missing :( I own a CSF1M and it's fenomenal

[@SS-ic6vo]

The Lowden has that little guitar, boxy sound that I think is undesirable. I own the Fender, great guitar. The Alvarez will probably be my next acoustic guitar.

[@davidbyers7246]

Can you still get an acoustic guitar these days without electronics in it?! I won’t buy an acoustic guitar with pickups in them, but they all seem to come with then nowadays for some reason.

[@garyward7923]

Alvarez always seem to have great low end. My first guitar (2009) was an Alvarez acoustic that was a 1972 model MIJ. Paid $100 and loved it dearly, wish I still had it.

[@clarkster98]

I've just bought a Alvarez LJ2 wicked guitar

[@MegaMr28]

you didn't comment on how they feel. eg neck etc,,???

[@adamstewart247]

You should do a video comparing parlour guitars with travel guitars

[@SingSurfStrum]

Great show, I know not strictly a parlour guitar but I would love to see Ben’s opinion of Taylor GS mini against these as it is a real contender in this price bracket.

[@jeramym9506]

I bought one of those and took it back after a couple of days. The scale length is really short and I guess I just don’t like the Taylor sound.

[@SingSurfStrum]

@@jeramym9506 Hi, I was fortunate and my GS Mini was a 10 year old used purchase, and a well loved instrument, it sounds phenomenal. As good as my Martin 00028ec. Mind blowing value. Our son’s 16 year old Baby Taylor is a peach too. Quick tip, get the Elixirs off a Taylor as soon as you can and explore the true sound possibilities. Taylor ship with Elixirs to ensure uniform string health after long shipping and storage not necessarily the best sound from the guitar.

[@skateborg]

I owned a PRS SE Tonare. It went back to Guitar Center after 4 days because the tone was rather stale air. I also owned an Alvarez (several letters and numbers) Parlor and it was by far a wonderful sounding guitar that cost me about US$450. I love the one played here, especially the slot head. None of the others ring any familiar bells.

[@mrwharf2108]

I have the limited edition all mahogany version and of the Fender and it’s ace!

[@stratosexual1329]

Ben could make any guitar sound good!

[@b.d.charles-nb2vg]

ALMOST couldn't get it done with the Lowden ....hahahaha.....j/k he made that cardboard sounding thing speak up better than any of those models has ever spoke up!!!

[@halfabee]

Miracles. I purchased my Fender last week after spending 3 weeks thinking about guitars. I started from zero knowledge watched KZbin videos but this one and visited music stores. I purchased the Fender as it has a mahogany back and sides and a spruce top. I feel the Fender has more base than the others. I did not know this when I purchased it. Hence the miracle. I paid £399 brand new. They were on discount.

[@damonlove8]

for the price point The Alvarez has that nice low end sound, & round and warm sound. Everybody else just sounds to shrill to my ear, including the expensive Ed Sheran signature Lowden. I’d take the Alvarez any day for sure!

[@yogarich]

I liked the Alvarez the best. The Lowden sounded good but it is almost too small and lacking some bass response.

[@dermotcooper4713]

Maybe I'm missing something, but is the Alvarez not a 12-fret and the others 14-fret? Makes a guitar a totally different instrument, eh?.

[@stevewest4994]

I thought the Lowden sounded the best--or at least I thought it was the one that sounded most like a parlour guitar! Especially on the bluesy stuff. I was underwhelmed by all the pickup systems, though.

[@danielegger6460]

I agree. Don't mind the sound at all, it's exactly where it should be and Ben did in my opinion a better playing job on this guitar than the others. ;) The direct output sounded not quite as great on all guitars, very tinny and very little low-end; were the settings tuned for best sound or was that more of a middle-of-the-road situation?

[@daddio307]

I used to own an Alvarez AP70 and I loved it. I bought it because it DIDN'T have that blues/boxy sound.

[@pudintaine1pudintaine226]

I got the PRS in black top for Xmas. I love it for the price it is, but I wish I had heard the Fender before this 😕 I definitely would have asked Santa for the Fender over the PRS.

[@larsjarvinen]

How in the heck did you not include the Taylor GS Mini amazing Parlor guitar and definitely deserves in this comparison

[@johnwashburn3793]

I have a very similar Alvarez, perhaps the same...too many letters, I tried several and it said "take me home and have your way with me! " So I did.

[@garthreynolds1437]

A return of Ditto pants too!

[@texasbootlegger3752]

Nice review with the guitars you showcased. I thought the Alvarez tone wise sounded the best. I would still prefer a Martin 000 for the same money!

[@rickjason215]

I would like to A B them.

[@somerandomhomeboy]

Wow Dude! Thought you were a new guy! What mic are you using ? Sound's awesome!

[@ShiningHourPop]

They usually use a Neumann KM84

[@MultiCugel]

Be great to have the titles of the tunes played, thanks.

[@billyellow4849]

Alvarez neck joins the body at the 12th fret, so you can hear the richer sound from the bridge being more central on the top. At least, I can.

[@BobLHedd]

Gosh, that Alvarez sounds pretty.