GEAR REVIEW
LUNA ’ S ART VINTAGE NYLON A / E GUITAR | Eric Dahl
KEY FEATURES
• Thinner neck profile
• Cutaway to reach higher register
• Nut Width 1 7 / 8
• Fishman Classica II pick-up w / Tuner
Like many of you , playing and performing in the non-secular music world , I find myself playing a variety of instruments and styles to help fill the sonic voids and enrich the music of our Praise Team performances . Sometimes this involves a hybrid or alternative instrument such as a Mando guitar or Banjitar and at other times a 12-string or nylon string guitar seems to compliment the praise music that we perform at Western Hills ( my home church in Nashville ).
In my opinion when you already have one or two acoustic steel string guitars performing on stage adding another one to the mix just muddies things up and is redundant even if you are playing inversion chords that don ’ t conflict with the other players . Luna Guitars just released their new Art Vintage Nylon String guitar and we had a chance to spend some quality playing time with it at [ WM ].
The body shape of the new Luna is a Grand Auditorium that is a bit thinner body thickness wise than traditional classicals and it has a cutaway . It features a mahogany back and sides with a solid spruce top . A feature that separates the Luna Art Vintage Nylon A / E from other nylon string guitars is the thinner neck profile making it much easier for electric guitar players like myself to negotiate it easily .
The finish on this guitar is what Luna describes as a distressed brown burst which gives you the perception of an older frequently played and loved guitar even though it is brand new . Although nylon strings are known for stretching and requiring more frequent adjustments than typical steel string guitars , the open face brushed nickel tuners made quick work of the tuning and were very stable .
The Pau Ferro fretboard looks classy and felt like ebony to me . Inlayed into the fretboard are pearloid moon phase fret markers to make key and fret navigation a snap . Features that I don ’ t typically see on a moderately price nylon string guitar included a bone saddle and nut which provide a truer note and sustain . The Luna Art Vintage Nylon A / E has a standard dual action truss rod for neck adjustments , but it was setup with just the right amount of relief when it arrived . Some nylon string purest aren ’ t fans of cutaway bodies on classical guitars , but I disagree . You certainly give up some of the sound chamber space with a cutaway but what you gain is better access to the upper register of frets . Whether you are capoing , chording higher up the fretboard or soloing during a praise song this added access is a huge benefit and one that I personally require .
The electronic control panel on the Luna nylon installed in easy view with the Fishman Classica II electronics . The easy read tuner screen and volume , bass , treble and phase options are all one requires for tone tweaking . The output jack and battery compartment are positioned at the lower bout of the body for ease of battery replacement . Unplugged the Luna Art Vintage Nylon A / E guitar sounds warm and tight .
I found it easy to practice my praise team songs , it took a capo easily and it was just fun to run scales and play other music on it . When the Luna was plugged into an amp the Fishman electronics really delivered providing me the opportunity to dial in a warm nylon string tone or a more cutting treble tonality for solos with only a few adjustments .