Hohner HW-600 acoustic guitar
Hohner HW-600 acoustic guitar
Saturday, December 18, 2010
In the fall of 2006, I was living in Atlantic, Iowa and commuting to my job in West Des Moines, about 70 miles away. I would stay over two nights a week with my friend Justin to save gas and time on the commute. I’d known Justin since grade school and had played with him before in projects like Sound System, so it wasn’t long before we started jamming on songs we’d played before: The Beatles, The Cars, The Rolling Stones, and some of his and my originals. These jam sessions would eventually morph into our current band, The Grape Ape Trust.
For awhile, I would bring a guitar or a bass along with me to my job on the nights I’d stay in Des Moines. This worked fine until the weather started getting really cold, and I started worrying about the damage the cold air could do to an instrument in the back of an unheated car. At that point, since we weren’t sure how long I’d have to continue commuting before we moved back to Des Moines, it made sense to pick up an inexpensive guitar to keep at Justin’s house so it wouldn’t have to schlep cross country with me twice a week.
On a night I knew Justin was working late and I wouldn’t be able to get in the house, I killed a little time by stopping into Crazy Horse Guitars near Drake University. Old John, the owner there, had picked up a pallet full of Hohner acoustic guitars in anticipation for Christmas, and I gave one a once over. I liked the satin finish and the maple/mahogany construction, but ultimately it’s the sound of the guitar that makes the difference.
The HW-600 has a nice balanced tone: not tinny (too much treble), thin (too much midrange), or boomy (too much bass). The neck is thinner and the action lower than on some steel-string acoustics, making it easier for an electric player like myself to transition between this and my electric guitars. John had the Hohners marked at $149, but let me take it home for $125. I still keep it mainly at Justin’s house for Grape Ape Trust rehearsals, but I’ve used it for outdoor gigs like the Downtown Farmer’s Market and for open-mic performances.
As an inexpensive, knock-around guitar, or for a beginning adult student, the Hohner HW-600 is a pretty good choice. For the more experienced player, I’d suggest something along the lines of a Martin, Alvarez or Washburn, but this is a very nice secondary guitar.
Photo by Donna Jo Wallace