Baden guitars are as unique and innovative as they are sparse and minimal, Like the D-Style dreadnaught, the A-Style is free of the types of showy flash that seem to dominate much of the acoustic market. Former Taylor vice president of sales and marketing T.J. Baden and his small team of luthiers have a minimalist design philosophy which emphasises the sound and playability of the instrument over flashy tricks like abalone inlays or elaborate pickguard shapes. The guitars are completely handmade in Vietnam in a workshop overseen by six French luthiers, and the emphasis is on quality over quantity.

The A-Style has a rosewood back and sides with a solid cedar top. The fretwork is immaculate and there’s not a stray glue spot or tool mark to be found anywhere on the body. The body and fretboard are refreshingly free of inlay or rosette, with only a simple white wedge at the top of the soundhole. The headstock logo is cut straight into the wood – no showy inlays or fancy screened logo here. Electronics are a simple Fishman Matrix Infinity system with volume and tone controls and switchable voicing. But of course we must address the big white elephant in the room: that shape. Some will love it, some will hate it. Instead of a traditional cutaway, Baden has instead chosen to build the A-Style as if it’s two different guitars, with the body and neck meeting at the 14th fret on the bass side and the 18th fret on the treble side. If you cover half of the Baden photo with your hand, the A-Style either looks like a somewhat-regular concert-shaped guitar if you cover the treble side, or a truncated, unusual experiment if you cover the bass side. The design makes a lot of sense when you’re playing though, as there’s no cutaway whatsoever to get in your way.

The tone of the A-Style is very round and gentle. Unlike the D-Style, which is a bright and loud strummer, the A-Style prefers more delicate playing styles. It excels at fingerstyle melodies, where the restrained treble and soft bass blend every chord or arpeggio into a sound which is somehow bigger than the whole. It made my half-assed Tommy Emmanuel licks sound more integrated and assured. Strummed chords sound supportive and balanced, making this a good guitar to provide ‘accompaniment’-style playing for those who need a sonorous bed of supportive chords behind a vocalist or within a band. The Fishman preamp can add a little zing and sparkle for when you need a little more cut to stand out from a mix, but the A-Style’s natural tone is equally at home unobtrusively supporting a band or as a solo instrument. While some guitars blend each note in with the others to their detriment, on the A-Style this quality is a highlight, due to the very musical and pleasing frequencies created by the body shape and woods.

The A-Style is unusual, minimalist, perfectly built and expertly voiced. It may not be the first thing you think of when you’re looking for a new acoustic, but if you can get past the jarring look of the ‘cutaway’ or if, even better, you like the way it looks, the A-Style is a great choice for players from a wide range of genres and a huge variety of musical settings.

LINK: www.badenguitars.com