Lots of guitar for little money!

I play many different styles of music, and I have certain guitars for specific purposes. Still, I had been searching for a fingerstyle acoustic, one with a smaller body, a wide neck, and ample string spacing at the bridge. I tried old, vintage instruments, but although interesting, they lacked the modern playability that I have become accustomed to.

Enter the Wechter Triple-O.

Based on a classic vintage design, Wechter has kept the beauty of the Triple-O, including a slotted peghead, a dovetail neck joint, and attractive solid tonewoods. The guitar is very easy on the eyes. Attention to detail is great, far exceeded the price range of this instrument.

Sonically, the guitar is very balanced, perfect for finger picking. The axe has great sustain, and the rosewood fingerboard/mahogany neck and body combo add a woody, firm midrange character to the sound, allowing me to accent different notes within voicings. The bone nut and bridge and scalloped bracing excite the top nicely, and it resonates well. The intonation is just about perfect. This is a must have for me because I play openstring chords all over the neck. The 12th fret joint design offers a different, punchier sound that really sings. I also love the way the guitar sounds picked. I play with a lot of dynamics, but when I dig in on this guitar, I never overdrive the top. It barks when driven and purrs when stroked softly.

Playability is excellent; the guitar arrived with medium-low action. The modern 12" radius neck is easy on the hand. Frets were just right with the Plek Pro setup. The size of the guitar is great for me, comfortable for hours of playing.

All the above plus an incredible price makes this an easy choice for anyone looking for a quality acoustic. I was pleasantly surprised by this guitar, and it is a real keeper, easily holding its own with much more expensive instruments.

BUY THIS GUITAR!

I was blown away on how this guitar sounded! I have been searching for a good acoustic for a long time. I played just about everything there is. High end, low end, Martins, Taylors, Gibson, guild, etc... I have always been hesitant to buy online because of not being able to play the guitar first. I really like the design of the 8418 and been wanting a 12 fret with slotted headstock. Never had heard of Wechter till I did some research. GLAD I DID! Awesome guitar! They come so dialed in and set up perfectly, I was in shock! And for the price.... This is a steal. Ya know how every review for a good priced guitar says "It compares to guitars that are 4 times it's price.", it is almost cliche, but man does this thing feel, play and sound like that of a much higher price. Real handsome guitar too. I have a very picky ear for a good sounding acoustic. This sounds good! It projects loud and the sustain is really pretty. It just keeps ringing through the room. Very impressed! New Wechter fan! It is a shame that they are not in more stores.

A fantastic buy

I can't say enough about the quality and playability of this instrument. I wouldn't feel bad if I had paid twice the selling price for it. Thanks to Jason, Sweetwater and Wechter for hooking me up with this fine instrument.

I'm in love with this guitar!!

I have really fallen in love with this guitar over the last few weeks. I have been an electric only guitarist for 35 years because I could not find an acoustic guitar that really felt right to me especially with the intonation problems most affordable acoustic guitars have (most electric guitars have intonation adjustments in their bridges but acoustics don't have these adjustments). I am very sensitive to intonation on guitars as I am a long time slide and fretless player. The Triple-O's intonation is perfect thanks to the PLEK process and the final setup done by Wechter in the US. This guitar feels like it was made for me even tho' it is a production guitar. The craftsmanship is really first rate in the Triple-O the glue joints inside the body are neat with no excess glue around joints and the finish is gorgeous . The action is superb, as low as any electric guitar I own. I really like the parlor sized body as I play semi-reclining a lot of the time due to back problems and it has a big resonant tone that sounds and records beautifully. This guitar unlike many competitors is made of solid woods so that even over the 4 weeks I have owned it the sound is getting better with more resonance and sweeter tone every day when I pick it up to play it. I had questions about Wechter guitars before my purchase and Abraham Wechter himself answered my emails with in a day or so (I did not expect that). This guitar also comes with the nicest case I have ever seen and it fits the guitar like a glove. I am amazed that a guitar of this quality with an excellent case is able to sell at this price. I don't know how they do it but they do it well. I play this guitar everyday sometimes for over 6 hours and it plays like a dream.
I want to commend Sweetwater and in particular Robert Johnson for the excellent buying experience it was a real pleasure to deal with him. He is knowledgeable and if he doesn't know the answer to a question he says so and then researches it for you (not always the case with musical instrument sales folk many of whom BS you). I was a bit concerned buying an acoustic guitar via "mail order" because I am unable to travel very far these days but Sweetwater does "mail order" right! I had my new guitar delivered to my door the next afternoon via FedEx and it was well packed and in perfect condition(and it was free shipping). I highly recommend the Wechter Triple-O Select Mahogany and Sweetwater to anyone looking for a first rate guitar you will be amazed what a fine guitar it is (IMHO better even than $3000+ acoustics I have played in the past). I will continue shopping at Sweetwater in the future for all my music needs.

There's a Reason for the Positive Reviews

I've had the Wechter TO-8418 for over two months now and have had plenty of time to put this little gem of an instrument through all of its paces both at home and in performance.
First, the build quality is flawless. Instruments made overseas sometimes rightly deserve a bad reputation: glue drippings inside, spotty finishes, cheap tuning machines, and poor action. The Wechter has absolutely none of these. It was perfect cosmetically right out of the case with not a fingerprint on it. The fact that it was "pleked" at the Wechter factory in Indiana also made it perfectly playable. The action is smooth, light, and easy to fret, and the intonation is dead on with a capo all the way up the neck.
The sound is bright and rings, but is not overly tinny or jangly and is much, much fuller than its OOO size would suggest. At the time I received the instrument I was "between nails," not wearing the artificial ones I use in performance. I was amazed at the sound coming out of the guitar fingerpicking without them. Needless to say, with the artificial nails the guitar sings with a beautiful sustain. The balance between treble, mid-tones, and bass is a fingerstylist's dream with no single string being too much or too little. The sound is clean and clear with not a hint of muddiness.
This instrument is sometimes shown with a pick guard, but it came unattached and in the case, a further indication that the guitar is definitely designed for fingerstyle playing, as if the nut width wasn't enough to confirm this.
The vintage OOO look and finish is an added bonus and people might think you've got a classic instrument from the past, but what brings you back to picking up this guitar time after time is the sound. I've had several other guitars at and above this price point, and they just don't compare in tone, balance, and projection. The vintage-style hard case which is included makes the deal even better.
One reviewer made mention of the fact that the size and shape of the body and length of the neck made this guitar a bit difficult to balance when sitting. I find this somewhat true, but a strap attached at the heel of the neck or raising up the right leg easily solves this problem.
Unfortunately, getting to play this great guitar at a dealer before you buy is not easy, but Sweetwater's return policy is completely reliable. However, considering the positive reviews, if you're a fingerstylist looking for an instrument that feels and sounds like a much more expensive guitar, you won't be thinking about returning it. You'll find it much too easy to pick up, and much too hard to put down.

Love it!

I won this guitar a couple of months ago on a facebook give away. I was not familiar with Wechter so I wasn't sure what to expect. Wow. Beautiful tone, a full sound, and great intonation. I highly recommend.

Triple-O Wonderful

I always wanted a Martin O16NY folk guitar, I never bought one when I was young and they were fairly reasonable. I've been a folk singer for 40 years and the slotted head 12 fret guitar has always appealed to me. I saw this Wechter Triple-O and thought now is the time. I was not familiar with their guitars so I did some research and was impressed by their plek set-up. When the guitar came I first noticed how well made it was. The fit and finish is perfect. It has a nice deep body, deeper than the old Martin, and that really adds to the nice rich tone. The top is verv nice grained spruce, and the back is beautiful book matched mahogany. It's very evenly toned, not to much bass or treble. The neck is quite comfortable, maybe a little thin for me, but makes for easy bar chords. It sounds like a much more expensive guitar than it is and I'm very impressed overall. I'm very picky about the sound and feel of acoustic guitars and this one is a winner. I bought mine from Sweetwater for two reasons, one, they are one of the only places that has this model, and two- their customer service is top notch. I must also mention this guitar comes with one of the nicest dark brown alligator skin hard cases I've ever seen. You can't go wrong here for under a $1000 if you want a wider neck, 12 fret folk style guitar. A finger pickers dream.

One of the finest guitars I've ever purchased.

I had been looking for a 000-12 fret guitar for a while and when I purchased this Wechter Triple -O Select Mahogany I figured that the price is right and Sweetwater has a return policy if I didn't like it. Well this guitar is the best steel string guitar I have ever had. This is a beautiful vintage style 000-12 fret guitar with the slotted headstock and the craftsmanship and finish are flawless. Solid Spruce top with solid Mahogany back and sides and solid Mahogany neck. The most important thing I like about this guitar is that because the way it is set up it is easier to play than the high priced popular name brand guitars I have tried. This is most likely due to the Plek Pro set-up that they do to each guitar. The tone, balance and response are beautiful. I have not found one thing about this guitar that I don't like. I'm very happy with my new guitar

Better than expected

I was looking to get another acoustic specifically for setting up as a high strung guitar. I've tried a few other cheaper guitars and have not been happy with the sound. I did also look into the Wechter Nashville guitar. I was all set to get that but decided to ask a friend who had also been looking for a highstrung guitar. While I have not played the Nashville; my friend had. I'm sure the Nashville is good, but sort of a one-trick pony. It can't be restrung for regular strings.The Triple-0 is all solid woods, unlike the Nashville. The Nashville does have a pickup in it, but I'd rather have good tone acoustically first and then electronics. So without even hearing it, I took my friends advice and went with the Triple-0. I'd never ever done that before in 40 years of playing. Well, Sweetwater was FANTASTIC at getting the guitar to me on a Saturday. They went out of their way to make sure I had it by the time I needed it for a gig. So, how's it sound? I have to say that I have never had a Triple-0 style guitar. I typically play an old Taylor 310CE Dreadnought. The neck on the Triple-0 is wider and deeper. For fingerpicking it's pretty incredible. For flatpicking, I still prefer my Taylor. Being highstrung, I expected the sound of the Triple-0 to be thin like all the other guitars I've tried high stringing. The Wecter Triple-0 sounds GREAT highstrung. It's got an openness and body to the sound that the other guitars couldn't get. What's even better is that with a simple change of strings, I can use it for standard duties. I know the guitar was made in China and my typical experience with Chinese guitars is that they are built well, look great, play well and sound covered and hard. Usually the bracing is too heavy and the finish too thick. This is the first Chinese made instrument that I have taken very seriously. If you can't afford an old Martin, this Wechter is sure a great instrument. The tone is clear and uncovered. It came setup very well and completely playable right out of the box. I liked it so much that I thought maybe I should just leave it setup with regular strings, but finally gave in to my original goal of making it highstrung. I was not disappointed in any way. Well worth the money. The case is nice too. The only criticism I have is about the top. From most angles, you can see that it is two different pieces of spruce and they don't match very well. The odd thing is this the darker half changes as you move the guitar around. Not a big deal as tone was my major consideration. I'm not into ornate instruments. I just want workhorses that sound great. This one does.
On a side note, I put a K&K pure mini pickup system in this. Wow! That's the way to go. So much better sounding than the under saddle pickups used by everyone. A little EQ to roll off the extreme low end, and this triple-0 sounds amazingly good with the pickup. Because there are no onboard electronics, the original look of the guitar is not messed with.
If you are thinking about a 12 fret Triple-0 style guitar, this one should be on your short list. Heck, I may even buy a second one with a cedar top.

Wechter Triple 0

I've always wanted a Triple 0 slothead acoustic but could never justify investing thousands to get an really nice Martin or Gibson. I played plenty of lower priced models but they didnt have the tone or playability that I was hoping for. When Wechter announced a solid wood Triple 0 I placed my order hoping it would be the one. It arrived last friday and I am thrilled. The tone is even, balanced and woody with great sustain. The setup is perfect and the neck is very playable but a bit wider and thicker than my Taylors or Mcpherson...very old school. The only minor complaint is that the white dots on the black bridge pins were of two different sizes which looked strange. (I replaced them with Tusq pins so its already taken care of) The bottom line is that this is an incredible guitar at an amazing price. If you are considering a 12 fret 000 guitar this is a great buy.