Mitchell Guitars Element ME1ACE Acoustic Guitar

PROS: Excellent price, wonderful playability, great construction and detailing.
CONS: Absolutely none.
PRICE: $349

The Mitchell ME1ACE model we received features an Auditorium Cutaway body style. It’s smaller than a dreadnought size, and for the player who always has an acoustic’s top digging into their picking forearm, this is an excellent fit, while still maintaining plenty of projection. The top is solid spruce, the back and sides are sapele, which isn’t that far off from mahogany. It’s finished in a nice satin that one would normally find on a more expensive instrument. It’s quite impressive in the details, too; the rosette, and the natural maple binding and center stripe are perfect, both in style and execution.

The mahogany neck features a 25.5” scale length, with a maple-bound Indian rosewood fingerboard, complete with small abalone markers between the low E and A strings. Again there is some excellent detailing and beveling on the headstock, and the closed-back tuners have ebonite keys. The Nubone TUSQ nut is well cut, and the rosewood bridge sets everything up nicely. For electronics, it’s outfitted with a Fishman INK preamp that contains a 3-band EQ, volume, as well as a built in tuner that acts as a mute when engaged. A very nice addition, especially in this price range.

Right out of the box it plays fantastically well; the action was smooth, and the fretwork was excellent, with no jagged frets hanging out. It’s a relatively slim neck, but still has plenty of girth and rigidity. There is plenty of access to the high strings thanks to the dovetail neck joint and generous cutaway. An electric guitarist should have no problem transitioning to this neck.

Acoustically, it has a downright excellent sound, plenty of projection, and the overall tone is smooth and evenly balanced across the entire fretboard. The preamp is simple, and super easy to dial in a sound that still maintains the natural warmth and clarity of the instrument unplugged. With a street price of $350, it’s hard to find an acoustic guitar that sounds just as good when being plugged into a mixer, as it does on its own.

Overall, for the sound quality, playability, price, features, and the overall build quality, it’s hard to find any fault with it. For an electric player looking to transition to acoustic, and not breaking the bank, this is beyond an excellent choice. If this is a player’s first acoustic, it might spoil them for other guitars down the line. Highly recommended.

FEATURES
• Top: Solid Select Spruce
• Back and Sides: Striped Sapele
• Neck: Mahogany
• Fingerboard: Indian Rosewood
• Bridge: Rosewood
• Electronics: Fishman INK3 with tuner