Description
Review of the GLARRY AEG Black 70 Acoustic Electric Guitar Beginner Kit with 15W Amp
The Glarry AEG Black 70 is a full size 41 inch cutaway acoustic electric guitar sold in a distressed matte black finish as a complete kit with a 15 watt amplifier. It is built for a beginner who wants an acoustic that can also be plugged in, with the onboard tuner and four band equaliser doing the work that would otherwise need external gear.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- A four band onboard equaliser covering bass, mid, treble and presence, plus a low battery indicator. That is more tone control than most acoustic electrics at this level offer.
- A built in tuner in the preamp, so tuning does not depend on remembering a clip on device.
- Cutaway body, which opens up the frets above the twelfth. On a 41 inch dreadnought that region is otherwise awkward to reach.
- A published 25.5 inch scale length, the standard long scale, so any normal acoustic string set will fit.
- 18:1 gear ratio tuning machines. A higher ratio means each turn of the button moves the pitch less, which makes fine tuning much easier than the coarse 14:1 machines usually fitted at this price.
Cons
- The kit is advertised as usable straight out of the box, yet the 9 volt battery that powers the preamp, the equaliser and the tuner is explicitly not included. Without it none of the electronics work.
- The spec table calls the bridge system adjustable. Acoustic bridges are fixed, with a saddle that a technician can lower or shim. There is no user adjustment of the kind that word implies.
- The top is listed as basswood, which is an unusual choice for an acoustic soundboard, and the listing never says whether it is solid or laminated. That single detail affects the sound more than anything else on the spec sheet.
- No item weight is published at all, so how heavy the guitar will feel over a long session cannot be judged from the data.
- The pickup configuration is recorded only as “combination”, which describes nothing useful. Whether the system uses an under saddle piezo, a soundhole pickup or both is not stated.
Detailed Product Description
The body is basswood front and back, a light and soft timber used because it is inexpensive and stable. On an electric guitar that is unremarkable; on an acoustic soundboard it is less common, since spruce and cedar are chosen for their stiffness to weight ratio. What that means in practice is a guitar that is likely to sound even rather than loud or resonant, and a finish that marks if it is knocked. The matte black distressed treatment hides light scuffing better than a gloss finish would.
The neck is maple with a laurel wood fretboard. Laurel has become a common substitute for rosewood since trade restrictions tightened, and it behaves similarly under the fingers: slightly open grained, comfortable, and needing an occasional wipe of oil. A pickguard is fitted to protect the top from pick strokes.
The electronics are the reason to choose this over a plain acoustic. A four band equaliser lets the sound be shaped at the guitar rather than at the amplifier, which matters because piezo systems tend towards a hard, brittle top end that a presence control can pull back. The 15 watt amplifier supplied is sized for a room rather than a stage. Whether an acoustic electric actually needs an amp at home is worth thinking through, and the guide to amplifying an acoustic electric guitar covers the question.
A truss rod runs through the neck and the supplied wrench adjusts it, which allows the neck relief to be corrected as seasons change. That is a genuine advantage over instruments with no adjustable rod, though it is a job worth leaving to someone who has done it before.
What Comes with the Product
- The 41 inch cutaway acoustic electric guitar in distressed black
- A 15 watt amplifier
- A clip on tuner
- A gig bag
- A shoulder strap
- Picks
- An instrument cable
- A spare set of strings
- A wrench for the truss rod
Not included: the 9 volt battery needed to run the onboard preamp, a capo, a guitar stand or a hard case. The battery is the one omission that stops the guitar working as advertised, so it should be added to the order.
Who It Suits
This suits a beginner who expects to play in front of people at some point, in a church group, a school band or a small room, and wants an instrument that plugs in without an upgrade. It also suits someone who values the onboard tuner and equaliser enough to accept a basswood body. A 15 watt amplifier is ample for home use, as set out in the guide to guitar amp wattage for home practice.
It suits less well a player who only ever intends to play acoustically at home, since the electronics add cost and a battery dependency for no benefit. It also suits less well anyone whose main concern is unplugged tone, where a solid spruce top would be the better use of the money. Comparable kits include the Donner 41 inch acoustic electric beginner kit, the Vangoa full size acoustic electric bundle and the Best Choice Products acoustic electric starter kit. The full range sits in acoustic electric guitars and beginner starter kits.
How to Maintain
Remove the battery if the guitar is going to sit unused for weeks. A 9 volt cell left in a preamp can leak and corrode the contacts.
Unplug the instrument cable when finished. On most acoustic electric systems the jack socket is also the power switch, so leaving a lead plugged in drains the battery even with the amplifier off.
Tips and Recommendations
Buy two 9 volt batteries with the guitar. One goes in, one lives in the gig bag pocket, because the low battery light usually appears at the least convenient moment.
Set the equaliser flat first and only then adjust. Starting with everything boosted makes it impossible to tell which control is causing a problem.
If the strings feel high and hard work above the fifth fret, a setup is the fix. The guide to guitar action and setup explains what to ask a shop for.
Product FAQ
Does the battery come with it?
No. The listing states a 9 volt battery is required and not included, and the preamp, equaliser and tuner will not work without one.
Is the top solid or laminated?
Not stated. The listing gives basswood as the top material but makes no claim about solid construction.
Can it be played without plugging in?
Yes. It is a normal acoustic guitar with a hollow body, and the electronics are optional.
