enya x4 pro mini consensus ? @$400

[kurth]

so for around $400us, is it a decent buy.? I was really watching out for an offer for the x3mini, but the x4 shown up at opportunity's door first. Would I be content? I don't like the extra distance from the soundhole to the pickup,but....at almost the same price, can I go wrong? thanks for your opinions.

[kurth]

well since the consensus was so unanimous, I bought it. Be here friday. Paid about $400us...in mexico.
....things i might like....the zero nut ....the soundhole sound....the cantilevered neck....the material and it's advantages...the 24inch scale...the pickup.
....things i might not like....the soundhole position&limited accessibility....the effects, but I'll keep an open mind....the electronic package and it's reliability...&the lack of wood.

obviously an issue with this guitar is the ability or lack thereof of changing pickups....esp if the elec package goes south...which I give it a 50/50. I think probably the best solution when & if this occurs is ovations solution...cut a door in its behind that allows easy access. Anyway that's how I rationalized what will I do when....
Let you know what I think friday, if the banditos don't get it.

[kurth]

first 15minutes...heavy little bugger. beautiful artifact of modern technology. the case is something else. the guitar has a bit of plastic acoustic sound, but adequate. the electronics need some instructions and didn't seem to add much volume...but I probably don't know what I'm doing. It's slowly headed up to my studio and see how it really sounds. And it's probably got some lighter gauge strings in it's future. I think the mag pickup idea has enough space and possibly could be rigged to hang off the soundhole.
I'm not sure if it's better than the csf1m I was contemplating, but it's certainly different. It's climate safe and I love not having to worry. That occurred to me while I was waiting , knowing it was being dragged around the desert in a delivery van. more later

...the pickup w/o effects sounds really great thru my thr5a. Better than the srt in my LL6...much. The neck is small. Any smaller and it would be too small. The guitar is top heavy. The tuning keys are nice.
...I've got a months dealers warranty....and a year with enya usa...so I'll wait a month to shave the saddle...but just looking, this little guitar will play like a mustang. Which reminds me...the specs said it's 23.6 inch scale but I measured it from the zero fret and it's 23.75.

The pickup by itself, acoustically really improves the acoustic sound. Brings up the volume a tad at 3/4. The effects sound thin. But that's a good start. tomorrow I'll put it in the compu. What a great terrace guitar...

[kurth]

the enya electronics....
Like I said it sounds really nice straight with guitar mic on to my THR5a using the mic models & effects in the amp. In the compu....the pickup straight, w/o effects with about 80% mic on the guitar, sounds good. Passing it thru re-guitar using the straight piezo acoustic setting with 'tone' dialed down 10%... it imho sounds great. I can record some songs with this guitar.

But it's not a mic. I tested by singing and singing couldn't be heard...which is great news. It sounds like a mic though? It must be a body transducer?

It tunes to open d very sweet. And it's alot easier to reach 4 frets.

The pickup amp is turned on when a cable is in the jack.

It holds tune relatively well....overnight testing will continue. I do like their tuners.

The neck and headstock are heavy...which is probably good news...meaning that they overdesigned it.

For large handed people....you probably don't want the mini. The string to string at the nut is 1.437.

Honestly I can't believe this is a $400 guitar that will probably out last all my wooden ones ! After playing it for more time late at night , even the unassisted acoustic tone is not bad.

...if they did this guitar, & it is available for that....then it's only a matter of time before we see people like yamaha and fender make these guitar.