Timberidge TR Mini 4 Series Body Acoustic

Owned and presided over right here in Melbourne, Australia, Timberidge guitars have been distributing quality instruments since 1994. The design and spec decisions are made here and production is carried out overseas.

I had the opportunity to road test one of their new products, the Timberidge 4-Series Mini Acoustic and found it impressive. There was something adorable about this Timberidge 4-Series model when I first pulled it out of its padded bag. Adorned in lovely flamed woods, this guitar looks like it should be hanging on the wall of an old English cottage. While the concept of a traveller's guitar is not a new one, the idea has certainly become more popular in recent years with a greater range than ever before.

This was the first Timberidge guitar I have ever played, so I was intrigued to find out what they had delivered, both visually and sonically. Off the bat, the TR Mini was a lot of fun to play, and I wasn't at all put off by the fact I had to battle a reasonably high action and some heavy strings. If fact, this really helped project the notes which seemingly sustained for days. The tone of the instrument is a little 'boxier' than a normal sized steel string, added with a touch of banjo or resonator, perfect for country, roots and old blues musings.

Some quality woods have been incorporated, like the solid cedar top, solid mahogany back and sides and a rosewood bridge and fingerboard. In addition, while on the subject of the bridge, this is what really helps define the sound of this instrument. An interesting design has been utilised that raises the saddle and lowers the bridge pins (in a similar way to a tune-o-matic bridge on an electric) to create more tension when anchoring the string into the top. The result is much the same as on a Les Paul, big sustain, which is especially enjoyable with the small body, as interesting harmonics tend to jump out more.

Plugged in, the sound goes from boxy to big when you EQ the tone with the B-Band A3T preamp. The preamp has a 4-band EQ consisting of bass, middle, treble, presence as well as an onboard tuner and volume control. The amplified tone of this instrument was a lot brighter than its acoustic voice (which is often always the case with piezo pickups) and the combination of Lo-Z XLR and Hi-Z jack connections makes it more versatile for live shows, so it can connect directly into a PA without a DI, directly into an acoustic amp, or both.

The Timberidge TR 4-Mini is a great little guitar at a great price that would suit players that are either fans of traveller guitars … are actually genuine travellers, or even people with small hands (I know so many girls that struggle to play a full-sized guitars). Timberidge have quite a range of instruments now, from regular shaped guitars to parlour and ukuleles. A visit to their website will tell you more. www.timberidgeguitars.com.au or www.jadeaustralia.com.au.