Simon & Patrick Woodland Pro Parlor Review – Good Things Come in Small Packages!

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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As the name suggests, this gorgeous parlor is part of the Canadian brand Simon & Patrick’s higher-end Woodland Pro Series, which promises several upgrades from the original Woodland Series. At under $700, it is by no means the cheapest on our list of the best parlor guitars, so this model will have to work harder than the entry-level parlors to impress us. Let’s see how it fares…

Body & Neck

Frankly, the first impressions of this parlor guitar are excellent. It doesn’t boast some of the vintage or alternative designs as is the case with some of the other parlors we have seen, yet it displays an unwavering feeling of simplicity and elegance. This is largely down to the overall build quality, which is great – as you may expect from a guitar handcrafted in Canada.

For the back and sides, Simon & Patrick uses solid mahogany, while the top is solid pressure-tested select spruce, which is both very easy on the eye and enhances the tone (more on that later). To add to the elegance, the guitar features a high-gloss polish finish across the body along with an intricate wooden rosette. Playability is top notch, with a sleek mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard, with 19 frets (joined at the 12th). Hard to fault the looks and build – even for the price it’s proving good value already.

Hardware

The overall sense of quality continues with the hardware, which makes it a reliable player. Note that, while this parlor has no electronics, there is the option to have a B-Band A3T electronics pre-amp installed (albeit at a considerably higher price). As standard, the parlor comes with a rosewood bridge with a GraphTech Tusq saddle and matching nut, along with a set of sturdy high gear ratio chrome tuners, and a dual-action truss rod in the neck.

Sound

While the design and playability would have sold us this guitar already, it’s actually the sound that impresses the most. For such a small guitar, the Woodland Pro Parlor boasts a surprisingly big projection – in fact, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking you are playing a dreadnought!

Tonally, it is not as boxy as we expected and, although strong in the mid-range, this model seems better balanced than other parlors, with crisp trebles and pronounced bass. Throw in a very lengthy sustain and this parlor scores top marks.

For a full demonstration of this parlor’s tone, check out the official Simon & Patrick video:

Conclusion

It’s difficult to criticize the Woodland Pro Parlor… perhaps it won’t appeal to those parlor guitarists who crave the more traditional boxy tone, but that’s not a gripe we will dwell over. In truth, this compact Canadian-made guitar shows great value in the higher-end and is a smart choice for both intermediate and experienced players, as well as serious beginners.

For more info about the Simon & Patrick Woodland Pro Parlor, click here.
For more Parlor Guitar you might like, click here.