The Tanglewood brand may not ring a bell to many in the US, but this UK based guitar company have been establishing their presence in the guitar market. While they are recognized for their Banjo's, their guitar portfolio is worth checking out if you're a fan of parlor and acoustic guitars in general.

The Tanglewood TWJP parlor guitar exemplifies the brand's philosophy, combining old school looks with contemporary design and good hardware, while retaining a reasonable price point. This guitar is part of the company's Indonesia made Java series, a line of guitars that feature exotic Indonesian Amara and Mango timbers, and making them more accessible to the average players.

Speaking of exotic wood, the TWJP parlor features amara sides and back, with a v-cut wedge of spalted mango on the back, that gives this guitar a premium appearance that's normally only available at upper tier price points. Not much info about tone is provided, but amara is described as having similar characteristics with mahogany, with subtle differences. The solid cedar top keeps the sound familiar, giving this parlor guitar a warmer midrange voicing that complements its vintage style look. The mahogany binding around the body adds even more elegance to guitar's look.

The neck is crafted from Nato and topped by Sonokeling fingerboard. Sonokeling is a type of rosewood that grows locally in Indonesia, it is also used to craft the bridge of the instrument. Interestingly, Tangelwood opted for a long scale length of 25.6", which is quite unusual for a parlor shaped guitar. Nut width is 1.69" and the neck meets the body at the 12th fret. This parlor guitar has an elegant looking slotted headstock with open-back nickel vintage tuners, while a compensated saddle catches the end of the strings that go through the bridge and the body.

Finally, for plugging in, Tanglewood offers an acoustic-electric version called "TWJP E" which comes with Fishman Sonitone / Fishman Presys electronics. This improves the value that you are getting even more by allowing you to use this already reasonably priced couch guitar on stage.

Check out the Tanglewood Java TWJP E in action below:

For more information on the Tanglewood TWJP E parlor guitar, you can visit Tanglewood Guitars.