Andrew White Guitars is known for creating beautiful, highly-versatile guitars. Their guitars are a joy to play, whether you’re flatpicking, fingerpicking, or strumming away on chords at a jam session.
When I heard that Andrew White Guitars was doing a guitar giveaway, I was ecstatic. That’s right, you heard me correctly…
Andrew White Guitars is GIVING AWAY one of their guitars.
But, before I give you the details I want to tell you about the model of guitar they are giving away.
The Freja 2002J
I’ve mentioned this guitar before, but I had the opportunity to give it a proper review in the studio recently.
Andrew White’s Freja 2002J is a B-E-A-Utiful guitar. It’s uniquely shaped, has beautiful inlay work on the fretboard and soundhole, and appears to be a jack-of-all-trades guitar.
Just look at the abalone crop circle inlay on the fretboard!
However, as I played the Freja 2002J more and more, I realized the magic of this guitar lies in playing fingerstyle.
Andrew White Guitars never fail to impress me, but I was surprised at how well the Freja 2002J excels in fingerpicking situations.
The Freja 2002J is a delicately balanced guitar, and it has an incredibly warm tone.
Here’s a quick specs rundown for you:
- Solid Jatoba body
- Asymmetrical ebony bridge
- Scalloped X bracing
- Artec Sound SHP5 pickups
- Abalone inlay on the fretboard and around the soundhole
- Laser engraved 18:1 ratio machine heads
For a full specs list, click here to visit Andrew White Guitars’ website.
While you might not have heard of Jatoba wood, think of it as similar to mahogany. It has a nice, mellow, warm tone that can fill a room.
I am especially in love with the level of detail on the abalone inlay on the rosette. There’s a circle of abalone, a circle of rosewood, and finally a circle of abalone. It’s a small touch that makes this guitar stand out.
Additionally, the Freja 2002J features a Florentine cutaway, giving you access to the upper-register without sacrificing any major tonal differences.
Andrew White Guitars Freja 2002J Final Thoughts
As I continue to play this guitar, I discover new nuances. I think there are two sure-fire areas that this guitar excels at.
First, the Freja 2002J is great for strumming. Whether you strum with your thumb or a flatpick, this guitar offers a well-balanced tone.
Additionally, the tone that comes from strumming is pretty articulate. With warmer tonewood like Jatoba, I was worried that the guitar would be too dark or muddy. Fortunately, the Freja 2002J’s tone holds up even when playing in a group. I felt like I was able to push the tone and volume on this guitar without sacrificing articulation in the tone.
Second — as I mentioned earlier — this guitar is superb for playing fingerstyle. I noticed that the guitar responded well to playing with the pads of my picking fingers. The tone was nice and mellow, yet it was still defined.
When I used my fingernails, the tone was a little too brash for my tastes. This held true for fingerpicks as well.
If I were buying this guitar, I would use it strictly for fingerstyle playing; however, if I had to strum, I’d know this guitar would be able to hold it’s own in that setting.
The Verdict?
Overall, I give Andrew White Guitars’ Freja 2002J a solid 4 out of 5 stars.
I am grateful to have been given plenty of time to review this guitar in a variety of different styles. All too often, reviewers will cut a review WAY too quick. Honestly, I think this guitar just needs to be explored in order to find whether it will suit your needs.
Freja 2002J Giveaway!
Alright, here’s what you’ve been waiting for.
The link to enter the giveaway is on the Andrew White Guitars website.
Now, I gotta say, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. Anytime a small-bench is GIVING AWAY a beautiful guitar — especially Andrew White’s guitars — why not just enter to win?
I wish you the best of luck, and leave a comment below if you have any questions about the Freja 2002J!
If you want more awesome guitar reviews, check them out here.
I don’t see the link for the guitar giveway?