ADAM BLACK ROUTE 61 CE

If you’re at a crossroad, this affordable cutaway-electro could help make your deal

- Stuart Williams

Pick the right guitar and you’re not just buying an instrument; you’re securing yourself a writing partner, performance weapon, and trusty musical companion. This is especially true of an acoustic, where the body size, shape, sound, and spec all make up the ingredients of your familiar sidekick.

Adam Black’s Route 61 is certainly full of said character, particularly in a market brimming with plain-looking spruce/ mahogany combos. First off is the Mississippi Mud Burst finish, which, along with the name, conjures images of sold souls and Delta blues. Underneath the paint job is a solid spruce top, and the fingerboard is fettled out of purpleheart - a wood that is more commonly found on the sides of acoustic guitars rather than on the fingerboard. Elsewhere, it’s fitted with a Fishman Presys II preamp and under-saddle piezo and black chrome tuners.