This Baum Guitar is Going to Cause HUGE Problems
Preorder yours here – https://elkqr.link/baum-leaper-melody
There’s (currently) only one of these in the world – and somehow, it’s in my hands.
This is the Baum Leaper Melody Vega prototype. A triple-O sized acoustic, finished in sparkly Inca Gold, and built like something you’d expect to see in a boutique shop charging three times the price. It’s lightweight, loud, smooth, and just a little bit magical.
No pickups. No gimmicks. Just wood, craftsmanship, and one-off soul. I mic’d it with a Lewitt condenser, a ribbon mic, a stereo pair… and even gave it a walk in the sun.
In this video:
• Raw sound tests with pro mics
• Full build specs
• Under-the-hood look
• Honest thoughts on price, playability, and build
• Why this might be better than guitars twice the price
If you’ve been burned by overhyped acoustics before, this video might restore your faith. Or at least, make you want a gold suit.
This video is part of my ongoing guitar reviews series, where I dig into the latest gear, tone secrets, and hidden gems. If you’re into honest guitar reviews with no fluff, you’re in the right place. Subscribe for weekly guitar reviews, demos, and deep dives into the gear that actually matters.
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All opinions shared in this video are my own and were not reviewed or influenced by any outside parties.
00:00 – Only One in the World
00:53 – First Impressions & Colour Reveal
01:44 – Out of the Box Sound Check
02:57 – Mic Setup & Recording Plan
04:26 – First Playthrough: Condenser Mic
06:07 – Fingerpicking Demo
08:48 – Bonding with the Guitar Outdoors
09:42 – Full Specs & Materials Rundown
13:01 – Ribbon Mic Sound Test
16:38 – Playability & Capo Check
18:34 – Stereo Mic Sound Test
20:32 – Under the Hood: Inside the Guitar
22:06 – Final Thoughts on Feel & Quality
24:06 – Price vs Value Comparison
26:00 – In the room sound : Final Sound Demo
27:42 – Closing Thoughts & What’s Next
#TheGuitarGeek #BaumGuitars #AcousticGuitar #GuitarReview #leapermelodyvega
#Baum #Guitar #HUGE #Problems
Originally posted by UCI5i6aBbINMIEkYW3b6olHg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BhJQOsipGo
Preorder yours here – https://elkqr.link/baum-leaper-melody
There's (currently) only one of these in the world – and somehow, it's in my hands.
Love the look of the Baum electrics. Except for the headstocks. And it's true. The headstock sells the guitar.
Dig the headstock
Lindo Guitars are good value too
Oh my, love the balanced yet trebley sound.
Doesn´t convince me at all. (I am listening through quite decent headphones BTW). Sounds very unbalanced; the treble side does not mix well with the mids and lows. Would not trade in my 300 € Sigma for that guitar.
Sounds nice but that is the ugliest headstock I've ever seen.
Have to agree about the price but the resonance and sweet sound is quite fantastic and does beg the question why do we always think that solid wood guitars are the best.
That guitar sounds great.and looks amazing.love the headstock????????
It is a beatiful guitar, especially in green. However, that headstock has to go. it looks like the guitar has a tumor.
That gold is superb, love it ????????
This thing certainly sings!
Haha, “I love gold!”
It sounds awful.
Yawn.
The pick guard and especially the headstock take away from what otherwise looks and sounds like a decent guitar. Looks like some weird growth hanging off that headstock. Trying too hard to be different rarely works…this is a good example of that, in my mind
Andy’s pick of the month!!
I love it..
I have to agree with the other comments. Way TOO MUCH MONEY for a laminated body. Sounds good but the price is out of this world.
Sure does seem to have a lot of Buzz. Or is it just me? Just got an orangewood with torrefied sitka spruce top, solid mahogany back and sides ebony fretboard, real mother of pearl inlays. All solid wood and I am really impressed. Not a single buzz very nice full and balanced sound. Build is great no blemishes whatsoever with a nice hard case. Completely setup when it arrived. Ready to roll. Incredible value with the orangewood. You could buy two solid wood orangewoods for the price of this laminate guitar.
This sounds pretty lush, it's got a full rounded tone, yet suitably bright.
The price point seems fair enough to me: build quality looks good alongside the above on tone. Can't judge playability from here ???? but the satin finish on the neck implies smoothness in moving around.
Overall I'm currently more likely to buy an electric in that price range right now. But in all honesty I have used acoustic guitars much more in the last 10 years, so I might come back around to this one later.
Sweet guitar!
Quite a bit of fret buzz….
This is the ugliest guitar I have ever saw. The headstock has got to be a joke. It looks like a limp " noodle". This is a cheap junk guitar marked up to premium price. Junk hardware, scrappy lamination. ???????????? I can't take this channel serious anymore. Bye
Sound throws me off…maybe more than that testicle trying to escape the headstock.
But it absoultely should exist for the industry to progress.
Great video sir! Alas sadly not yet available in southpaw….oh well.
No thanks .. much too much frett buzz
(or maybe thats just your poor / uncrisp and slack chord change technique)
Bad ad for this brand .. and yours ????
“I know when something is good because I don’t want to stop playing”. That is how I have felt every time I have played my Baum Wingman. I set a timer for my required practice time and since I have received the Wingman, every practice has continued on after the timer beeped. Sometimes for longer than the timer was originally set.
That’s a sexy laminate guitar – Cool guitar Bro
a little to much fret noise – this sounds like a south korean made acoustic – exactly like my alvarez from years back – not a bad guitar, but not a great one either –
Andy, what's the song you play at 6:07 (Fingerpicking Demo)? Sounds like Kansas' Dust in the Wind — only it's not.
Grtz, Kris
The price range that you quoted, is that for the electro acoustic version? This guitar could be sold without the electrics. It sounds really nice.
No offence intended, but If I want a gold acoustic laminate to gig with, I'm going to mask off a Yamaha F370 and hit it with the spray paint, then permanently fit a Fishman Neo-D Humbucker sound pickup. By the time I've run it through a "NUX Stageman Pre-Amp with Effects" and/or an "IR Box" then into a PA, nobody in the audience is going to know the difference and I'll be over £1,300 better off.
I own high end acoustics, but did you ever play a new Yamaha F370? They are surprisingly good for the money, and put some premium guitar builders utterly to shame. They are also slightly shorter in scale so very comfortable to play for hours on end. Brand snobs can protest all they like; I've been playing since the 70s and played just about every acoustic and electric guitar there is to play.
Okay, for those having a nice long moan about the price, it's worth bearing in mind that:
1) This is a prototype model, so there is going to be some weirdness.
2) Andy has been lent the guitar, so his options to set it up are limited.
3) Regarding the cost, the guitars are made in Indonesia, but they are then shipped to Denmark for a round of checks before shipping. Paying the manufacturer, then also paying for Danish wages to "finish" the guitar will push the price up.
4) Comparing prices against the economy of scale that Yamaha can bring to the table is a losing prospect for a comparatively tiny company.
If you just want the most acoustic for the money, then it's correct to go with a Yamaha etc.
But if the aesthetics are what you want, and you find one that plays nicely, then you're not likely to find a Yamaha just like this.
Thanks so much for taking the time it dive into all the details here, Andy! It's a guitar we've worked on for a LONG time, and it feels surreal to see them in other people's hands now! The moment where you had to leave the studio and use it with your "off-time" was pure. We know how valuable that time is, and being included as "the go-to guitar" means a lot. Cheers from us!
Pass
Love your videos, but that strumming was WAY too hard. Fret buzz was out of control…and did not make a good first impression. You eventually calmed down a bit, but tone it down a bit as the first many minutes were so buzzy…BEES started building a hive on me speakers! 🙂
I'm going to be a bit freaky on main and admit that all acoustics sound the same to me!
Maybe this is me asking you to make a video comparing the different styles of acoustics and what their unique characters/drawbacks are.
Nice guitar. And you have the 001, too! And nice to know that you were a busker. I always put some change into their guitar cases/hats or whatever, when i'm passing by. ????
It’s just ok in my book as far as sound and looks go. It would be a decent buy for what it is if it only cost between $600 and $700 For me I am happy sticking with my Taylor GS mini, my Pepe Romero Classical style parlor guitar, my full carbon fiber Klos Travel guitar and my prized possession, my custom Emerald Guitars A7 full carbon fiber Guitar.
I loved the Meat Puppets part ????❤
Guitar sounds good! Resonant .. a bit buzzy .. but thats fixable.
I will cost too much in the USA due to tariffs. Even so, I wouldn't spend that much money on a Chinese made guitar.
Trash, that headstock is terrible and will bang into everything.
I played the Baúm guitars at z Guitar Summit 2024… and yes… they are incredible! As my friend Martin said on our way to the booth, Laz… these guitars are going to ruin you! I still have dreams of their guitars! I called them, The Baumb guitars… 'cause they are da Baumb! ????????????????
Nasty pick guard and headstock.
I will hand it to you, it sounds good. But just running the numbers on what else is available in the guitar market today this is a real hard sell. I have been playing guitar for 30+ years and have 5+ years as a tech under my belt. I am one who doesn’t buy into specs alone, the shots you gave of the inside joinery were very revealing. But still, I find it hard to justify spending $1500 for a laminate guitar. I am familiar with Torres’ famed experiment to prove the importance of the top of a guitar. But the way things are, for money approaching $2K after taxes and tariffs, the electronics (which again, I realize you could not cover due to the prototype status of this instrument) is simply ridiculous and far removed from anything that I would recommend buying. Yes, I also know that Takamine offers high end guitars with laminate construction, however, in those cases their higher end models have solid tops and solid backs. Their laminates are used in the sides where the Takamine Luthiers commonly mount their preamps. I do think that one would be better off considering a Taylor or a Martin as their Mexican lines would offer similar spec and frankly, similar sound to this model and would save approximately 300 – 500 dollars, maybe more depending on if the other comments are accurate.
Anyway, that ends the first comment I have chosen to leave on any video in this channel. Take it for what you will. My opinion is definitely not gospel. I do, enjoy your content Andy and I often do agree with your opinions, so don’t judge too harshly, I mean all this with all due respect and admiration for what you do.
Baum is a wonderful brand. I do hope they will open a showroom or something I’d be happy to cross the bridge to get hands on with one before deciding.
Looks like the headstock is sporting a tumor of some kind.
I'm so pleased you put your ic 420 back on the wall. Cheers.